Samba

So last night some friends and I went to Samba, Madison’s local Brazilian Steakhouse.

We sat down and ordered some drinks. I was in the mood for something different so I ordered the Garnacha wine, a mild red wine that I actually really liked. It was their featured wine which is why I ordered it, I don’t know that much about wine. After that we got to hit their salad bar. The salad bar was a little too classy for me as about half the things are items I didn’t care for or didn’t know what they were. Everything was clearly labeled which was a plus and I found plenty to eat. They also had garlic mashed potatoes (superb) and a soup. They bring these little cheesy rolls to your table as well and those things are awesome. They were made with a white and a parmesan cheese and were fresh baked. Not many things finer than fresh-baked cheese bread. Then it was time to eat. They were serving 6 cuts of meat last night. Of the 6, I enjoyed 2 (the top sirloin and the linguica sausage) didn’t mind another (the flank steak) and 3 weren’t great (two chicken dishes and the lamb.) One of the chicken dishes and the flank steak were a sweet jerk style, others loved it but I don’t like jerk food. The barbeque chicken wasn’t prepared well and was a little rough. The lamb was better than I thought and was the best prepared of them all, I am just not a lamb guy. The top sirloin was a fine steakhouse style cut and marinade, pretty much perfect. But the linguica was the star. It was similar to a polish sausage but with a different flavor that was spicy. It was my favorite. Which is why I am scared to go back. The meats rotate but I’d miss the sausage if it weren’t there.

I opted against having dessert though. Much like their food, the desserts were on the pricey side and I decided just being normally full would trump being stuffed. Samba is a winner. The ambiance is cool and it looks like you are walking into some place in Vegas…but in downtown Madison. It is a pricey so for me a once a year type place but worthy. I can see why people are not only naming it the best new restaurant but also the best restaurant in Madison period. While I wouldn’t go that far (there are a couple places I’d rather go) it is definitely worthy.

But life is not all about eating out. Throwing a party? Here’s an idea for a dish! :)