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! :)
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