Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Restaurant Review: Red & Green Steakhouse, Atlanta

A Brazilian business associate of ours was coming to town and we needed to throw him a welcome party. Last time we brought someone in from his firm we went to Fogo de Cho, a high profile Brazilian steakhouse here in

Atlanta, but the prices were too high for what we got, the service was so-so, and the atmosphere was too cramped and chaotic for us. On the advice of a photographer friend of mine, we instead headed to the Red & Green

Steakhouse.

If youre a diehard vegetarian, youll take easy delight in the salad bar, but once you get to the real meat of the issue, you may find the matter a bit too carnal for your desires. Its refreshing to see a bottomless-plate restaurant

take such a progressive view on the non-meat offering. They know the carbs arent the reason you came, but instead of trying to bury you in starch like almost everyone does, the Red & Green Steakhouse instead tries to

tantalize your taste buds into intoxication.

In other words, its easy to pass on mashed potatoes and gravy, but an assortment of fresh fruits rivaled only by the green grocer, and savory mixed green recipes you wont find anywhere else, these are things much harder to

resist.

But what really sold us was once all our guests had arrived, and we sat down to talk with Davi, we could all speak in conversational tones and actually hear each other without shouting. He stopped our waitress and brazenly

ordered a bottle of 96 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. You should have seen my boss shrink in his chair. Who has ever heard of, let alone might carry, such an unusual selection?

The way she said, "Let me check," didnt exactly instill us with confidence, but she returned with it, presented it to him, and the strangest speed bump in an otherwise ideal evening was magically avoided. I later pulled her aside

to ask if thats a common wine, and she said it was the last bottle they had on hand, but they may restock it soon. What is this, Fantasy Island?

We werent quite on the home-stretch yet, however. We still had all the meat of the matter to get through, and if anyone knows Gaucho-style Rodizio, its a Brazilian. To our delight (both for business, and for our dining

pleasure) the Red & Green Steakhouse only uses certified cuts of Angus beef, as well as top choice chicken and other elite grade products. The spice and preparation are done ideally, so as even our resident expert had to

admit it was a great dinner.

Whether youre going for a quiet dinner, or taking a client out to entertain, this hidden gem is one place where you can treat your guest to a meal as lavish as their own tastes will permit, without ever letting on that it really

didnt cost nearly as much as they might expect.

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