[ review ] :: red green steakhouse

So...this may or may not turn into an incredibly awkward conversation with The Hubs. I'm not entirely sure he will be thrilled that I posted my opinion on this, but here goes.

My intention with my reviews is not to bash any company, store, or restaurant where I have had a bad encounter. However, I would like to give an honest opinion of whether or not I think in my own opinion it was a good deal. Was it on the cheap? We'll see.

A few months ago, I purchased a LivingSocial deal for Red & Green Brazilian Steakhouse on Buford Highway in Atlanta. I was planning on using it for our anniversary dinner, but we ended up using it a few weeks ago (The Hubs decided that he wanted to stay home and cook for me on our anniversary). It was $49 for two unlimited dinners and a bottle of wine, up to $30 in value; overall, it was a $100 value for about 50% off. Not bad for a Brazilian steakhouse, right?

Wrong.

When we drove up to the restaurant, it was in a run-down strip mall. The Hubs looked at me and said two words: food poisoning. "Shocked" does not describe our reaction to the inside of the restaurant, though. It was beautiful. Like really, really nice. Check out some photos here.

The waitstaff was very friendly, and our wine was delicious. But, I did feel like there was some false advertising with their salad bar and hot bar. First, I did not see a hot bar. Second, the food on the salad bar was not authentic Brazilian food - it was more like a salad bar at Shoney's. But do you think this stopped me from eating it? Hellz no.

I also stuffed my face ate my fill of meat. Most of the meats were very flavorful and well cooked (and well done), except one that had a distinct cooked-straight-out-of-the-freezer taste. I also wished they had come around more often with the meats as well, but the waitstaff was still very attentive. Perhaps if we hadn't have gone on a Tuesday night it would have been busier.

So, overall - the food was edible and we did not die of food poisoning (sarcasm). Some was even quite tasty, but this was not an authentic Brazilian steakhouse. Compared to other churrascarias I've been to, this was completely unimpressive - especially for the price. So let's break it down:

Normal Price: $125 for 2 dinners + wine + tax + 18% gratuity

Would I pay this price to go there again? No. We would more likely go to Fogo de Chao and pay more for better quality food.

LivingSocial Deal Price: $74 for 2 dinners + wine + tax + 18% gratuity

Would I pay this price to go there again? Nope. Maybe for $50.

What do you think?

- Maggie White