at the Copa... Copacabana

I can't believe it.. a Brazilian Churascaria (Brazilian Steakhouse) in mid-town... another restaurant in my neighborhood worth gushing over!! This place is a carnivore's delight! You have to make sure you come hungry and not only that, there's a live Brazilian band, gorgeous samba showgirls dancing and caporeia dancers showing off their moves!
On weekends, the price per head is $35, for all the entertainment, the all you can eat buffet full of salads, pastas, rice and steamed veggies and a non stop array of meats. As you take your seat, you are instructed that once you flip your card over to the "Fire it up" side, the meat starts to come!

My friend Matt and I decided on drinks and to hit up the buffet before turning our card over. The buffet is amazing - 10 different types of cold salads including the typical green to lentils, beets, corn salad to cold cuts and hot pasta dishes and rice. Matt advised me to manage my servings at the buffet because it's an insane amount of food at the table so I really skimped the buffet which in retrospect was a good thing. When we got back to our table - I was anxious to flip our card up and within a minute, the first Passador (meat waiters) came to our table with a huge skewer of prime rib which he shaved off and advised me to pick off using the tongs that were at the table. Then came rib eye, filet mignon and then Brazilian flank steak, beef wrapped with bacon, chicken wrapped with bacon, Moroccan spiced chicken, chicken thighs, beef stuffed with cheese... at certain points, the passador came with a skewer of grilled pineapple which was a juicy and sweet touch. It went well with any of the meats and reminded me of a hawaiian pizza. There were also freshly baked corn bread being passed around. One of the passadors on his third time around our table exclaimed that he was very impressed with our appetites especially mine as I always greeted him with a smile and a 'bring it on' attitude. There was soo much food!!! As the night wore on- our entertainment started. First these gorgeous girls in showgirl costumes did a samba showcase and circulated through the restaurant. The way these ladies could move was mesmerizing. They could shake it like a poloroid picture and their hips didn't lie. Matt knew one of the gorgeous women - Tracie Miko who is a dance professional and teacher and she was out of this world. The way she could keep her head poised while her body would shake, shimmy and samba... arrrrriba!! After the ladies performance, the caporeia men came out. They were topless showing off their gorgeous rippling bodies and they would be doing flips, kicks and spins that were insane to do in a restaurant. At the end of the night, the servers came around with baked bananas and Matt ended up sending me birthday cake -as he missed my big day and this was a make up dinner for it. We left the restaurant exhausted and busting at the seams full however I would go back again and again! Thanks again Dirty for a great belated birthday din!
Copacabana's - 150 Eglinton Avenue East, Yonge and Eglinton
**** stars