A good friend of mine, John, an LA native, was getting ready to head back to school, so he wanted to meet up for a quick lunch before heading back. He was feeling a bit adventurous, though, and wanted to try something exotic. After thinking for a bit, I threw out the idea of Brazilian food. “Brazilian food—I’ve never eaten that” was my friend’s response. I couldn’t believe it. How can you live in Los Angeles and not have tried at least one of the many amazing Brazilian joints in town? That’s a downright culinary sin, in my book.

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Anyway, I picked my favorite local Brazilian joint, Gaucho’s Village. Gaucho’s Village is perhaps the best priced Brazilian restaurant, with perhaps the best quality of meat, only rivaled by M Grill in Koreatown. At Gaucho’s, a buffet dinner costs $35, and lunch is $17. This is no ordinary buffet though. Brazilian food involves fantastic quality, as extremely fresh, well-cooked bbq meats are brought to your table in endless quantities, while a fantastic assortment of hot dishes are served up front. In the front, you can choose from numerous salads, stews, rices, which include cheese-filled bread, potato croquettes, empanadas, fried bananas (just about the greatest joy a mouth can experience), chicken stroganoff, two types of rice, bean and sausage stew (known as feijoada), and cold cuts and cheeses. As for the bbq, you get 15 different meats for dinner and 10 during lunchtime (marked with asterisks): Tri-tip*, Top-Sirloin*, Top-Sirloin Cap*, Garlic Beef*, Chicken Drumsticks*,  Spicy Chicken*, Brazilian Sausage*,  Polish Sausage*, Pork Loin with Parmesan Cheese*, Pork Ribs*, Filet-Mignon wrapped in Bacon, Chicken Breast wrapped in Bacon; Beef Ribs, Skirt Steak, Lamb. One trick to know with Brazilian food is that they like to trick you by letting you carb up. The carbs, in general, cost much less to produce than the meat. The smart Brazilian bbq eater will neglect the carbs and fill up on the meat to really get his/her money’s worth (which is, however, very difficult, considering the carbs are absolutely delicious).

Anyway, Gaucho’s was quite the experience. John and I almost lost track of time, sitting around, eating constantly for two hours, constantly surprised by a new meat of outstanding quality. And there was no rush either. The waiters were constantly attentive, constantly providing more food. The service at Brazilian restaurants, in general, is some of the friendliest I ever receive, as it is not only quick, considering you have several servers (some serve different cuts of meat, others take drink orders, etc.), but Brazilians are also some of the friendliest people you will ever meat, and each server has a unique story to tell if you take the time to talk to him/her. The restaurant’s ambience only added to the experience. Gaucho’s is perfectly suited to groups, family affairs, or gatherings with friends. It’s huge, with large, comfortable chairs, large tables, and tons of space between tables (necessary for so many servers to move around so much meat).

I have no problems fully recommending Gaucho’s. John enjoyed it so much, not only did he leave full to the point of exploding (he actually couldn’t eat until 8 pm that night), but he also vowed to bring his whole family back. And that is almost always the reaction whenever I take a friend to Brazilian food.

For all you foodies out there, $17 at lunch for an endless amount of 10 perfectly cooked meats and fantastic rices, breads, and stews is just about the best deal I can think of in town. This is no frills cuisine at its finest—it’s just meat cooked perfectly. Yet Gaucho’s does an extremely good job, cooking the meat whole and offering cuts from all sides of the meat, so it’s possible to get just the right amount of redness to your meat (i.e. you can choose how rare you want your meat). The carb bar is also extensive and almost all choices are delicious. While I do think this place is one of the best Brazilian bbq’s in town, I would give the thumbs up slightly to M Grill, largely because it has a better quality of filet mignon and cheese bread, and offers mashed yucca, which Gaucho’s does not. However, Gaucho’s holds its own, and is one of the best restaurants in Glendale, if you’re ever in the area. Moreover, unlike other places, Gaucho’s provides a great show during dinner, complete with scantily-clad Brazilian dancers and live samba music.

What I recommend:

1. Hot Dishes: Fried bananas, cheese bread, mashed potatoes, empanadas, chicken stroganoff, feijoada
2. Meat: Gaucho steak (house specialty), Top sirloin, garlic beef, Polish sausage, Filet Mignon in Bacon, Skirt Steak
3. Things to avoid: Nothing really. I’d try everything at least once.

Ambience: 4.0/5.0. Great for groups, and live entertainment at nights.
Service: 4.2+/5.0. Friendliest waiters around.
Food: 4.0/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0. 5.0/5.0 during lunch. Gains points for live entertainment during dinner.
Verdict: 4.2/5.0. Adjusted for value, this restaurant deserves more of a 4.5 for lunch.

3832 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010-3222

Los Angeles is one of the few places where you can find excellent Brazilian food. And Brazilian food is absolute comfort food at its finest, with an endless amount of perfectly prepared starches and meats. Thus, whenever I head back to town, I always make sure to stop by at least one Brazilian restaurant. This time around, I was looking for a nice, long night out with my two closest friends, and we decided on M Grill in Koreatown.

A brief recap on Brazilian food is needed (for more info, check out my review of Gaucho’s Village). It’s served buffet style, except for the fact that the quality of food you’re getting is just as high as you can get at any good steakhouse, if not better. In the front, there is always a salad bar and a section of hot dishes, including such marvels as cheese-filled bread, sausage and bean stew, fried yucca, mashed yucca/potatoes, garlic, seafood stew, and different pastas. The main draw, though, is the large list of bbq meats that servers bring straight to your table, hot off the grill—everything from filet mignon to beef ribs, chicken thigh, tri-tip, top sirloin, and picanha (top sirloin cap).

Anyway, when my friends and I arrived at M Grill, we didn’t know what to expect. The drive there was a bit ominous. Going through Koreatown on a dark night isn’t exactly the most scenic drive. The area looked almost like a deserted wasteland, and the restaurant was in the middle of nowhere on the 2^nd story of an otherwise completely closed building complex.

As we entered the restaurant, though, we experienced an almost complete change of heart. The restaurant has a fantastic ambience. It’s very classy, with a nice bar and great lighting (the lighting is a tad dimmed to create a more personal experience). The neighborhood is kind of dumpy, but the restaurant itself is quiet and small and has tons of room between tables, making it more intimate than most places and making for a great date spot. The service, moreover, is excellent—waiters rapidly bring out whatever cut of meat you like, constantly stuffing you. And, unlike in most places, waiters will go the extra mile to make you feel at home. For example, M Grill did not serve our favorite meat, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, so when the waiters found out how much we loved that meat, they custom-prepared and barbecued three pieces for us, using their normal filet mignon.

As for the food, you won’t be disappointed at all. No person I have ever taken to a Brazilian restaurant has ever disliked it, and M Grill is probably the finest one that I have personally eaten at. The meats are almost all perfectly cooked, and it is possible to obtain any level of rareness you desire, as everything is cooked in large chunks so that outer layers will always be better cooked than those nearer the center. Moreover, the restaurant offers at least 8 beef choices, 2 chicken choices, and 3 pork, all with different flavors and different spices and each coming from a different area of the respective animal. The beef at M Grill is especially outstanding, and its filet mignon is particularly the best I’ve had in any Brazilian restaurant.

As for the starches/hot section, almost anything you get is rather good, but two things in particular make M Grill stand out. First, it serves its bread (filled with cheese) hot from the oven and brings it straight to your table, so that it’s always fresh. This is by far the best bread in a Brazilian restaurant I’ve had. Also, M Grill is the only place to serve mashed yucca (Brazilian mashed potatoes are amazing, but yucca just takes it to a whole new level b/c it’s naturally so much starchier, richer, and creamier than potatoes). To be fair, though, the salad bar and hot section aren’t quite as large here as at other Brazilian restaurants.

Overall, then, M Grill provides a feast befitting a king. It provides endless hot dishes, salads, and freshly cooked barbecued meats unlike any you’ll taste at a traditional bbq. It is a bit pricy for bbq at $35 for dinner, but it has the variety and the quality to satisfy even the pickiest eater and the quantity to satisfy even the biggest glutton.

Some recommendations:

Best cuts of meat: Filet Mignon (Falling apart it’s so soft and moist), Beef Ribs, Polish Sausage (The Polish sausage is amazingly smoky and flavorful), Skirt Steak (extremely succulent, very well cooked).

Cuts to avoid: Brazilian Sausage and Chicken with Bacon (rather dry).

Best salads/hot dishes: Mashed Yucca, Black Bean Stew, Fried Yucca, Fried Banana, Potato Salad

Scoring:

Ambience: 4.0/5.0. Great for an intimate evening with great food.
Service: 4.1/5.0. Brazilian waiters are some of the most amiable you can find.
Food: 4.2/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0
Verdict: 4.1/5.0. Not quite as good of a value as Gauchos Village in Glendale, which provides live entertainment at nights, but this is the best Brazilian restaurant for an intimate evening.