Espeto Brazilian Steak House will entertain and feed you
A Brazilian steak house is often seen as a special occasion type of place, a meal you make a night of, kicking it churrasco-style with 14 cuts of meat hand-carved tableside by a gaucho. Espeto Brazilian Steak House in Avondale has all that, but they also have a leisure option for when your appetite isn't quite up for a 14-course meal. When you just want a quick bite, settle in at their bar or patio for a quality cocktail and an appetizer or two.
Friday and Saturday evenings are growing in popularity with the cocktail crowd, thanks to twice nightly performances (7-ish and 9-ish) from gorgeous, rhythmic and spectacularly costumed samba girls who shake and shimmy by the bar, giving the whole restaurant a taste of Carnaval energy. Rosane Verlangieri, one of Espeto's owners, added the dancers earlier this month, and the music and movement is proving quite infectious to all guests, who I noticed took breaks from their drinks or meats long enough to take in the show and clap along. The bar chairs are the best seats in the house if you're looking to get a close look at costume detail or the amazing dance muscles the ladies have developed. Gorgeous, I tell you.
Espeto offers happy hour 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, with $3 well drinks and select wines. Happy hour deals also include Caipirinhas for $5. They're the national cocktail of Brazil, and a drink so tasty and unique to my seasoned palate, it's what I like to call a "Destination Drink," one you construct your leisure plans around. The bartender muddles limes and superfine sugar and then adds ice and a shot of cachaca, a liquor distilled from sugar cane. Sipping the cachaca alone reminded me of a cold sake, while my bartender said others liken it to anejo tequila. Regardless, when you dress it up as a Caipirinha, it's a cucumbery-floral-citrus wonder to imbibe.
The cocktail menu is impressive to the point I'd call Espeto bartenders bar chefs. Creative combinations, exotic flavor infusions and artistic garnishes all make for a top-notch cocktail experience. And there's always a special $3 ladies drink of the night, happy hour or not.
When feeling the need to nibble, an a la carte bar menu of about 10 items is available. Garlic shrimp, croquettes, fried bananas, cheese and olives, among other finger foods are served with spears rather than forks, adding a fun little twist to your snacking experience.
Espeto Brazilian Steak House
4000 St. Johns Ave.; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
(904) 388-4884 or www. espetosteak house.com.
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11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Design Direction '09 - Modern Drama Stop in and browse through the Ethan Allen Design Center as it steps up its shopping experience with a gallery display from Fogle Fine Art and botanical sculptures from Gardner's of Ortega. The free event also includes a DJ set from WJCT's ElectroLounge host David Luckin and a modelcitizen apparel and accessory fashion show from 1 to 4 p.m.