Foods from Ekko de Brasil
Comments
2012 Jul 6
I went last winter. It was a fun thing to try, but I'm not planning to return. We did eat a lot of meat, and some of the meat was very good, but some was only ok. And some of the better choices of meat (like the lamb) were not often seen.
I would not recommend this place if going with people who are not big meat eaters, because it's really all about the meat. Also not a great choice if going with people who have a small appetite.
I had gotten a half-price deal, so I felt like I got my money's worth. At regular price, I don't think it's worth it... you can get better food for that price. Lots of the money obviously goes towards the many men carrying the meat around and towards the dancers, which are talented, for sure, but I prefer to get better food instead.
I would not recommend this place if going with people who are not big meat eaters, because it's really all about the meat. Also not a great choice if going with people who have a small appetite.
I had gotten a half-price deal, so I felt like I got my money's worth. At regular price, I don't think it's worth it... you can get better food for that price. Lots of the money obviously goes towards the many men carrying the meat around and towards the dancers, which are talented, for sure, but I prefer to get better food instead.
2012 Jul 6
Flexie: the wine that we got as part of the deal was swill, but they might have better offerings a la carte. Their wines are not listed on the website, but perhaps you could give them a call. I would say that the venue's actually decent, given your various considerations (larger group, intergenerational, accessibility, meat but also a varied salad bar with some original items for your mom), but just be forewarned that the South American culture element is somewhat limited - just a couple of brief dance numbers. Service was good and it was a nice dining room.
Also, in case you haven't already seen this: www.capitaldining.ca
Also, in case you haven't already seen this: www.capitaldining.ca
2012 Jul 6
Has anyone been here recently? I'm looking for a venue to celebrate my mother's birthday (she's turning 70). We should be a group of about 10 people including my mother's parents who are in the early/mid 90's. My mother isn't a huge meat eater but is a huge fan of South American culture. Other options we're considering include:
- Shore Club
- Beckta
- One of the restaurants at the Hull Casino
- Hy's or other steak house like Al's (?) on Elgin Street
- Zen Kitchen
- The Courtyard in the Market
- Les Fougere in Chelsea/Wakefield area
- Backlane Cafe (maybe too small)
- Petit Bills
- Allium?
I'm finding it to be a hard choice as my Mother has a busy social life and eats out a lot. Also, she is not all that traditional however we will have my grandparents who are in the 90's so something like small plates might be too complicated of a concept for them to grasp.
Your thoughts/ideas are much appreciated.
Oh - Just read Cardamon's comments - wine swill not what I'm looking for ...
'
- Shore Club
- Beckta
- One of the restaurants at the Hull Casino
- Hy's or other steak house like Al's (?) on Elgin Street
- Zen Kitchen
- The Courtyard in the Market
- Les Fougere in Chelsea/Wakefield area
- Backlane Cafe (maybe too small)
- Petit Bills
- Allium?
I'm finding it to be a hard choice as my Mother has a busy social life and eats out a lot. Also, she is not all that traditional however we will have my grandparents who are in the 90's so something like small plates might be too complicated of a concept for them to grasp.
Your thoughts/ideas are much appreciated.
Oh - Just read Cardamon's comments - wine swill not what I'm looking for ...
'
2012 Jun 3
My family and I were here with friends at the end of April for my husband's birthday dinner, but I forgot to post. Details are a bit vague in my mind, but we had a deal similar to that mentioned by blubarry back in December. The whole group agreed that the food and experience was great for the price ($80ish per family, since kids ate free), but that we wouldn't have paid full price, as the wine was basically swill and there were only a few meats that we really enjoyed. The lamb, sausage and bacon-wrapped items were good, but there was one beef item (I believe it was the sirloin) that honestly tasted as though it had gone bad and the others were forgettable. But there was more than enough meat to keep everyone reasonably happy, the caipirinhas were very good and the salad bar offered a wide and decent variety of items. Definitely a nice place to go with the family or a mixed group if you have a deal. But, for anyone who's been, Milsa in Montreal is a far better representation of a true churrascaria. The meat is fantastic and nary a salad to be found... and great fun too.
2011 Dec 16
Living Social Deal today for Ekho de brasil including churrascaria for 2, bottle of wine and caipirinhas for $82 - $175 value
share.livingsocial.com
share.livingsocial.com
2010 Jul 13
After sampling churrascaria at Plataforma in NYC I was keen to try Ekko de Brasil in the Chateau Cartier hotel on the Aylmer road. The thought of a dozen or so freshly grilled, high quality meats in an all you can eat setting with a good dose of South American spice and style was too much to resist. Did they manage to deliver on this ambitious promise? … I think they did pretty well considering they’ve only been open for a few weeks.
The restaurant itself is in a large annex towards the back of the Chateau Cartier hotel. The atmosphere is dark but welcoming with the room being divided into a cocktail bar, dining area, salad bar and small stage. The room was a little warm and got hotter as the night went on but Ottawa had been under a heatwave for most of the week. We were a party of eight and were welcomed by our waiter with a few words of introduction in the language of Brazil. Unfortunately, he thought that was Spanish rather than Portuguese, which greatly amused our Brazilian guests. However, he took their gentle correction in good part and performed excellently throughout the evening. He explained the red and green placemats on the table – show the red side when you’re taking a break, the green side when you’re ready for more meat.
The salad bar is large and had a good variety of dishes well presented. Many fresh salad items and dressings, smoked salmon, cheeses, breads and oils. There was also a good supply of farofa, essential for the evening. Farofa is a dry mix of cassava flour, bacon, salt and spices toasted together and provides an ideal accompaniment to the strong flavours of the grilled meat. This one was good, though I suspect a packaged item rather than freshly made. There was also a fine attempt at a feijoada (a stew of several meats with black beans) that would have benefited from a little more meat and spice. One surprising omission was the lack of salsas to provide some zest and zing – although maybe I missed them.
The waiters began to arrive at the tables with the various meats and grilled items. From memory I think we sampled: chicken legs; pineapple coated in sugar and cinammon; chicken wrapped in bacon; several varieties of sausage; rib eye steak; lamb; sirloin steak; beef rubbed with garlic; and picanha. The latter was absolutely outstanding and we requested it several times over, often consuming the whole skewer at our table. I think the closest equivalent would be “rump cap” if you wanted to try and prepare it on your own BBQ, or you could try Farm Boy on Merivale for the real thing. Interestingly, there were no chicken hearts or other such items.
As it was a Friday night there was also entertainment in the form of three dancers in carnival type costumes. They performed three short sets of samba routines which were well received and not intrusive. For the final set, guests were invited to join in but there was no unwelcome pressure applied to the unwilling.
In all, we enjoyed our visit and considered it good value at $42 for the experience plus drinks and tips. As this restaurant becomes more experienced and adapts to local tastes I hope that more authentic items will appear on the salad bar and that the meat selection will become a little wider. The food quality was good and I highly recommend talking to the waiters and staff about what you liked, or didn’t. They were very responsive to our requests for specific meats and other such minor adjustments.
I’m looking for the next opportunity to go, so if any of you are planning a party ….
The restaurant itself is in a large annex towards the back of the Chateau Cartier hotel. The atmosphere is dark but welcoming with the room being divided into a cocktail bar, dining area, salad bar and small stage. The room was a little warm and got hotter as the night went on but Ottawa had been under a heatwave for most of the week. We were a party of eight and were welcomed by our waiter with a few words of introduction in the language of Brazil. Unfortunately, he thought that was Spanish rather than Portuguese, which greatly amused our Brazilian guests. However, he took their gentle correction in good part and performed excellently throughout the evening. He explained the red and green placemats on the table – show the red side when you’re taking a break, the green side when you’re ready for more meat.
The salad bar is large and had a good variety of dishes well presented. Many fresh salad items and dressings, smoked salmon, cheeses, breads and oils. There was also a good supply of farofa, essential for the evening. Farofa is a dry mix of cassava flour, bacon, salt and spices toasted together and provides an ideal accompaniment to the strong flavours of the grilled meat. This one was good, though I suspect a packaged item rather than freshly made. There was also a fine attempt at a feijoada (a stew of several meats with black beans) that would have benefited from a little more meat and spice. One surprising omission was the lack of salsas to provide some zest and zing – although maybe I missed them.
The waiters began to arrive at the tables with the various meats and grilled items. From memory I think we sampled: chicken legs; pineapple coated in sugar and cinammon; chicken wrapped in bacon; several varieties of sausage; rib eye steak; lamb; sirloin steak; beef rubbed with garlic; and picanha. The latter was absolutely outstanding and we requested it several times over, often consuming the whole skewer at our table. I think the closest equivalent would be “rump cap” if you wanted to try and prepare it on your own BBQ, or you could try Farm Boy on Merivale for the real thing. Interestingly, there were no chicken hearts or other such items.
As it was a Friday night there was also entertainment in the form of three dancers in carnival type costumes. They performed three short sets of samba routines which were well received and not intrusive. For the final set, guests were invited to join in but there was no unwelcome pressure applied to the unwilling.
In all, we enjoyed our visit and considered it good value at $42 for the experience plus drinks and tips. As this restaurant becomes more experienced and adapts to local tastes I hope that more authentic items will appear on the salad bar and that the meat selection will become a little wider. The food quality was good and I highly recommend talking to the waiters and staff about what you liked, or didn’t. They were very responsive to our requests for specific meats and other such minor adjustments.
I’m looking for the next opportunity to go, so if any of you are planning a party ….
2011 Aug 16
blubarry, a coworker went a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it. But it's really about the meat -- if large quantities of meat get you excited more than tiny tasty morsels, then this sounds like a definite win!
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