neurological dryer lint

we got in after a close to six hour drive (thanks toll traffic) that was fraught with near accidents thanks to lots of dudes cutting off darren. mainly large semis. but it was completely worth it for what was probably the greatest dining experience of my life.

stop and think for a second - were you to conjure up your dream restaurant, what would it have? let's say you were to design a steakhouse. what if they made it all you can eat? what if they brought it straight to the table? what if it wasn't just steak, either? what if everything they served was all you can eat?

my friends, behold Sal and Carvão.



we walked in and sat down immediately - none of us had the slightest idea how this place worked, no forewarning except the spits of meat turning in a glass case at the entrance. well that's obviously promising, i thought.



immediately we're confronted with a nice brazilian gentleman who attempts to explain how the place works - you go up to the enormous, exotic-looking salad bar and dig in. when you're ready, you flip over a red coaster on the table to the 'green' side. and another gentleman steps up - with meat. one of fourteen different cuts. he slices off some for you - a piece of top sirloin, or a chunk of garlic steak, or some filet, or a piece of bacon-wrapped chicken... a pork rib, a piece of sausage, a chicken leg, some lamb...



what i'm describing is a veritable meat spigot that you turn on and off on a whim. a bottomless waterfall of some of the best carne you will ever taste. the stuff of dreams, my fellow americans.

this can't be how it works, you inwardly exclaim! it can't be that perfect.

oh yes.

the tasty salad bar would have made its own meal, as well as small yorkshire pudding biscuits, cinnamon-covered fried bananas, and limitless garlic mashed potatoes. and some friendly dudes that just refill your beverage / meat every few minutes. plate getting a little too cluttered? swap it out with a fresh one - they bring it up to the table.

granted, this was pricey. for a meal, dudes like us that aren't lawyers or doctors, it pushes the line, breaks the proverbial bank. you are indeed paying for all you can eat steak. but OH! it was glorious.

that made the trip for me. the rest of the city that we see tomorrow may or may not satisfy, but nothing can top this place. it's really as good as it sounds.

it's wonderful to be up here with friends. we need to do stuff like this more often - quick little weekend trips, just to get away, try new stuff, hang out with people that you love. people, friends, relationships are the real human luxury. how often we forget.