Impressive new Brazilian eatery spices up life in Wola
The ambitious new Landa, which houses three restaurants under one roof on a quiet corner in the Wola district, promises to become a popular night spot in the coming months. It's a rambling complex on three levels featuring bars, a disco, billiards, and even a cigar shop. It will, however, take more than one visit to explore all the possibilities in this complex. This week, the Brazilian grill Rodizio El Toro got the nod.
The inconspicuously marked doorway on ulica Walicow is part of a building that was bombed in World War II and redeveloped as part of a larger structure adjacent to the mint. Genie and I were greeted at the entry by a very friendly man, Tadeusz, who gave us a tour of the complex.
Tadeusz led us upstairs to the Zlota Perla, where we marveled at the skylights, beautiful wood and elegant furniture in this restaurant serving European food. Then we descended dark stairs into a rambling cellar that houses the South Beach Cafe, a bar/disco specializing in cocktails and light American fare. And lastly, our friendly guide took us through the labyrinthine brick arches dividing Rodizio El Toro.
The room centers around a salad bar with a decorative tree in the middle of it. Behind it is a cooking area with various meats roasting on a spit. And in a semi-circle, around the perimeter of the room, the tables are arranged in sections partitioned by hip-high, white brick walls. Arches stretch over the entrances to each bay of tables. Randomly placed wooden ceiling beams gave it the feeling of an old garden or shack. Brazilian pop played over the speakers. Costumed waiters and waitresses scurried around, and with their solarium tans did a good job of looking Brazilian.
With the tour complete, we asked Pan Tadeusz which restaurant we ought to eat in. Without hesitating he said Rodizio. As it was early Sunday evening, there was plenty of space available and Tadeusz was happy to lead us to a table in the corner, overlooking the room, with a little pond next to it.
The menu was not much to study. We looked at it and wondered, "is this all?" It looked like a special promotion list that goes with a larger menu. It contained two cocktails, three main courses, two desserts and a paragraph in Polish under the heading Specjalnosc Rodizio. Our waitress came over to explain, or at least, try to explain. Our Polish skills fell short of understanding what she was saying and her ability at charades was not bridging the gap. We had a delightful time laughing and smiling and trying once again to understand each other, but after a few minutes we were no closer. She smiled and excused herself and brought over another girl who could explain the menu.
It was an all-you-can-eat extravaganza. All the mains came with unlimited visits to the salad bar. The main courses of grilled steak, grilled salmon (zl. 50) and king prawns (zl. 95) came with potatoes and vegetables on the side. And the Rodizio special (zl. 65) was all-you-can-eat grilled meats in 15 courses. That explanation, and the waitress's recommendation, made up our mind. The Rodizio special is the main attraction. We ordered two.
The wine list was as brief as the menu and on the expensive side. Three varieties checked in at zl. 75 to make the bottom of the list and topped out at zl. 1,200 for Dom Perignon 1992. The drink menu also had the option of buying hard alcohol by the bottle. Whereas vodkas ran zl. 13-zl. 16 a serving, you could order a bottle for zl. 138-zl. 300, and so on with whiskey, brandy, rum, gin, and cognac.
The menu offered a special cocktail, the Caipirinha (zl. 15), as the national drink. It was a tangy lime and would cut pleasantly through our grilled meats.
But first, the salad bar. By far the most impressive in Warsaw, it offered a huge variety of exotic ingredients to delight one's palate. Genie and I placed trace amounts from dozens of choices on our plates. By the time we had made it around all four sides, our plates were piled high with endive, leeks, salsa fresca, tomatoes, chicken and bell-pepper salad; beets, black olives, fried garlic, cucumbers, chick-pea tuna salad, potatoes, caramelized onions, baby corn, green beans, and so on into the night.
Thus, we stuffed ourselves. We would have been satisfied there, but wait, there's more. After we pushed the salad plates aside, our waitress brought fresh ones. Two visits later, rice and beans sat on our plates. Then the grilled meats started.
Periodically, a man came around with a skewer fresh from the grill and sliced off portions onto our plates at request. First came chicken thighs, followed by sausages, beef, chicken breast wrapped in bacon, and livers.
After five courses we were full but still had 10 to go. No kidding. I stared down at the half-eaten sausage on my plate, a juicy, lightly herbed, pork sausage, which I just couldn't finish. The waitress changed the pace by bringing a platter of onion rings, french fries and fried bananas. We were veering away from the heart-smart diet plan.
Soon, a skewer of ham arrived at our table. It was almost to the point of torture to continue. "This is more food than a Polish wedding," announced Genie and she excused herself to go to the ladies' room.
Our smiling waitress was pacing us, and let us take a break. That gave us time for conversation and another cocktail. We decided we were going to have to walk home to work off this meal. Then the next gaucho came around with a skewer of baby-back ribs.
When we announced that we just could not eat anymore, the Brazilian chef came to see if we were O.K. He asked how we had liked the pineapple. We confessed that we didn't get that far. We had seen it on a skewer going to other tables but it didn't make it to ours. Well, ... he insisted that we must try it, so out came a skewer with grilled fresh pineapple, lightly caramelized on the outside, warm and syrupy on the inside. The perfect thing to cleanse our palates with.
Afterward, we were much too full to even think of dessert. The final bill came to zl 225 ($54) for dinner and cocktails. This unique restaurant is a fine addition to the Warsaw dining scene. Rodizio El Toro is an excellent choice for a long evening of dinner and drinks with a herd of friends, or with anyone who likes to consume mass quantities of chow. Though concentrating on grilled meat, I have to say that the salad bar would satisfy any vegetarian.
Landa is well hidden, but worth the search. It promises to become a new hot spot in Warsaw.
