Carnaval (Brazilian)

Is there an adjective for a meal that features an excessive amount of well-cooked meat? I think meatiful best describes the plentiful fleshly offerings at Carnaval Brazilian Grill.

The concept here is pretty straightforward. You pay a flat price - $30 most nights, $40 on Saturdays when there's a floor show - and get to eat all the meat you could ever possibly desire. Fourteen different cuts. A buffet of sides and desert is also included.

Each patron has a wooden marker by their place-setting. When you want meat, you turn the green side up. When you're sated, you turn it over to the red side. Such is the binary world of gluttony.

A team of waiters circulate through the dining hall with large skewers of grilled meat for the taking. There are seven kinds of beef, two cuts of lamb, three pork offerings and two chicken. All are juicy and tender. And you can choose a cut cooked to your liking. (A full inventory of the types of meat, including photos, can be found on Carnaval's website, listed below.)

To top off your meal, there's also grilled pineapple with cinnamon making the skewer rounds.

Dining at Carnaval on a Saturday night feels like being at a big family wedding reception without a bride and groom to distract you from the meal. Or what I imagine it must be like at supper time on a cruise ship. The food is abundant. The crowd is all-ages and game for a good time. The floor show involves a lot of booty-shaking, and audience participation is encouraged.

Dinner for 4 on a Saturday $160 (plus drinks, tax and tip)

Carnaval Brazilian Grill
160 York Blvd. (East Beaver Creek and Hwy. 7)
Richmond Hill, ON
905-709-4900 (Reservations recommended)
www.carnavalgrill.com