Samba Room: The end to dining ennui

The Samba Room is conveniently located downtown in Larimer Square. Park under Writer's Square and walk up. We went before visiting the Demented Divas Show at Lannie's Clock Tower Cabaret. Something worth going to as well.

I just love going to places that have drinks I can not pronounce. The Samba Room has Brazilian Capirinhas which is the national drink of Brazil. it is made with cachaca which is a distilled beverage made with sugar cane just like rum. I had mine with a little Bacardi Limon. It was both fun and potent. Limit your intake or you might find yourself waking up on a flight to Rio. Besides Capirinhas, there were the ubiquitous Mojitos, Martinis, and Tequila based infusions.

The room is modern and loud, so don't go for intimate conversation. Dress warmly as well. They had all the ceiling fans going plus the air conditioning even though it was quite nippy outside and every time the front door opened a blast of cold air would rush in. We did ask them to turn down the AC and they did but it took a while.

I started with the house cerviche which I order when ever I see it on the menu. While better in the summer of course, cerviche is still a treat and comes in so many different variations. This one came with mango, ahi tuna, and plantain chips. Ok, so I am a tacky American and missed the tortilla chips but other wise it was tasty and complimented the Capirinhas nicely.

My entree was the Argentinean Style Skirt Steak. It came with Chimichurii, which is a tangy Latin American marinade derived in the early 19th Century from Italian pesto. It is made with parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, olive oil and vinegar. How such common ingredients could taste so different I would like to know. Don't tell your Argentinean friends, but the sauce was originally created by an Irishman called "Jimmy McCurry" and the name of the sauce is the inevitable mispronunciation of his name. I can see why Jimmy left Ireland for Argentina however. Such a vibrant sauce would have been cause for excommunication in Ireland. The steak came with a side of fries which dipped nicely in the sauce.

I don't know about you, but I suffer from dining ennui this time of year when I see the same five entrees on every menu. You can eat only so many lamb chops, duck l'oranges, boring-chicken-somethings, and filets topped with who knows what. I want to go back to the Samba Room and try their marinated pork or various fish dishes.

Of course, if we have another winter like last year it won't require a bucket of Capirinhas to get me on a plane to Rio.