Libra Brazilian Eatery + GIVEAWAY & Coupon

Using Random.org, Congrats go to Moonbeam's Auntie for Winning Dinner for Two at Libra Brazilian Eatery!

Thanks to Libra for supplying me with photos for this blog post. Unfortunately, I lost my Libra photos when my external hard drive crashed. :(

Last month, I received an invitation from Kathy Kwon who does PR for Libra Brazilian Eatery in Culver City to check out the restaurant. When I first read the email, the word "Libra" was the only thing that stuck in my mind and honestly, I was scratching my head over it. What does astrology have to do with Brazilian food, I wondered. I soon found out from Street Gourmet LA blogger, Bill Esparza.

More ...

First, libra is Portuguese for pound. Second, kilo restaurants, as they are known in Brazil, are quite prevalent in that country. In short, both at Libra and kilo restaurants, the cost of the food is based on its weight. Now I get it. Thanks, Bill. In the case of Libra, the food cost is calculated by the pound and not kilo, since our American sensibilities aren't quite geared towards the metric system. Specifically, Salads + Hot Sides are $8.45/lb, Salads + Hot Sides + BBQ are $9.75/lb while BBQ only is $12.95/lb.

Libra is owned by Marcelo Ahn, who also owns M Grill, a churrascaria in Koreatown and Libra's executive chef is Marcelo's sister, Carol Ahn, who creates and oversees the revolving 40+ menu items at the restaurant. Other than the food by the weight aspect, Libra is different from the other Brazilian restaurants because it's a buffet that also has a grilling station for a variety of barbecued meats.

This is no ordinary buffet. It starts off with a hand washing station and then goes into a really long salad bar featuring fresh and flavorful foods that reflects a global influence on Brazilian cuisine. All the food is made from scratch and if you're vegetarian/vegan, there are 30+ items for you to choose from like hearts-of-palm salad, grilled eggplant, snow pea salad, pickled vegetables and more. Hot items can include anything from an oxtail stew to various pasta dishes. Carnivores don't despair. As mentioned, there is also a grilling station where you can order Portuguese sausages, one of the best chicken thighs I've ever eaten as well as other cuts of beef.
As mentioned, I lost my Libra photos or else I'd be showing you that for around $21, I was able to get one very full plate of various veggie items, a plate of each bbq meat they had, dessert and a mineral water. Paying by the pound may seem a lot, but it's not as much as you would think. I didn't go home hungry. What you get in exchange is delicious food, prepared well and that will satisfy both carnivore and vegetarian alike. I think Libra is truly a welcome addition to the Culver City dining scene.

Libra Brazilian Eatery
3833 Main Street
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 202-1300


To see what other bloggers have to say about Libra and more photos, check out:

harb knock life
starchy marie

PRIZE GIVEAWAY!

Now that you've read and seen some pictures of my experience at Libra Brazilian Eatery, you can enter for a chance to win Dinner for 2.

There are two ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment and tell me why you'd like to you'd like to this free dinner for 2. (Please leave your email so that I can contact you. Spell it out like abby at pleasurepalate dot com)

2. Tweet: Win Dinner for 2 at Libra Brazilian Eatery via @pleasurepalate http://bit.ly/9QGX39

Please note that if you do tweet the contest, you have to comment back and let me know that you did so, so that I can keep track of it. If you don’t let me know that you tweeted then I won’t count it as an entry.

Contest ends Monday, May 10 at 11:59 AM, PST and a winner will be randomly chosen from all entries. Good Luck!

COUPON

If you just can't wait and would like to check out Libra for yourself, print out the coupon below to get 15% off your meal. Good until May 31, 2010



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