Compiled by Howie Yoshida
The 2015 dinner and social was held a bit later this year on Saturday December 5th at the Copacabana Brazilian Steak House and for a change of location, it’s right in Toronto. For those that attended, it was a challenge, first of all to navigate the busy traffic conditions in the city, secondly to find a parking space that didn’t cost you the equivalent of a tank of gas and finally, to find the front entrance to the restaurant, that was hiding behind the hoarding up in place along Eglinton Avenue due to the ongoing construction associated with the Eglinton LRT transit line. Luckily for all, the weather conditions were just fantastic as the roads were completely dry and the temperature was unusually balmy for the season.
The Copacabana featured a Brazilian style All You Can Eat Rodizio Barbeque, a meat lover’s dream. The walk up buffet counter featured the salads, bread, pasta, starch options and desserts. All the different types of meat, hot off the BBQ were carved from skewers that were brought to each table by the servers. As long as the “hockey puck” on your table was turned the right way up, the servers kept the meat coming until you had your fill and then you flipped the puck over to call it a night. It was hard to keep track of what type of meat (prime rib, ribeye, sirloin, skirt steak, chicken, lamb, salmon) you were eating and the particular seasoning or coating that was applied. No matter, all the meat was simply delicious and very tender. If anyone did not enjoy the food, they were in a very small number based on the feedback that evening. If the food wasn’t enough, entertainment in the form of singers, samba dancers and break dancing added to the festivities. After the performance, a number of members and their guests took the opportunity to take pictures and selfies with the entertainers, to top off the evening.
It was anything but a quiet and leisurely evening. The dinner and service was fast paced as we had a two hour window for our seating. You could see the next group of people ganging up at the bar and in the doorway area so there was no lingering. Attendance this time was fifty of us, just one less than last year. A quick few words by our Prez, Nigel and then a very hurried draw for our door prizes, consisting of a number of wine bottles ended the evening and we were out the door. Merry Christmas to All was heard more than once!
