Conveniently located on 2nd Ave East in the heart of Downtown Bellevue the “Amazon Grill” quietly opened up shop this past month. They are attempting to step into the big shoes left behind by the ever-popular former tenants – “Chengdu Chinese Buffet.” First, this has to be the best location in all of Bellevue. I am not sure how many other potential tenants the “Amazon” had to fight off to secure this prized space. It must have been a brutal fight to the end, who wouldn’t want to share the premise and parking lot with “R&R Adult Toys.”

One is simply drawn to the fine artwork they have displayed as signage both on the street, and above the door. The designer/artist should be the feature of the next exhibit at the Bellevue Art Museum. I think it would be titled something like “Marketing Blunders of the 21st Century.” Flyers abound successfully advertising the lunch buffet which includes the ever popular favorite “Hot Table.” What passerby could pass up the “hot table,” especially upon considering their neighbors to the north?

I wandered over to the “Amazon” with co-workers during the noon lunch hour of the first week of operations. Walking into the doors you are almost magically lifted out of Bellevue and gently placed in the rainforests of Brazil. The walls of the “Amazon” are adorned with fierce jungle animals, and a parcticularly realistic panther can be seen on the west wall. Meow. Almost as if taking a field trip to Brazil, you wander through a maze of finely decorated tables. The tables are arranged with multiple plate settings complete with gold rimmed plates, and the finest silverwear you can buy at IKEA. I looked hard for a “hot table” with my name on it. Needless to say I didn’t see it, but we sat down anyway.

Mesmerized by the wall paintings depicting trees, the long wait for the server seemed like mere seconds. Upon welcoming us to the “Amazon, ” she politely explained how things work at the “Amazon.” There are basically two options for lunch: for $7.95 you can take your chances at the buffet line, or for $11.95 she might stop by and “bring you some meat.” We were all feeling that $7.95 sounded about right for the budget lunch, so we declined on the optional meat arrival.

The gorgeous buffet was complete with tantalizing options including soups, salads, fruits, meats, fried rice, and cookies baked freshly in Brazil over a month ago. A few selections you should be sure to sample: the Costco caesar salad is always tough to beat, as is their potatoe salad. These items provide a nice mix of regional elements to the otherwise authentic Brazilian feast. Upon seeing the hotwings at the buffet right next to the ribs I dove in head first, only to realize later on this wasn’t such a good idea. For round two, I had a bowl of the fruit.

The exemplary service continued as we patiently waited for one of the three staffers to bring us a bill so we could hop back next door and resume our work day. After realizing how busy they were we decided to pay up front. The man in a leather jacket seemed to be manning the register by the door, and was finishing up another patrons bill. The five of us asked to pay separately and he politely said, “You’re total is $42.93.” Upon us insisting it would be easier to pay separately he took haste in processing our cards and changing our cash back to us with the precision and expertise of a 4th grader.

The bowl of mints that graced the checkout counter made my lunch complete, before wandering back out into the winter rains of Bellevue.

My rating: 3 months.