On Thursday night I had the opportunity to visit Fogo de Chao for the first time for a group birthday dinner for a friend and colleague. During a time when I feel like all my fine dining experiences seem to "run together" I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
We walked in off of the bitter cold streets of Washington DC to the warm decor and overwhelming aroma of all different kinds of meats that wafted into the guest waiting area. I didn't know much about the resturaunt before coming in except the fact that there were guys that walked around to each table with giant swords of meat on them! Well those guys are called Gaucho chefs and they carry and carve all the meat offerings of Fogo tableside for you at your request. How do the Gaucho chefs know whether or not to interrupt your eating or great conversation? Good question, I am glad you asked. There are little disks (much like coasters) on your table in front of each patron. When you want the Gaucho chefs to stop at your table, just flip the disk so that the green side is up. All the chefs will continue to stop at your table until your disk is red.
My favorite cuts of meat from the meal were the Picanha - Tender sirloin with sea salt and garlic, and the Linguica - slow roasted pork sausages. The Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon was also delicious. Overall Fogo offers sixteen different cuts of meat ranging from beef, pork chicken and lamb. Vegetarians beware!
Currently, Fogo de Chao operates at seven cities in the US and only two on the east coast. The east coast cities are Philadelphia and Washington DC.
Given that you have an opportunity to sample the entire menu without the annoying dynamics of a family style dining experience it more than makes up for its price of about $50/person.
So call some of your closest friends, make your reservation, order your favorite wine (I like Cabernet Sauvignon), sit back, turn your disks to green and let the Gaucho chefs go to town serving you some of the most perfectly prepared selections of meat around!
We walked in off of the bitter cold streets of Washington DC to the warm decor and overwhelming aroma of all different kinds of meats that wafted into the guest waiting area. I didn't know much about the resturaunt before coming in except the fact that there were guys that walked around to each table with giant swords of meat on them! Well those guys are called Gaucho chefs and they carry and carve all the meat offerings of Fogo tableside for you at your request. How do the Gaucho chefs know whether or not to interrupt your eating or great conversation? Good question, I am glad you asked. There are little disks (much like coasters) on your table in front of each patron. When you want the Gaucho chefs to stop at your table, just flip the disk so that the green side is up. All the chefs will continue to stop at your table until your disk is red.
My favorite cuts of meat from the meal were the Picanha - Tender sirloin with sea salt and garlic, and the Linguica - slow roasted pork sausages. The Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon was also delicious. Overall Fogo offers sixteen different cuts of meat ranging from beef, pork chicken and lamb. Vegetarians beware!
Currently, Fogo de Chao operates at seven cities in the US and only two on the east coast. The east coast cities are Philadelphia and Washington DC.
Given that you have an opportunity to sample the entire menu without the annoying dynamics of a family style dining experience it more than makes up for its price of about $50/person.
So call some of your closest friends, make your reservation, order your favorite wine (I like Cabernet Sauvignon), sit back, turn your disks to green and let the Gaucho chefs go to town serving you some of the most perfectly prepared selections of meat around!
