Fogo De Chao

So this past weekend I was able to participate in my first restaurant week event. I went to Fogo de Chao with some of my friends. Fogo de Chao is a Brazilian steakhouse that specializes in beef. They serve some other types of meat too, with the exception of fish and seafood, but they do red meat the best. The restaurant week menu included an all you can eat salad, all the meat you can eat, and dessert for $35.10. This is a steal considering usually they are $50 without the dessert.

If you've never been there, they start you off with a salad bar. The salad bar had by far the best vegetables I've ever eaten in my life. Their vegetables were crisp and fresh. Their cheese was full of flavor. Everything seemed to be so fresh. They even had a block of Parmesan cheese for you to take from. Simply amazing. I probably could have just eaten from their salad bar. Their Asparagus was perfect. First the stems seemed too large to be regular. They 2-3 times bigger than the ones in the grocery store, but they were perfectly cooked. They had a nice crunch to them, and they weren't the least bit stringy. If I didn't remind myself about the meat I was there to eat, I would've gotten full off of the salad by itself.

When you sit down after getting your salad they bring you these cheese puffs called Pao De Queijo. They were warm and fresh and the cheese was perfectly melted in the middle. The cheese complemented the bread ever so wonderfully. They also brought out fried bananas, fried polenta, and mashed potatoes. Everything was so good. The polenta was nice a crisp on the outside, but warm and polentastic on the inside. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Now to the important part, the meat. So they give you this little coaster with a green side and a red side. The concept is easy. Green side up and they bring you meat, red side up and they leave you alone. So you think to yourself who would want to stop it from coming? They are only giving you small portions right? I went in with this mentality and I was proven wrong. The meat comes from all directions and it comes fast. You don't wait more than 5 minutes before someone is stopped next to you asking if you want this or that. The cuts are of a good size too. Not the size of a full 8oz steak, but good enough for a few mouthfuls. Good enough for you to get a good taste of the flavor to remember you want to try that again.

Some of the meats I sampled:

• The House Special
• Top and Bottom Sirloin
• Rib-eye
• Beef Ribs
• Garlic Beef
• Lamb Chops
• Parmesan Pork
• Bacon wrapped Chicken
• Grilled Chicken Legs

Not to mention I didn't try everything they had.  It was all simply amazing.  The first time you try the meat you have to stop and ask yourself if its really that good.  Then you sit there and let the flavors take over your palate.  Several times members of my dinner party felt tingling sensations from flavors they had never experienced.  The meat cut like butter.  The meat was so juicy and so tender.  The charred outside went excellent with the flavor.  Everything seemed to complement each other with the flavors and seasonings.  Did I mention that if you aren't paying attention they continue to bring you meat?  The House Special was by far my favorite, as it exploded with flavor.

The dessert portion consisted of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Key-Lime Cheesecake, and Turtle Cheesecake.  With the exception of the Key-Lime Cheesecake all were stack 3 inches in height and loaded with good flavor.  Sadly we were overwhelmed by the time we got here.  The dessert was definitely good, so make sure you plan in advance.  I didn't, but I managed to squeeze it in nonetheless.

As one person said "It was life changing..."  It was simply the best steak meal I've ever had.  I ate until I couldn't eat anymore.  Then ate twice more.  Restaurant week goes on for another two weeks, and I plan on going back to Fogo De Chao, as someone on a budget it's simply worth every penny.