Combining the elegance of a black tie affair, the tranquility of a day at the beach and the hustle and bustle of the all-you-can-eat buffet is no easy task. Fogo de Chao, a new Brazilian steakhouse situated between the Gayborhood and City Hall fuses these three elements like turducken.
At $24.95 for lunch or $44.50 for dinner, there's little room for light eaters at this eatery. This churrascaria practices the service concept of espeto corrido, - Portuguese for "continuous service." And from the time you arrive at your chair and the attentive staff pushes in your seat for you, the service never slows down.
The metaphorical fun in the Sao Paulo sun starts with the salad bar that features more than your traditional selection of Vitamin C enhancers - sun dried tomatoes and enormous artichokes are the norm. There is a selection of imported cheeses (including huge balls of fresh mozzarella) that accompany the salad bar. And carnivores, have no fear: there are varieties of prosciutto, salami and smoked salmon.
But one mustn't over-eat at the salad bar, because the rest of the meal consists of 12 types of grilled meats delivered to your table by gauchos - skilled waiters/carvers - who serve their offerings off of swords.
The restaurant provides a two-sided coaster for every patron that works as a traffic light, with one side colored red and the other green. When one flips the coaster to green, the gauchos come to your table with a never ending flow of high-quality meats.
The costela - juicy beef ribs - fall right off the bone, and are served as thin slices of meat.
On the poultry side, the Frango Chicken drumsticks and chicken breasts wrapped in bacon are savory and moist. The bacon is cooked in the European style, making it similar to ham.
Fogo de Chao's signature dish is the Picanha. The noble part of the sirloin, seasoned only with sea salt and garlic, can be served from rare to well done.
Make sure to bring some extra cash for drinks - Fogo de Chao's extensive wine list starts at $8 per glass and soars to over $1,000 for a bottle.
In the unlikely event that you still have room for dessert, note that it's not included with the fixed price meal. The two essential desserts are the traditional Brazilian popaya cream - topped with chocolate liqeur - and the molten chocolate cake, sufficiently spongy thick. Topped with ice cream, this final indulgence truly completes the feast.
All in all, you're looking at a pricey night out at the this steakhouse. If you are a carnivore to the extreme, it's worth it. But if you're not starving, you should probably save your gorging experienca until after you break the fast at Yom Kippor.
