Best Thing I Ever Ate: Fogo de Chao

It's time for another installment of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." I don't think I have a category for this one, although "Overall Restaurant" might be a good one. Fogo de Chao is the gold standard of a dining experience for me. The atmosphere, service, variety, flavors, etc. are all excellent and it is truly unique. It's the type of restaurant where you can be dressed up for a fancy occasion and it's perfectly appropriate, or you can be in a polo shirt and khaki shorts and no one will look at you weird. Unlike some fancy/high class restaurants that care more about making everything pretty on a plate or using bizarre ingredients, Fogo focuses on the food and providing the best flavors possible. The Brazilian churrascaria has a limited number of locations around the country and in Brazil, and you are in for a treat if you ever get to visit one.

The concept behind the churrascaria, which means "barbeque" in Portuguese, is that trained gauchos prepare a variety of meats over an open fire and serve the meats fresh off the fire. Fogo has this down to an art. You sit at a table with a card - one side is green and the other is red. When you turn your card so it's facing green, gauchos come to your table with different meats and offer you cuts of whatever they have. When you have everything you want, simply flip your card to red and enjoy what's on your plate. Ready for more? Flip it back to green to start the entire process over. This continues for as long as you like. The amazing part of this is...the chefs aren't bringing little pieces of grilled chicken, flank steak, and grissly pork chops to your table. It's gourmet in every way. You have the oh-so-difficult responsibility of enjoying garlic seasoned prime sirloin, bacon wrapped filets, prime ribeye, beef ribs, leg of lamb, bacon wrapped chicken, and more. It's a carnivore's delight! Wait, did I mention this is the second part of the meal?

For people who have always thought Fogo de Chao is all about the meat...you're right. But it's also all about amazing vegetables. Prior to your feast of grilled meats, there is a salad bar that I'm pretty sure features vegetables from the Garden of Eden. The salad bar has over 30 items including: fresh mozzarella, artichoke bottoms, roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, aged parmesan, jumbo asparagus, smoked salmon, and prosciutto. I'm partial to fresh vegetables, but I don't know if I have ever enjoyed a salad bar as much as this one. I'm the one at the salad bar piling so many things on my plate that it becomes a balancing act to see if I can carry it all back to the table. I don't know why I do this since you can return for as many trips as you like, but I never learn. I could talk about the fresh crunch of the peppers, the juiciness of the sliced tomatoes, or the rich flavor of the fresh mozzarella but you really have to experience it for yourself. Last time Nicole and I went to Fogo de Chao for dinner, we skipped the meat portion of the meal and only had the salad bar and ate non-stop for 2 hours. I think the wait staff was in awe.

If the salad bar and meat courses aren't enough, you also receive side dishes that are served to your table. Polenta, garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas, & cheese rolls (pao de queijo) are all served as you enjoy your meal. I think the polenta, mashed potatoes, & bananas are all pretty pedestrian and not worth the space in your stomach, but the cheese rolls...OH MY WORD! These warm little pillows of goodness are magical. They appear to be a pop-over (we found a recipe and will be attempting to make them) that have a perfect texture on the outside and an airy, soft inside. When these are hot, they are unbeatable. Seriously...speechless.

The entire experience at Fogo de Chao can be overwhelming. There are so many different foods to enjoy and only so much room in your stomach. It's not cheap (Dinner: $50 for meat/salad bar, $25 for salad bar), but I think it's completely worth it. You have to pace yourself and remember the most important thing is to enjoy your meal and not leave feeling completely miserable. And if you think about it, $50 for as many gourmet meats and vegetables you want isn't THAT bad. It's not something I'd pay on a regular basis, but it's great for a special occasion or want to do something different. So for the best thing I ever ate, Fogo de Chao takes a number of different spots: Best Salad Bar, Best Bread (or whatever the cheese rolls should be considered), Best Meat, Best Restaurant. Simply put...it's just the best.