The good folks over at Fogo De ChÃo invited me and a guest to come try out their new summer salads on the Market Bar. My son, Seth, and I went and we are so glad we did.
If you are like me, and have a really hard time deciding on which cut of meat to order when you go out to a steak house, then you are going to LOVE Fogo De ChÃO. The Brazilian restaurant where they serve fire roasted meats off of huge skewers brought to your table, in the Churrasco style, is one of the most unique places I have dined.
They have two locations in Atlanta–one on Piedmont Rd in Buckhead, which is where my son and I went; and the other in Dunwoody on Ashford Dunwoody Rd. You can check their website to see if there is one in your area.
As soon as we arrived, the manager, Carlos, came over to our table to welcome us. He had a delicious shrimp cocktail brought out, too. It was almost too pretty to eat, but eat it we did. Six huge shrimps over ice, served with cocktail sauce. Carlos also treated us to a couple of cocktails from the bar. For my son, he presented a Honey & Smoke, which had Monkey Shoulder Whisky, gingered honey, Peaty Glenmorangie Original, Luxardo Cherry. For me, a pink confection with Guava that was made with Belvedere Vodka, guava, lemon, La Marca Prosecco. Both were really good. Carlos said they were the two most popular cocktails from the bar.
Next, I went to the Market Table. The Market Table at Fogo De ChÃo is a huge assortment of salads, fresh vegetables, cheeses, cured meats, and more. The new items were Heirloom Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad, and a Watermelon Feta Salad. Both were beautifully displayed, and tasted great. Next time I’ll try the artichoke hearts, and some of the scrumptious looking olives.
Most everything at Fogo De ChÃo is gluten free, even the table bread made from a Brazilian recipe. Other side dishes brought to table include fried plaintain, garlic mashed potatoes, polenta, and an assortment of sauces to accompany the star of the show, the fire roasted meats. When I say that there is a big assortment of meats from which to choose, I am not kidding. On this night, Seth and I tried all of these:
Picanha, which is the prime cut of sirloin seasoned with sea salt or garlic to bring out the natural flavor.
Beef Ancho, the most prime part of the rib eye, oh, so tenderQ!
Lamb Chops, my personal favorite.
Costela De Porco, tender pork ribs slow roasted for remarkable flavor and tenderness.
Filet Mignon, get it seasoned in the gaucho tradition and fire roasted, or wrapped in bacon.
Frango, unique cuts of chicken including legs, and bacon wrapped chicken breast.
Linguica, pork sausages.
Seth and tried all of those items. There were more things to choose from but we just did not have room to try them all. Everything we tasted was so good. I would go back to Fogo De ChÃo as often as I can.
We also tried two of the desserts. There was the Tres Leches Cake, with whipped cream and strawberries; and papaya cream topped with black currant liquer.
The full Churrasco Experience, which includes the Market Table and the Fire Roasted Meats served at table, and sides, at the Atlanta locations, is $53.95 for dinner, but well worth it. You can sign up at the Fogo E-Club to get a promotional emails and other info from Fogo De ChÃo.