Fogo de Chao

We went to Fogo de Chao for dinner last night. They serve Rodizo-style, which is Brazilian for guys walking around with meat on swords, and slicing off hunks of cows for you right at your table.

Johanna and I first went to the bar for a drink. It wasn't enough that they give you drinks there; they also have to bring you hot and delicious cheezy rolls. I had one.

Cheezy Bread

We went to our table. Before they inundate you with cow, you get to hit up the salad bar. It's pretty impressive. I think the one at Chima is better, but this one is still very, very awesome. I made two trips, with some of the highlights being Chicken Salad, Sliced Salmon, Prosciutto, Salami, Mushrooms, Sun Dried Tomatoes, assorted Peppers, and Parmesan Cheese.

 

Right before the meat starts, they bring you some side dishes. We had Fried Polenta Sticks, Plantanos (they called them something else), and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I had one of the Polenta Sticks and some of the Mashed Potatoes. They also brought the Cheesy Rolls to the table. I had another one of those, too.

Fried Polenta (with cheese)

Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The meats began. We were served -- and I ate -- in no particular order: Top Sirloin, Bottom Sirloin, a diefferent Top Sirloin, Parmesan-Crusted Pork, Pork Ribs, Filet, Chicken, Sausage, Filet Wrapped in Bacon, Leg of Lamb, Lamb Chops and probably some other stuff. Here's a represetative sampling:

Sword Dude with Top Sirloin

Top Sirloin and Bottom Sirloin. The Bottom Sirloin was one of my two favorites.

Sword Dude with Lamb Chops

Lamb Chops and Leg of Lamb

Filet wrapped in Bacon

They call this Picanha. I call this one of the Top Sirloins. This was Johanna's favorite

Sword Dude with Sausage and Chicken

Sausage, Filet and Chicken.

We ate until the food was backed up to our esophaguses (esophagui???). Other than being Way Too Much, it was wonderful.

Johanna managed to find room to have a Strawberry-Ice Cream blended thing for dessert. It looked good, but even if I ate desserts, there was absolutely No Way I was getting any of that down. I just had a cappucino and was done with it. Here's Johanna modeling the salad bar, before all the carnage began:

Johanna posing with the Smoked Salmon

Fogo de Chao was really, really good, and we couldn't have asked for better service once we were seated, but we have Chima here in Ft. Lauderdale. Their meat selection is slightly different, and although their service is good, I don't think that it was *quite* as attentive as Fogo de Chao, but you don't have to drive all the way to Miami Beach for Chima. Both of them are a notch better, in my opinion, than Texas de Brazil. If I was anywhere south of the Dade County border, and I was in the mood to eat a cow, I would head straight back to Fogo de Chao.