Fogo de Chao

Melinda and I went on a "meat date" last night to Fogo de Chao. We called it that because that's the main attraction of this place. You pay $45 a head and flip over your 'cue card' to green, and waiters bearing various cuts and varieties of meat come by your table and slice off servings onto your plate.

It was awesome!

We started off at what appeared to be the world's largest salad bar, then sat down to await the meat purveyors. I sampled pork ribs (which were mouth-wateringly good), chicken wrapped in bacon (yum!), and savory beef and lamb. There were also little sausages, but they were over-seasoned for my taste.

Our waiter was very nice and explained how everything worked. He was prompt and checked in with us often but wasn't obtrusive. Three sides come with your meal, mashed potatoes, plantains, and fried polenta (which I simply couldn't get enough of!). We also ordered a half-bottle of wine to wash everything down. The selection we enjoyed was a Merlot from the vineyards of one of the Coppolas.

This place is certainly not cheap and had Melinda not had a gift certificate, we probably would never have been able to try it; however, I enjoyed every minute! I would go again if I had the cash just lying around. The service was excellent and the food was so tasty. We stuffed ourselves so we didn't order dessert; but the fried plantains were sweet enough to serve as an after-dinner treat.