Review: Fogo de Chao
I have resisted pressure from many corners to go to Fogo de Chao (aka the Meatateria.) in the past. The idea of all-you-can-eat meat is more disgusting than delightful to me, and I felt pretty confident that I could not consume anything close to $50 worth of meat. I went with a table full of men, and they all seemed to think it was great, so, take what I say with a grain of salt. But I think the Fogo card sums up my opinion pretty nicely:
My dining pet peeve is going out to eat, and feeling like I could have made it better myself. I suppose it was inevitable that I was not going to like Fogo de Chao. A good steak is one of the easiest things in the world to make.
The salad bar may have fallen prey to its own hype; after reading many reviews warning people not to fill up on the delicious morsels at the salad bar, I was expecting more. It was fine. I did not feel like I had to force myself to refuse stuff. If you fixed yourself a large salad, you may find you wish you had not. If you’re going to Fogo de Chao with the plan of filling up on meat, you won’t find anything on that salad bar that’s a can’t miss; head straight for the meat if that’s what you want.
The sides were, again, fine, with the exception of the mashed potatoes, which tasted like they came from flakes. The fried bananas were actually my favorite; the sweetness was a nice respite from the saltiness of the meat.
If you are looking for a nice big meat experience, for these prices, I’d skip Fogo de Chao, and just head for one of the many, many new steakhouses in the city. At least Butcher and Singer knows how to cook a potato.
