A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Fogo De Chao is located in Copley Square, right next to the mall and the Boston Public Library.  Valet parking is available. How do you prepare for a Brazilian steakhouse? Do you fast for 3 days so you have room for the all you can eat meat or do you keep eating large amounts before the meal to prep and try to expand your stomach?

Dinner is $48.50 per person, which includes all you can eat meat, complimentary appetizers and bread for the table as well as all you can eat salad bar. The restaurant is buzzing with tourists and a bunch of large parties. We are lucky enough to get a great large table in the front by the window – a little out of the way and a little quieter.

We’re here to celebrate a friend’s birthday – so drinks all around. I have the strawberry caiprinha (kie-purr-reen-yah) made with cachaca, a spirit derived from sugar cane. The caiprinha is known as Brazil’s national drink. These went down a little TOO easily.

If you don’t eat meat, you can have the salad bar only meal for $24.50. Try not to load up on the salad early. We found that it was better to eat the salad bar in the middle of your meal to give yourself a break from the meat. Added bonus that you have to get up and move around, it gives you time to allow yourself to get ready to go round 2 with the non stop meat-fest.

Appetizers came to the table, mashed potatoes, fried plantains and polenta fries. Eat the polenta and the plantains while they are hot, as they aren’t as good when they have cooled off.

When you’re ready to start, turn your card to green and the gaucho waiters come over and offer you the food they are serving. There are a bunch of different meats, sausage, and steak options. The chicken drumsticks were surprisingly juicy, tender and flavorful. We liked them as much as the meat, if not more. The table setting comes with little tongs, the chefs slice the meat most of the way and you grab the meat and place it on your plate.

When your plate is full or you need a break, flip your card to red and the waiters will skip over you.

When the waiters come around, they ask you how your like your meat – so you still have a choice on how your meat is cooked. The couple next to us were clearly on a date, and the girl was wearing a tight white bandage dress with cutouts – which wouldn’t be the style of my choice for a place like this. I’d stay away from white all together, and wear an outfit with a peplum or something loose fitting. Nothing says romance quite like all you can eat meat right?

The service was good, chefs/waiters were always around bringing over different kinds of meat. Waiters were a bit slow clearing plates and giving us clean plates, but this isn’t the kind of meal you want to rush through, sit back and enjoy every bite!

Fogo De Chao

200 Dartmouth St., Boston, MA 02116
T: (617) 585.6300

http://www.fogodechao.com/

Tags: restaurant, steak