DC Restaurant Review: Fogo de Chao

Grilled meat on sabers! All cuts of meats grilled and on a saber! Shit even better one of the cuts is covered with garlic! As Jeff Spicoli would say, “Awesome! Totally awesome!”

Actually in all honestly I am not sure if this place is all that great. While I had lunch there and got offered a new job. I think I was mesmerized by the servers carving meat onto my plate. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you but I usually oppose buffet or all you can eat joints. There is no love in the cooking because they focus on bulk. Fogo de Chao while all you can eat does do their meats and side justice.

Anyway onto the review…. First you start with the salad bar. As my friend told me there are things to avoid…I heard him telling e what was going to fill me up but I don’t care. They had artichoke hearts and mounds of massive asparagus sun dried tomatoes and mountains of fresh mozeralla. Not to mention all there are all sorts of Spanish cheese and the chacuterrie. Did I tell you that this is all you can eat?

The key to the restaurant is the flip disc. Red means stop. Green means goes. If the wait staff asks if you want a specific cut of meat say, “No.” You want to try everything before you start narrowing down your cuts of meat, Another is watch the beer it is a filler.

The cuts of meat: prime rib, sirloin, sirloin in garlic, filet, filet wrapped in bacon, chicken, leg of lamb, lamb chops, pork loin, pork ribs, beef ribs. Sausages, and some kind of carne asada. What more do I need to say…. It is an endless procession of waiters walking decent cuts of meat around. I am partial to the garlic sirloins and filet wrapped in bacon both excellently done. I think prime rib is suspect in generally whole tender and juicy I want to go to a place where that cut is their focus. The lamb chops were excellent. The ribs both pork and beef were just so so.

They do have sides: fried polenta which is surprisingly yummy. Fried plantains are always a crowd pleaser and mashed potatoes that would make grammy proud. Simply done sides but nothing to write home about.

Desserts: Key Lime pie was smooth and creamy and appropriately limey but on the mediocre side. The Molten cake was good and the ice cream was perfect.

Coffee: So I have stopped but the people at the table that got coffee said it was good.

If you are hungry or want something different, this is a good place to go.

DC Scale: It’s a reauthorization bill, a lot of good stuff in it (the meats) and people will always reauthorize it, but it needs constant tweaking and updating menu items.