If you’re like most restaurant-loving Americans, the last year has been filled with more take-out than you’d prefer… and nabbing those coveted outdoor dining reservations whenever possible. But most of us have been more timid about patronizing our favorite establishments that usually only (or mostly) offer indoor dining. Which only makes you crave meals like the all-you-can-eat meat and market tables at a Brazilian steakhouse so much more, right??
Well not only does Fogo de Chão have all the meat you’ve been missing and new Spring menu items to tempt you in, the brand also recently unveiled its 12 Safety Promises, and we stopped in to sample the scrumptiousness and vouch for new safety protocols.
First the changes you’ll notice.
Apart from enhanced sanitizing and extra spacing, the gauchos and Market Table are probably where you’ll see the biggest difference in your Churrasco dining. No need to flip a red/green card! Gauchos and servers are paying more attention to your empty plate than ever, and will pass your area frequently with all variety of meats on the menu. Just wave them over or ask for any cut you want to try.
The Market Table (aka salad bar) was probably our biggest concern before seeing how expertly Fogo de Chão handled this headscratcher. New plates were required every visit of course, but a limited number of guests entering in a one-way line was enforced. Guests donned disposable thin plastic gloves upon entering the line to use salad bar tongs and other utensils and disposed of them upon exiting, so everything touched was clean. The typical hefty portions of market table favorites were smaller and replenished more often so everything we loved was available… and fresher.
Now onto the new eats. Don’t worry — all of your gaucho-passed favorites are still there, but the menu now also offers a premium Bone-In Beef Ancho Ribeye – aged for 21 days and filled with flavor. Fogo also refreshed its Market Table with in-season dishes like Whipped Ricotta with Crudité, Apple Manchego Salad, Roasted Eggplant, and Cucumber Salad. All were good, but our favorite remains the Brazilian Street Corn Salad.
We also noticed soups! Since the weather can’t decide if it wants to swelter or be crisp on any given day lately, we loved the option of sipping some Tomato Mozzarella Soup alongside the Full Churrasco Experience. And while we feasted on so much filet we couldn’t possibly dive into dessert, the new Passion Fruit Mousse tart was one of the more tempting items if you seek a sweeter finish.
