Fogo de Chão, 11th Street & Pennsylvania Ave Downtown, and Opening in Tysons Corner

[brian]

I'm still waiting to hear from someone who has been to both Greenfield and Fogo whether Fogo, at $45, is worth the price premium over Greenfield.

Tim Carman did the Fogo/Greenfields/Malibu comparison a couple weeks ago in the CityPaper...

http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com...p?week=20061222

[purplesachi]

i have only been to fogo three times and i've been to greenfield once. but here is my two cents. take it for what it's worth. (tried fogo before i tried greenfield.)

it was either a friday night or saturday night when i went to greenfield early in 2006 and it was completely jam packed with people. my group needed a table for 5 and they took a 4 top and added a chair on the end of the table. big mistake. the person manning the dessert cart kept trying to get by our 5th person's chair because the aisle between the tables was too small to push through, so our friend had to keep re-adjusting his seat to accommodate the dessert carts throughout our entire meal.

several times i noticed different cuts of meat that i wanted to try, and i desperately tried to flag down the person carrying that particular cut of meat to no avail. i even yelled out to get the server to stop by our table, but he still didn't hear (maybe it was just too loud? we had a table next to the main aisle towards the back so i'm not exactly sure why i couldn't flag anyone down).

when servers finally did stop by our table to cut the meat, they either weren't that skilled in cutting the meat, or were not paying attention, because as one or two servers were slicing, the grease and juices from the cuts of meat were flying off and actually stained my pants, which i didn't notice until i was halfway home.

that being said, $28 dollars isn't too bad for the amount of food you have access to at greenfield. perhaps it was a bad night that we went. it's possible. i would be willing to try it again to see if this one visit was an anomaly.

my couple of visits to fogo were extremely pleasant (and gluttonous). it wasn't jammed packed - the tables are spaced apart sufficiently so that your table isn't butted up against another table.

i found the meat at fogo to be, yes, a little bit salty, but i'm a salt freak so i didn't mind as much. i also thought that the meat was more tender and juicy than greenfield, where i also found some of the meat that i tried a little bit dried out. (the picanha, costela de porco, and chicken drumsticks were very memorable items at fogo.)

the servers at fogo were very attentive and if i wanted to try a cut of meat that i saw on the menu that hadn't come around to the table, my waiter made sure to flag down the appropriate meat server so he could stop by our table.

oh, and i also love those cheese bread puffs they have at fogo.

so. is fogo's $45 price premium worth it? it depends. i'd gladly try greenfield again (for $28) for the variety of cuts of meat, and while some of the meat i found to be a little dry, others were edible if not downright fantastic. but if i wanted to go out someplace that was a little bit more fancy and paid a little bit more attention to detail, i wouldn't mind paying $45+ to fogo.

(sorry, i cannot comment on salad bar and wine.)

[DanielK]

Tim Carman did the Fogo/Greenfields/Malibu comparison a couple weeks ago in the CityPaper...

http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com...p?week=20061222

He sort of did. He spent a half sentence on the quality difference, and 2 pages on gaúchos. I walked away from that article knowing a lot less about the difference between the three than when I started.

[StephenB]

I have been to both. I have also been to various rodiçios in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Florianópolis and Miami. The best one, with the tastiest beef, and the most astonishing salad array, was A Jardineira in SP. I took John Dvorak (PC Mag) there and he practically keeled over when he saw pickled turnips. "I've been looking for these for so many years," he cried.

I can't remember the name of the place I went to in Miami, but it was just a notch below the best of Brazil. (Many of these U.S. places, of course, are owned by Brazilians.)

In my view, the best we have around here is Fogo de Chão. The meat is good (though the cuts are sometimes surprising), the service is excellent, but the salad bar ain't a patch on what I've seen south of the border. Is it worth the difference with Greenfield? That's an individual choice. I think probably so. At least it's worth a try.

[DanielK]

In my view, the best we have around here is Fogo de Chão. The meat is good (though the cuts are sometimes surprising), the service is excellent, but the salad bar ain't a patch on what I've seen south of the border. Is it worth the difference with Greenfield? That's an individual choice. I think probably so. At least it's worth a try.

Thanks, Stephen. We like Greenfield a lot, and the salad bar there is great. There are so many good dishes there, like the Feijoada, seafood stew, garlic chicken, fried plantains, mussels, etc. that we are frequently half-full by the time we start getting meat!

We will have to five FdC a shot some time for a comparison.

[JuliettetheBrit]

I went this week, and found the food to be very good, if a little salty. Particularly noteworthy were the filet mignon and the garlic beef. I loved the cheese puffs, and the bananas, and we enjoyed the salad bar, particularly the huuge parmesan. It was expensive, and possibly a little rushed, but we didn't sit down until 9.30, which is late for DC!

[xcanuck]

Isn't a slight oversalting of the meat typical of churrascaria restaurants? I thought I read that somewhere. Personally, I like my steaks a little oversalted. Plus it creates a good excuse for ordering a few extra beers.

[Mark Slater]

The lamb chops were really tasty last time, and not too salty.

[CrescentFresh]

Our love and understanding for many other places as being more "worthy" and "important," Fogo would just be a killer kickass place for a DR.com group outing. Although I suggest we find out about corkage fees and then pick up a few double magnums. In all honesty, this would be the Rockwellpalooza of them all.

[silentbob]

Has anyone been here during Restaurant Week? Word has it in another thread that they offer the full menu.

I've avoided RW during the last five years but am considering dipping my toe back into the pool...

[youngfood]

Has anyone been here during Restaurant Week? Word has it in another thread that they offer the full menu.

I've avoided RW during the last five years but am considering dipping my toe back into the pool...

If you are too good for Restaurant Week, you must be too good for Fogo de Chao. I'm amazed that anyone who takes food seriously eats here. I'm not sure how they would work it with Restaurant Week - on the times I was subjected to this place it was just prix fixe all you can eat with a salad buffet to start, some sides delivered to the table, and roving waiters with plates of meat which they will drop on your plate if you have your coaster green side up (red side indicates you are full or taking a breather). Gross. This place is the fine dining equivalent of an all-inclusive resort as far as I'm concerned.

[susanmab]

So I finally went there recently, it was the choice of a friend for his birthday.

My gentleman companion got it right I think, "fine dining for non-majors".

The meats weren't bad, some of them were really excellent. The salad bar was impressive. But the service managed to be both pushy and inattentive at the same time (whenever you could get a server's attention, they seemed to want to ask if we were ready for "that next bottle of wine yet"), and seemed downright unskilled at times.

So now I've been there once, and that was plenty. I'd be interested in going to a non-chain churrascaria sometime to see if the experience would be any more pleasing.

[FunnyJohn]

As a send-off for one of my young colleagues who is returning to school, I, along with nine other guys, dined at Fogo de Chao last evening. OK, "dined" is perhaps too refined a word to describe the meal. It was more of a cave man-like orgy of red meat and wine, but it was sooo satisfying. Some sampled the ample salad bar, but I, not wishing to make the rookie mistake of not leaving enough room for the main idea which is of course MEAT!, stayed away and concentrated on what mattered. Everything in the protein department was very good, but I thought the rib eye and the pork ribs were the standouts. While some reports above found the service lacking, ours was outstanding. Several times one of the servers came by to ask us if there was any particular meat cuts we wanted and the wine service was attentive but not pushy at all. It is pricey, but if you adopt the correct consumption strategy you can get your money's worth. I give the experieence two thumbs up.

[DonRocks]

Well, I finally made it to Fogo de Chao. First of all, what an enormous restaurant, packed nearly full, with what must have been hundreds of people. This place is huge!

The restaurant's strategy is to have you frequent the salad bar first. Don't. Go ahead and get a couple polite pieces of asparagus, peppers, or whatever, but no more than two or three. Then, nibble politely for ninety seconds and tell your server you're ready for the plates to be cleared, and then flip your disk over to green.

Things start coming, and coming, and coming. I learned quickly what I liked: Bottom sirloin, not top sirloin. Things with bones on them, not filet mignon. Sausages not chicken cubes. Where oh where were the skewers of chicken hearts? Not being served to the unadventurous diners in Washington DC, that's for sure. Pity.

Ask for bottom sirloin, rare, a piece of ribeye, rare, and the three things on the bone, all rare or medium-rare: lamb chops, pork ribs, and an addictingly delicious chicken drumstick falling off the bone. Sausages are fine too, and the plantains serve as salty-meat relilef, but avoid top sirloin, the house-special beef ancho which sounds good but isn't, filet mignon, cubes of filet and chicken wrapped in bacon (as tempting as that may sound), and limit the sides of potatoes and cheesebread and polenta so you can scarf yourself silly on meat, meat, meat. The wines are simply awful, so I can't help you there in any way - stick with beer if you can; otherwise hold your nose and pick something from Mendoza and ask them to chill it down for fifteen minutes.

Well guess what? I very much liked my little orgy at Fogo de Chao. I left stuffed to the gills, sure, but I felt like I had some darned good grilled meats, and despite the gaudy, garish, service from the "gauchos" (spare me), these people were all efficient: when they asked me what I was waiting for I told them: stuff on the bone, ribeye, bottom sirloin, and within three minutes ALL of them appeared, nice and medium-rare. They really do aim to please with the service - if only they'd get better wines.

I'm going from memory here, but I think dinner was $48.50 for adults, half-price for children under 11. (We had to request the half-priced deal, and they also came out originally and asked us "sparkling or still" before I asked for tap.)

I liked Fogo de Chao for an unabashed meatfest, and I'd do it again in the right circumstances - tourists probably love the place.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[CrescentFresh]

The wines are simply awful, so I can't help you there in any way - stick with beer if you can; otherwise hold your nose and pick something from Mendoza and ask them to chill it down for fifteen minutes.

I liked Fogo de Chao for an unabashed meatfest, and I'd do it again in the right circumstances - tourists probably love the place.

Cheers,

Rocks.

IIRC, they serve Tikal Patriota, which is the Mendoza choice that I think is more than decent and quite tasty. And FdC is fantastic for large groups. No need to waste time with that ordering thing......just sit, talk, eat, drink, eat, talk, eat, drink, and everyone knows what they're paying.

[Mark Slater]

Ask for bottom sirloin, rare, a piece of ribeye, rare, and the three things on the bone, all rare or medium-rare: lamb chops, pork ribs, and an addictingly delicious chicken drumstick falling off the bone. Sausages are fine too, and the plantains serve as salty-meat relilef, but avoid top sirloin, the house-special beef ancho which sounds good but isn't, filet mignon, cubes of filet and chicken wrapped in bacon (as tempting as that may sound), and limit the sides of potatoes and cheesebread and polenta so you can scarf yourself silly on meat, meat, meat. The wines are simply awful, so I can't help you there in any way - stick with beer if you can; otherwise hold your nose and pick something from Mendoza and ask them to chill it down for fifteen minutes.

Rookies eat too much chicken and sausage before the good stuff even starts to come out. The lamb chops are great, but they normally bring them last. Ask!!

[DanielK]

I thought I'd reported here, but can't find the post.

Anyhow, I came with a friend during Restaurant Week. We definitely enjoyed the visit - food was very good, and the service was superb. And, at $20 for lunch, it was a bargain. But $50 for dinner? Only if someone else is buying.

The meats are somewhat better than Green Field in Rockville, but GF's salad bar is better (and not just salad - there are many hot and cold Brazilian dishes there). But Greenfield is only $32, and for me, has the benefit of being less than 10 minutes from the house.

[StephenB]

Those who wish to follow the Don's advice may be interested in the Portuguese terms:

bottom sirloin: fraldinha (fral-DEEN-ya) rare: mal passado

lamb chop: cordeiro (cor-DARE-oh)

pork ribs: costela de porco

chicken drumstick: perna de frango

Sausage: linguiça (leen-GWEE-sa)

top sirloin: alcatra

filet mignon: filete (fee-LAY-chee)

I'm hungry: Estou com fome.

I'm full: Estou completo.

As for the wine, grab a jug of sangria (no accent in Portuguese) and gobble the fruit with a spoon.

I think steering clear of the salad bar is a beginner's trick. As you learn to enjoy this meal, you place more emphasis on balance and less on satiety. Don't go wild with the greenery but let the things you like awaken your taste buds. For example, I know places in Rio and São Paulo that have rare offerings, such as pickled turnips, that should be tried, and enhance the experience.

[silentbob]

Anyone been during the last 6 months, and is wearing jeans acceptable here?

The Oval Room event sounds really good, but my firm is footing the bill for dinner here tonight (and caipirinhas too, hopefully) and it's been nearly 10 years since I ate at a churrascaria.

[silentbob]

Anyone been during the last 6 months, and is wearing jeans acceptable here?

It was.

I followed Don's advice upthread and had a reasonably good experience. Stuck mostly with the picanha (rare), lamb chops, and rib eye. Caipirinhas were tasty as well.

That said, I didn't eat enough to justify the price tag and probably won't return unless someone else is paying again. Also didn't realize that the place was so freaking huge. It definitely looked packed with tourists.

[hm212]

I am going to the Philadelphia Fogo Monday night with a group from work. I haven't been in a few years and enjoyed it back then (it was a lot cheaper a few years ago - lol) wondering if anyone knows if the quality has kept up with the price?

Wondering about DC too, my meeting just happens to be in Philadelphia this week.

[goodeats]

I've never been to Fogo. Please recount the various proteins that were served and what you think of it?

Honestly, you've been to Chima, so it's really the same. I have been to Fogo and then I went to a Brazilian Fogo-like eatery in San Diego, and thought it was the same, just different decor, and maybe slight different seasonings. But, it's still the same proteins.

If you reread the Chima thread, Kibbee gives a nice summary/comparison of the three Brazilian places in this area....

[winger1930]

I've never been to Fogo. Please recount the various proteins that were served and what you think of it?

Well, I can give you what I liked and didn't like, and what stuck out. There are a bunch of cuts that just some weren't very notable, so I didn't bother mentioning them. As a general comment, ordering rare usually gets you about medium rare on all their cuts.

Eat it

-Cordeiro - Lamb chops and leg of lamb. The chops were cooked to about medium. Meaty and gamey, plus eating about 10 of them makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth. Leg of lamb was also good, and you can ask for rare to get it medium rare.

-Fraldinha - Bottom sirloin. I think this was one of the best things I had there. Really flavorful and juicy, and sliced thin - a little gamey too, it's really good.

-Costela de Porco - Pork ribs. Meaty and cooked tender, these were just about fall off the bone. I didn't really catch much of a rub or sauce on them. (They say it's "A careful blend of our wet and dry rub keep the ribs tender and enhance their natural flavor." I really just think it was flavored with salt and pepper.)

-Pão de queijo - Warm cheese bread. Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I really liked these. We went to Central for lunch and had the gougeres, and these REMIND you of them. They're not as light nor as flavorful, but an imitation of a Central gougere is still pretty damn good.

-Caramelized bananas - I thought these were plantains until about 2 minutes ago when I saw on their website they were bananas. Probably explains why they were so sweet. I liked these, and were my main go to dish to break up the meat fest. Sweet and soft, so if your jaw hurts, this is a great break.

-Smoked salmon - This is a throw back thing from when I was growing up, going to brunch buffets with my dad. He'd always get a huge plate of smoked salmon, sit down at the table, and proclaim to everyone, "Gotta get your money's worth."

Don't Waste the Space

-As mentioned above, don't get anything bacon wrapped. It is tempting, and even after a warning, both my wife and I got the bacon wrapped filet and chicken breast. Both were overcooked, bacon was flabby, and we didn't finish them.

-Picanha - Top sirloin, both plain and garlic. Both weren't great - they were just under seasoned and just not really very tasty.

-Salad Bar - In general, it's tempting, but really, it's not nearly as good as I thought it'd be. Yeah, there's lots of cheese and meat, and some greens to break everything up. But, stick to a small side salad when you need to take a break and that's all you really need. Everything else looks a lot better than it is.

-Garlic mashed potatoes - Fine, but not worth eating. You can get them ANYWHERE! Don't be tempted.

During dinner, I had to explain to my wife what the meat sweats were. It's great that I can go out to dinner, have the meat sweats, and still go home with a woman. Hooray for marriage!

[schulju]

I've been to Fogo (both here AND in Brazil - yes, it's a popular chain there as well), and to Chima. I think the salad bar at Fogo had more choices than Chima, so Fogo gets points there. But, I really think the meats were of a higher quality, and better prepared (delivered as ordered) at Chima. Really the protein is why we go to these places, so my vote goes to Chima.

[Lobozooma]

A new location is opening in Tysons, across from the Founding Farmers. I saw a sign on the new building go up a couple weeks ago. 

[pras]

Opening at Pike and Rose in North North Georgetown in early 2019 as reported by Bethesda Magazine.