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Fogo de Chão (commonly referred to as just Fogo) is a Brazilian chain of upmarket churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) full-service restaurants with 10 locations in the United States of America, Brazil and one in Portugal.

Meals

Lunch and dinner at Fogo de Chão operate the same and consist of the same items, at a different price. It is a fixed price for endless salad bar and table side meat service. Customers can choose just their favorites, or sample the entire menu.

The meal comes in two parts. The first part starts at the gourmet salad bar which includes cold meats, cheeses, vegetables, and salads. The second part of the meal consists of 15 different cuts of beef, pork, chicken and lamb, served table side. Some of the meats are:

Top and Bottom Sirloin
Fillet Mignon
Beef Ancho
Beef ribs
Leg of lamb and lamb chops(Cordeiro)
Pork tenderloin and pork ribs
Chicken legs
Garlic Beef

Hot side dishes are brought out with the meat course of the meal. They are :

Cheese Bread (pao de queijo)
Fried Bananas
Seasoned Mashed Potatoes
Fried Polenta

Signature desserts include papaya cream, creme brulee, tres leches cake, chocolate molten cake, and traditional flan.

A Wine Spectator-award winning wine list boasts hundreds of domestic and imported wines.

Traditional drinks such as Caipirinha (sugar cane liquor) and Guaraná (carbonated soft drink) are also available.

Awards

The restaurant was named as one of America's top restaurants by Zagat Survey. ^[1]

Criticism

Although the churrascaria claim to be a gaúcho style steakhouse, Fogo de Chão was not founded in Rio Grande do Sul and its local franchise in Porto Alegre lasted for less than a year, being poorly judged by local cuisine magazines and guides such as Veja´s Guia de Porto Alegre.

Most of the criticism is based on the fact that Fogo de Chão does not serve its meat in the traditional gaucho cut, but rather in a mix of the paulista and argentinian way (which makes popular cuts such as the Vazio unavailable) and due to its limited amount of available cuts (While Fogo de Chão serves around 10 cuts, most Gaucho churrascarias serves up to 32 cuts) and lack of traditional gaucho side-dishes such as Fried Colonial Cheese and Boar Salami.

References

^ Zagat Survey, ed. (2006). Zagat America's Top Restaurants (Revised ed.). p. 332. ISBN 978-1570068171. Retrieved 2007-10-19. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

Fogo de Chão

[zagat-1] Zagat Survey, ed. (2006). Zagat America's Top Restaurants (Revised ed.). p. 332. ISBN 978-1570068171. Retrieved 2007-10-19. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

[1]

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 ==Awards==
 The restaurant was named as one of America's top restaurants by Zagat Survey. <ref name="zagat"> {{cite book|title=Zagat America's Top Restaurants|year=2006|month=12|editor=Zagat Survey|isbn=978-1570068171|edition=Revised|pages=332|url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zagat-Americas-Top-Restaurants/dp/1570068178/ref=sr_1_1/026-9511733-0202023?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192821574&sr=8-1|accessdate=2007-10-19|language=English}} </ref>
-==Declinement==
-Altough Fogo de Chao quickly raised to attention in the U.S.A and Brazil, it quickly decayed for various reasons. Some reasons that affected the name and its status dramatically, as customers express, is a fall of importance given to the attention to the customer and the lack of experienced churrasqueros and managers that would otherwise manage succesfully each and every one of the establishments in the United States only. In Brazil although the Fogo is well known among Brazil, it never tried to support more than 10-12 cuts of meat, unlike other well-known churrascarias in Brazil that hold up to 32 cuts. It holds a stable pace as time goes by but many doubt it will ever improve somewhat or keep its status, since the interests of the stock holders and its decision makers have shifted directions, as some have commented.
 == Criticism ==