We were glad the Mayan apocalypse did not come last night because we were
able to use a gift certificate we had won in DC for this wonderful fun and truly
delicious steakhouse that is now a chain
covering so many places in the USA and growing.
FOGO de CHAO (www.fogodechao.com) was about a 25 minute walk from
our hotel in South Beach, and we were hungry for sure when we got there.
Immediately a basket of yummy cheese rolls were on the table and soon our
bottle of PRIMUS 2010 Cab/Syrah/Carmeniere/Merlot blend arrived and we thought
it would be a wonderful Chilean blend with the meats to come.
We were urged to indulge in the salad bar but be careful not to overdo
it.
The salad bar is a dream and provides something for everyone from smoked
salmon, salami, prosciutto-style ham to cheeses (fresh shaved Parmegiano
Reggiano & Manchego), pasta salad, waldorf salad and then our
favorites:
Samuel listed the parm, romaine, Caesar dressing, bacon and croutons as his making himself a wonderful salad.
Samuel listed the parm, romaine, Caesar dressing, bacon and croutons as his making himself a wonderful salad.
The tomatoes were nice and large and fresh, but a disappointment after
those amazing heirlooms we had in St. Barth's. The pickled beets were just
that.
Will adored the hearts of palm, while I loved the mushroom salad and the
string bean salad.
There was also chimichurri sauce which we used for the meat, although it
was not necessary as the seasonings and taste of almost every meat dish was
superb.
The price per person is about $48 and 1/2 price for kids for all you can
eat; I haven't seen a deal like this anywhere.
Back at the table we received garlic mash potatoes, fried bananas and yummy
fried polenta sticks dusted with parmesan. These kept being replaced, and we had
to beg "STOP" or it would have been a waste.
The next phase was the parade of the guys in their gaucho pants and belts
each with 3 foot long skewers from which they cut slabs of tasty beef, pork,
chicken and lamb as we requested them. If you wanted a rest, you turned the
small paper
disc on the table from the green side to the red side! Sometimes this did
not work :-))
The LOMBO is a pork loin coated with parmesan crust which was divine, even
if the pork was a but on the medium-well side (I think they have to be careful
with that).
The LINGUICA Pork Sausage was a slightly spicy one and the COSTELA de PORCO
(pork ribs) were a tasty hit with Will but again just a bit overcooked.
The CORDEIRO was a gorgeous pink leg of lamb (the whole lamb on the
skewers) with superb crusty skin that I could not resist.
Steaks are king here and the filets, Beef Ancho Ribeye and Prime Sirloin
crusted were all to die for. Samuel tasted and indulged as we all did, but there
was no room for dessert for sure.
