Fogo De Chão Brazilian Steakhouse Menu

[Bernice Ebesugawa]

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As 53-unit Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Cho continues to stabilize its brand performance with its fifth consecutive year of positive traffic, the Dallas, Texas-based restaurant chain looks to keep up with trends in restaurant technology and menu innovation.

While Fogo de Cho has offered catering for corporate and private events for awhile, this year the brand will also test off-premise delivery for the first time. By the end of 2019 the new delivery platform, which will bring customized churrascaria and market table options to homes and offices, will be in beta testing in three markets: Dallas, Chicago and a third as-of-yet unnamed market.

Still, one risk McGowan is not willing to make is in third-party delivery. McGowan said that he would prefer to have complete control over the quality, including in-house packaging specifically made for delivery.

On the customer experience side, the blockchain investment would look like a QR code alongside menu items. Once customers scan the QR code with their phones they will be directed toward a map that shows guests where and how the animal was raised, what its diet was, and the rest of the supply chain that traces back from farm to kitchen.

In the next 12 to 16 months, Fogo will be implementing its first regional test of the blockchain technology with cattle from its partner ranches in New Zealand and will roll out the technology systemwide within three to five years.

Other alternative proteins are in play as well, McGowan said. Though not plant-based, he said the chain is considering adding insects to the menu, especially since insects are already a common part of Brazilian culinary culture.

When we go to Brazilian steakhouses, especially the big fancy ones like Fogo de Cho, we go for their many meats. Their many, many, many meats, all of which present the average diner with an endurance challenge requiring the right strategy and approach.

For me, the strategy involves showing up early on an empty stomach, leaving my green button turned up so as not to lose any momentum, and staying immensely focused. Most importantly, I keep a hangry, predatory hawk-eye open for the quality cuts: the signature Picanha, the costela beef rib, the lamb chops, double-cut pork chops, linguica, the filet.

Can you exercise restraint in the face of instant gratification, holding out for ribeye when the bottom sirloin parades by incessantly? Can you resist the temptation of warm, cheesy pao de queijo puffs and buttery mashed potatoes as they glide up to the table? And what about the thirst trap of salads, cheeses, cured meats, smoked salmon, and fancy veggies laid out in a sexy spread across the all-you-can-eat buffet section of the restaurant, the elegantly named Market Table & Feijoada Bar?

"Fogo de Chao is dedicated to offering guests new and exciting dishes to discover, enhancing our menu regularly with authentic flavors that change with the season as they do in the farms and open-air markets of Brazil," a spokesperson said. "We're embracing the cooler temperatures and new cravings that autumn brings."

Some people go (pine) nuts over hummus. I'm not one of them. It's always pretty good when I'm out at a Mediterranean restaurant, but baba ghanouj it ain't. However, a seasonal slant will always pique my interest, so I put on my good sport hat to try the flavor of the fall: beet with orange zest, pumpkin, sesame seeds, and fresh herbs.

At the Market Table, it looked promising. Rosy pink and silky with an exuberant sprinkle of green herbs and pepitas punctuated with pale sesame seeds in a line on one side, olive oil shined golden in little eddies on its surface. But in execution, its first flavor note was just very salty. The creaminess was great, and I could taste the tahini, but where was the orange zest to evoke autumn beet salads? Where was the sweet beet, outside of the strangely faint aftertaste?

Sure, the quinoa was noticeable only in hindsight, and the goat cheese was not the blue cheese promised by the press release, but this salad was fantastic. The greens were substantial, and the Bosc pears were roasted perfectly. There was not a hint of graininess to the uniformly cut, juicy slices, and the lightly browned butternut squash gave each bite more substance. I also appreciated the invisible but discernible olive oil in this dish and came back for seconds.

As a non-lover of pumpkin spice (yes, another unpopular opinion to pair with my apathy toward hummus), I appreciate that Fogo de Cho leaned in hard on the other orange gourd of autumn. This sweet salad made butternut squash once again the leading lady, but this time, roasted Fuji apples are its dance partner. A honey drizzle and some lemon zest round out the ensemble.

Soup is a classic dieter's hack: You fill up on it, letting its comforting volume take up space in your stomach. This is the opposite of one's goal at Fogo de Cho, making the addition of lentil soup to the fall menu especially fraught.

Verdict: If you're not at Fogo de Cho for the gaucho-served churrasco experience, this soup is going to be your saving grace. If you are there to break out in meat sweats, skip the soup after a spoonful, or you'll find yourself too full too soon.

Verdict: While the signature churrasco cut, the Picanha, will always be my favorite, this was worth hassling the gauchos and servers about. The quality of the steak was excellent, strip-side gristle notwithstanding. The meat was velvety, and the simple seasoning made its beefiness really sing.

If you're blessed with that second stomach for dessert, well, there's nothing like a thick slice of cheesecake to round out a steak dinner. For its autumnal menu, in addition to the usual offer of strawberry or caramel sauce, Fogo de Cho is allowing you to pretend cheesecake is healthy by topping it with a superfood: acai.

This cheesecake is a more savory, less sweet, and less tangy than true New York cheesecakes, which is ideal when you're already stuffed with rich meat. While it's not as rich or thick as, say, Junior's, it's still a solid brick of a dessert. It's "frosted" with a layer of light whipped cream, with acai compote served on the side for drizzling. The acai sauce is thick, but slightly vegetal and earthy, and not as bright as I would have liked for such a neutral cheesecake. It only weighed things down further.

I'm not sure what it was before, but it's now listed as a vanilla sponge cake soaked in those namesake tres leches, topped with toasted meringue and mixed berries. It had distinct vestiges of pound cake, with a warm, buttery flavor and a density that was heavier than what I typically expect from a sponge. It wasn't soggy at all, and the taste of dairy cream was luxurious and pervasive, especially once I started pulling from the sphere of vanilla-specked whipped cream on top.

There were also faint caramel tones, likely from the light toasting of the meringue topping and the drizzle of what could have been dulce de leche. To my boyfriend's disappointment, the meringue was the soft version rather than a crackling cookie type (think Baked Alaska or lemon meringue pie topping), but that was quickly forgiven as he delighted in its cloud-like airiness. The berries offered a nice burst of freshness to the bite, and the streusel served as functional garnish.

Verdict: This freshened-up staple is worth ordering, and the airiness of the whipped cream and meringue will trick you into thinking it's not as caloric as it is. If you want to end your meal remembering that this is, at heart, a South American restaurant and not a steakhouse (as the cheesecake implies), this is what's up.

This will be the restaurant's first location in Tennessee and could be the first Brazilian steakhouse for downtown Nashville since Rodizio Grill, once on Second Avenue, closed after the 2020 Christmas Day explosion. The local owner of Rodizio, Mark Rosenthal, says plans are still in place to reopen the restaurant down the road, whether on Second Avenue or elsewhere.

Brazilian steakhouses often function somewhat like a roving buffet, with "gauchos" (a Portuguese word for cowboy) hand-carving flame-grilled meat, often tableside. Though they are largely meat-centric affairs, they're also known for a wide array of vegetable accompaniments. Accordingly, Nashville's will serve specialty salads and traditional Brazilian dishes, as well as cured meats, a la carte seafood and vegetarian options.

According to a media release from the company, this Nashville Yards location will feature an expansive dining room centered around a live-fire churrasco grill. Expect to choose from wood-fired top sirloin, spicy sausages and bone-in lamb and pork chops. Upscale cuts include a 32-ounce tomahawk ribeye, dry-aged for a minimum of 42 days.

Fogo de Cho is also known for its expansive and meat-friendly South American wine program. A bar and lounge will serve a small plate version of the menu, casual entrees including burgers and tacos, and specialty cocktails. There will be an onsite specialty prime meats butcher shop for take-home proteins.

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