RESTAURANT REVIEW – FOGO DE CHAO

Located at 661 N. LaSalle Blvd in the Gold Coast area is Fogo de Chão, “a fine dining, full-service Brazilian steakhouse or churrascaria.” There are two other locations, one in Naperville at 1824 Abriter Court and the other in Rosemont at 5460 Park Place. The Brazilian steakhouse uses a century’s old grilling tradition called churrasco which embraces the flavor of the meat using very minimal amounts of spices and the open flame of a grill (churrascaria).

They have an amazing salad bar with fresh vegetables, cheeses and cold meats. You could easily have a complete meal at the salad bar, but this restaurant is really geared towards the meat lovers in your life. I was just there last Tuesday; the meat was flavorful and juicy. It was actually a first time experience for me and I’m already going back in a couple weeks.

The premise of the restaurant is pretty straight forward. You are seated at your table and choose the dining experience you want. First of all, make sure you leave of room for A LOT of meat. It’s so good that you’re going to overeat so I also suggest wearing expandable pants. The way the restaurant works is actually quite easy.  You are given what looks like a coaster that is red on one side and green on the other and a small metal tongs.

When you are ready for the meat skewers to come to your table, you flip the coaster to green. At that point, you’ll have all the servers come to your table ask if you would like a piece. They start the slice and you use the tongs to grab your piece. You’re also not limited to the amount of meat they add to your plate. The service is quick so you definitely want to make sure you turn your coaster to red if you’re ready to take a breather.

The service was great when I was there. It’s clearly a group effort to make sure you have that enjoyable an experience. With a pretty full wine list and drink list you will have a fine dining experience that is comparable to the other steakhouses in Chicago. The cost for this meal is going to range between $31-60 per person without drinks. The restaurant offers valet parking or there is a parking lot around the corner.

CATHY MALLERS & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO