Fogo E Braza: Green means go, Red means stop, but You won't want to!
Written: Mar 09 '02 (Updated Mar 30 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: An endless variety of delicious food and excellent service
Cons: I'm sure Fogo E Braza will soon be so busy you'll need reservations.
The Bottom Line: If you're in the Phoenix are and you enjoy good food, don't miss the Fogo E Braza experience - a delicious overabundance of food and impeccable service!
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| jiwhite's Full Review: Phoenix |
Fogo E Braza Brazilian Steakhouse
4909 E Chandler Blvd
Phoenix, AZ 85044
(Chandler Blvd West of I-10)
(480)783-6060
How we found Fogo E Braza
This weekend, my husband and I noticed a new steakhouse as we were shopping for computer parts at PC Club with friends. Ever since our favorite Italian steakhouse closed, we've been looking for a new steakhouse in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. My husband was asking me all week to go try it out, and I'm glad I relented on Thursday.
All you can eat - Gourmet
Fogo E Braza is an "All you can eat steak & salad bar," but that description doesn't do justice to the food. When you think Fogo E Braza, think all you can eat Morton's or Ruth's Cris, not Hometown Buffet nor, even, Outback. For $29.97, you get all you can eat (and they mean it) seafood, meat (all kinds) and salad bar. Drinks and dessert are extra. The Maitre'd and waiters warned us to take our time eating and savor the meal. We were welcome to try a little rest, try some more, rest again, try some more. Here's how it works ...
Salad Bar/Appetizers
You are given a small wooden dowel that is painted red on one end and green on the other. When you first come to the table, it is red side up to allow you to savor the salad course which you serve yourself. The salad bar is not just a traditional American salad bar with iceberg lettuce, some vegetable and salad dressing. The salad bar includes a wide variety of hot and cold appetizer dishes. Of the cold variety, there are several fresh and marinated vegetable dishes, shrimp, king crab legs (These alone are always more that $12 per pound in the store!), potato salads, etc. On the hot side I tried, mussels and clams cooked in a tomato sauce and a chicken dish. Taking just a bite of things filled my plate, but I still had only tried about a third of what was available. Trying so many different appetizers was wonderful. I can't wait to go back and try some more.
Main Course
When you're done with the salad bar, you turn your marker to green. Your salad plates are cleared and plates for your entree are brought. For the rest of the meal, the food is brought to you. As long as your marker is set to green the, the waiters keep bring by different kinds of meat to try. The meats are cooked rotisserie style on skewers. The skewers are brought to your table and they cut off as much or as little as you'd like. The meat includes beef (sirloin, top round, flank steak, baby beef, short ribs, rib eye), pork (ham, pork ribs, pork loin, suckling pig), chicken (legs, hearts), turkey (wrapped in bacon), lamb, fish, etc. If you can think of it, they probably serve it. You can either ask for something or just wait for it to arrive.
The aroma of all the meats wandering through the restaurant is mouth watering. I ate a quite a few different meats (beef, chicken, fish), but I couldn't possible try them all in one meal. The salmon was served from a cart. I tried it with capers, mango sauce and strawberry sauce. I am a brave eater and tried the marinated chicken hearts. There was also a special garlic steak available. If you love garlic, ask for it. Everything I tried was excellent.
Side Dishes
But that's not all! Your entree comes with a variety of side dishes brought to your table. The side dishes included rice, mashed potatoes, beans, fried polenta, and fried bananas. There were also sauces to put on your meat. The mashed potatoes were a bit grainy, but I could have eaten just the fried bananas for dinner if there weren't so many other things to try.
When you have enough on your plates, turn your marker to red. If you are done with your break and decide you want more, turn it to green.
Dessert
Even if you don't buy dessert, you'll enjoy watching the seven-foot tall dessert cart as it makes its way through the restaurant. My husband wasn't thrilled with his cheesecake because it was made in a drier homemade style that he's not accustomed to, but I loved the banana mousse. We also tried a small chocolate caramel ball that was exquisite. There are number of other traditional and cosmopolitan desserts available, including chocolate mousse and flan. Desserts were $5 each.
Beverages
There is a full bar and a variety Brazilian beverages and wine. Tea and coffee are available if you'd like. We ordered bottled mineral water without gas, a mixed drink, and Guarana, a Brazilian soda. the beverages ranged in price from $2 to $4. You can save a little on your meal by ordering local water for free, but I encourage you to be in the spirit of trying a variety of new foods and try a Brazilian beverage as well.
Excellent Service
The decor is warm and Western. The atmosphere is casual fine dining. The staff is as friendly or as formal as you'd like. We like to chat with the staff at restaurants we enjoy and we had the pleasure of being introduced to the Owner, Manager and the Dessert Chef. We were very pleased with the hospitality. The staff truly wants you to have an enjoyable dining experience.
Almost all of the staff, from the Busboys to the Owner are Brazilian. This is the first restaurant they are opening in the Phoenix area, with plans to expand to Scottsdale once this site takes off, but not their first restaurant. They are also located in Miami, New York and Atlanta. The restaurant in Phoenix had only been open for three days. Much of the staff came from the New York location where they were serving 1100 or more people every night. They consider it practically a vacation to be serving only 120 people a night, but were very pleased with the volume so far.
Bottom Line
I encourage anyone in the Phoenix area to try Fogo E Braza. Although the total bill is a little expensive (total bill, not including tip, was $88, comparable to eating at Outback), the value of the experience is unmistakable. Pick a night when you have a big appetite and at least two hours to savor your meal. My husband is one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met, but there was more than enough for him to choose. We're going back tonight with my mother-in-law and friends. I can't wait to try some more dishes.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
jiwhite
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Member: Janine White
Location: Chandler, AZ
Reviews written: 194
Trusted by: 142 members
About Me:
Criminologist turned Software Engineer
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