My first clue that it was prom night came as we followed a chic young woman and her date down the parking garage stairs. She teetered precariously on razor-thin stilettos so ridiculously high she could barely walk.
Maybe, I thought, she should have offered to chip in for $6.75 valet parking at Fogo de Chão.
Inside the churrascaria (shur-HAWZ-ka-ree-ah), a Portuguese word for Brazilian steakhouse, the dance had already begun. Dashing waiters dressed in traditional gaucho-style bombachas — a black pantaloon that is tight at the waist, flares over the hips then tapers into the top of a riding boot — were already circling the full dining room.
The dress of the wait staff is typical of gauchos from the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil. Herds of cattle graze over vast pastures where Brazilian cowboys typically cook large cuts of meat in open-flame pits. Hence the restaurant’s name, which means “fire in the ground.”
Fogo de Chão offers 15 cuts of meat, including many North American butchers are not all that familiar with, such as picanha (the prime sirloin); filet mignon wrapped in bacon; alcatra (another part of the top sirloin); fraldinha (you don’t want me to translate, trust me that it comes from the
bottom of the sirloin); beef ancho (ribeye); cordeiro (leg of lamb); lombo (pork loin); costela de porco (pork ribs); frango (chicken) and linguiça (pork sausage).
It took my Brazilian husband, Otavio, and me several years to find the supermarket equivalent for picanha. Ask for tri-tip roast the next time you want to really wow your friends at a backyard barbecue.
And for years that was all we could do: Cook our own.
But slowly, the Brazilian steakhouse has made its way to Kansas City, first with Em Chamas up north, then with Amor de Brazil out south (which has closed) and now with Fogo de Chão, a Dallas-based chain that includes restaurants in 14 American cities as well as São Paulo, Brasilia, Salvador and Belo Horizonte. The Country Club Plaza restaurant opened in late January, taking over the 13,000-square-foot space that was most recently George Brett’s.
I’ve experienced both the high-end white tablecloth fine-dining kind and the ma-and-pop type of joints on my trips to Brazil. I’ve also eaten at several Brazilian chains that have migrated to the United States. But Fogo de Chão is one of my favorites, both for the quality of the meat and the upscale yet unpretentious atmosphere found in the wide-open expanse of the dining room.
On two Saturday nights the dining room was packed and exuded a lovely energy. The first time I was there I noticed lots of foreigners, perhaps tourists. On prom night the crowd was less accented but certainly more decked out.
Since I called only a day in advance for reservations, on prom night seating was available before 5:30 or after 8 p.m. Brazilians eat late, so my family chose the latter. We were seated within a few minutes of our arrival, as it turns out, within earshot of a long table of promgoers. Our 15-year-old son, André, soon heard one of the teens exclaim: “This was a great idea for prom!”
The comment promptly started a debate at our table. My husband thought it was too much food before dancing, which, in his samba-crazed country, is an acutely vigorous activity. But André thought it was a fine place for prom. At least, he reasoned, you’d know roughly how much cash to have on hand. I could see his point and figured you’d also have built-in entertainment to fill in any awkward gaps in the dinner conversation.
For $42.50 per adult, the loosely choreographed meal starts with pão de queijo, addictive little cheese balls that at Fogo are more like popovers served hot from the oven. Next we joined the chorus line at the all-you-can-eat salad bar. While admittedly not the best place to take a vegetarian, at least Fogo’s offerings are sturdier than a bowl of mixed greens. On the night we were there, the salad bar included hearts of palm, fresh mozzarella, artichoke bottoms, outrageously fat asparagus and tabbouleh.
One Brazilian churrascaria we ate at in Denver went for broke by adding a sushi bar, but that’s overkill and frankly doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, even if Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Some Brazilian churrascarias also offer feijão, soupy black beans. When André didn’t find it on the salad bar he asked our waiter, and a plate of beans and rice appeared on our table. Jean Lazarotto, the general manager, told me later that the beans are actually considered a side dish, and the restaurant feels that they stay hotter and fresher if delivered directly from the kitchen rather than out of a chafing dish.
Finally, it was time to turn the small red-on-one-side, green-on-the-other “coin” to get the meat service going. The meat was everything a carnivore craves: juicy, hot, salty, garlicky and sometimes wrapped in bacon, my personal favorite. Complimentary sides include garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas and, another one of my favorites, crispy fried polenta that melts in your mouth. Drinks and dessert are a separate charge.
If you have any room left — and you shouldn’t — there are plenty of chocolaty desserts, which are at least Brazilian in spirit, and an out-of-place New York-style cheesecake. If you want to end a meal with Brazilian flair, order the flan or the Papaya Cream, heavy cream whipped with papaya-flavored syrup.
My husband and I shared the Papaya Cream, even though I should have just pushed away from the table. On the way back to the car I could barely walk, and I wasn’t even wearing stilettos.
fogo de chão
222 W. 47th St.
816-931-7700
www.fogodechao.comLunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday ($24.50 per person), noon-3 p.m. Sunday ($32.50 per person)
Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 5-10:30 p.m. Friday; 4-10:30 p.m. Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday ($42.50 per person)
Vegetarian choices: Salad bar only ($19.50 per person)
Kid prices: Up to 5 years old eat free, 6- to 9-year-olds are half price.
Noise level: Energetic but you can still have a decent conversation
Reservations: Strongly recommended; private rooms available for parties of 30 to 120 people
Recession-friendly specials: Wines by the glass include 10 reds and seven whites. Father’s Day specials for $38.50 per person.
MY DINNER AT is a story about a single dining experience. The narrative is based on an anonymous visit. The Star pays for the meal.
what to drink
I highly recommend the caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail of lime, sugar and the sugarcane liquor known as cachaça. The restaurant offers two standards, Ypioca and Pitu. It’s one of the best I’ve had, but pace yourself. Not only are they potent; at $8.25 the bar bill can add up fairly fast. Add a top-shelf premium cachaça, and you’re talking $11.50 per drink.
Not that my kids were any better at the whole moderation thing. The two of them racked up a $14 soft drink tab because they couldn’t resist seconds on the guaraná, their favorite, hard-to-find Brazilian soda made from the guaraná berry. Think a cross between cream soda and ginger ale.
The 250-label wine list that ranges from $29 to $3,000 has received numerous Wine Spectator awards.
With meat you can’t go wrong with a South American red. Our waiter recommended a Luca Shiraz for a modest $52. The restaurant also offers Xingu, a dark Brazilian beer.
$15 for $30 of Food & Drink at Thomas Restaurant
