Fogo de Chao

May 27th was our three year wedding anniversary. Due to circumstances beyond our control in 2008, our 2nd anniversary, we didn't do anything special. So, because we had the means to do so this year, we decided to give Fogo de Chao, in downtown Minneapolis a try, as we had read about and heard much about it.

It did not disappoint. We arrived in downtown for our 6:30 reservation, managed to score parking in a valet ramp a block away for only $6.00 (the valet parking Fogo itself offered was as much as $8, so this was a deal!).

We were seated immediately. They have a large dining area of which we were seated kind of off to the side in a slightly quieter area and we were kind of glad. The walls are filled from floor to ceiling with bottles of wine. Shortly after being seated one of the gauchos came over to explain how everything works. You can go choose offerings from the salad bar and then when you are ready, you get a little circle that is green on one side and red on the other. When you want some of the meat they serve, you flip it over to green. Then the gauchos come to your table with varieties of meat cooked on skewers, you pick the piece you want and they carve it directly on to your plate. When you've had enough, you flip your circle back to red and they will leave you alone to eat.

First we chose a bottle of wine, we figured between the two of us we probably would drink an entire bottle so might as well go for it. We had Robert Mondovi Cabernet Savingon. It was very good. Then we went up to make our plates at the salad bar.

I will admit - I was slightly disappointed by the salad bar. I had heard for months that it was the end all, be all of salad bars, but it's actually very simplistic and has some different items than you'd normally see and that's about it. There are two kinds of salad you can choose, four types of dressing and only a handful of add ons for the salad - broccoli, peppers, extra cheese and croutons. However, the other items were interesting - various cheeses, meats, artichoke hearts, asparagus, salmon, some creamy salad items and bread. I enjoyed the two types of cheese I grabbed, one was a swiss, the other I'm not real sure, it was a bit crumbly. The dressing I chose was Caesar, which was good, but I just didn't feel it was all that unique.

Salad is really not meant as the main event here though. It is clearly all about the meat. When you are ready for your meat, they also bring out the side dishes. I loved the sides, again, simple and light in flavor, but I think that is done on purpose. There were mashed potatoes, fried bananas and polenta. I loved the fried banana the best, it really brought out the sweet flavor without being over powering.

We flipped our circles to green and were immediately served beef sirloin, filet mignon, chicken and sausage. I decided I was good and flipped to red, Nate waited to get some pork tenderloin and then also flipped to red.

The filet was good - but very, very rich. I honestly wish I hadn't started with that cut of meat. But it was still tasty. The chicken is really good. I loved the sirloin the best I think, which was probably a good thing since it was the largest piece of meat on my plate! The sausage was not to my liking, it smells really good, but the spices were a bit odd for me. Nate liked everything, but felt his pork tenderloin was too Parmesan flavored, as it was rolled in Parmesan cheese.

Nate flipped back to green and was served chicken wrapped in bacon and a piece of lamb chops. He said both were good, but that lamb is definitely an acquired taste. He said he kind of wished he'd skipped the chicken/bacon as it's a flavor you can have anywhere, think of a chicken bacon club sandwich.

We were both getting super full, but wanted to try the pork ribs very badly, so we flipped to green and kept turning meats offered down until they brought it over. The ribs were very good, probably my next favorite after the sirloin.

While we were eating, the manager came over and asked if we were there celebrating or just dining. We said it was our three year wedding anniversary and he said, well you know what, we'll buy dessert for you. So, when we finally had our fill of meat they brought out a beautifully decorated piece of cake for us to share and the plate had "Happy Anniversary" written in strawberry syrup. The cake was a layer cake with chocolate and vanilla and creamy filling as well. Very decadent, but a great way to finish our meal.

Overall, I don't think I'd care to eat that much meat in one sitting again for awhile - but it was worth the trip for sure. They are very attentive and because there are so many different gauchos roaming, you won't be lacking for your food at any point. It was all warm and fresh and everyone was friendly. The wine was great, even if it was expensive. And I think it's a great touch that they offer a free dessert for a special occasion. We both loved it and would go again for another special occasion as long as some time had passed in between.

Pictures coming soon - don't have many, but do have a couple. :)