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| - This was my first trip to Fogo de Chao, and it met my expectations. I was a little nervous because the main idea behind the restaurant is basically "all the meat you can eat", and I don't typically eat very much meat. I also knew going in that it would be pretty spendy, and Fogo met that expectation as well.
Don't expect a menu; you won't get one. Instead, you get a "guide" to the meat that will be delivered to your table via gaucho-wearing servers in blue embroidered button-downs (interesting combo, but hey- how else will you combine the traditional Brazilian concept with Scottsdale professionalism?).
And the meat just keeps coming! Flip your coaster from red to green to signal the gauchos that you need meat. Need a break to breathe, stretch, unbutton? No problem! Flip the ol' coaster back to red and they leave you alone for a bit.
The salad bar is a nice addition to a seriously protein-heavy (non?) menu. That definitely helped me, since I don't eat red meat on a regular basis; I was able to pace myself a little better by starting with the salad (fyi: mix the ranch dressing with the basil sauce. Amazing.).
The restaurant space is HUGE and loud. It's very difficult to have a conversation, and when you have your green coaster showing, the gauchos are constantly visiting your table.
We made a reservation because Fogo was crazy busy with spring training crowds in town. We arrived early, sat in the bar for almost an hour, and when I checked with the hostess, apparently they 'tried' to buzz us on the little flashy-thingy, but it didn't work, so they gave our table away! We did get seated almost immediately following that, and our drinks were comped, so it was taken care of very well.
I'll be going back here, but probably in a year or so; it's really expensive and it's a TON of meat, but it was amazing food.
Selections to try: the bacon-wrapped filet mignon was so moist and flavorful! Make sure you get some of the cheeses and prosciutto from the salad bar, and definitely mix the ranch and basil dressings- to die for!
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