Fogo de Chão

Rating:

The new, prom-queen-popular Brazilian steakhouse chain in downtown Minneapolis is basically an upscale Old Country Buffet-meets-Outback. It can also be a lot of fun, with an over-the-top salad bar followed by an unending cavalcade of 15 varieties of spit-roasted meat and poultry that can range from a thick wedge of rib-eye dense and chewy with a rich beef tang to a long shear of top sirloin, a succulent meat giving off a slightly metallic aftertaste. But the cuts all seem to blur with one another over the course of the evening, and not everything makes a favorable impression. As if the salad splendors and continuous meat service weren't enough, each table also receives a few perfunctory side dishes and desserts. The well-managed, service-with-a-smile restaurant draws a wide demographic, although the value-oriented may not be entirely satisfied, since dinner can easily slip into the low-$70s per person.