Fogode Chao, Churrascaria means “fire in the ground” (i.e., campfire), and describes the traditional cooking method used by gauchos (cowboys) on the pampas (plains) of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay: the spit and a fire dug in a hole in the ground. As it expanded beyond its gaucho origins, churrascaria evolved into a rotisserie-style restaurant, where meat from the spit was carved at the table. The concept is rodizio, all-you-can-eat. You don’t have to over-consume; you can eat as modestly as you like. The traditional Brazilian churrascaria further evolved, in recent decades, to include vast salad bars. It is much more than a steakhouse. It’s a cornucopia of foods in an environment that’s festive, engaging, and elegant-yet-fun, where you can get up and walk around (browse the salad bar) when you need a break from sitting.     WELCOME TO FOGO DE CHÃO That’s how a carnivore, a vegetarian, a vegan, and a pescatarian came to dine together at Fogo de Chão, a churrascaria that began in São Paulo and now has more than 30 locations globally. Our closest location, in Manhattan, is right across the street from the Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA). The architecture of the restaurant is itself a work of art. Fogo de Chão started and has now come to our town, New York City, where it is one of the most beautiful restaurants in town, which does not come close to reflecting the impressive architecture]. And the food: equally beautiful.

There is something—much more than merely “something”—for everyone, along with a very pleasant and hospital service team. A FEAST OF MEATS Yes, there are some more than a dozen meats, brought to your table on a spit, Fogode Chao  right off the grill and expertly carved at your plate from the skewer. Eight different cuts of beef include cowboy steak, filet mignon, rib eye, picanha top sirloin cap, our favorite,ribs, and sirloin. Lamb lovers can have chops, leg of lamb, or both. Chicken breasts are wrapped in bacon; chicken legs are marinated in beer and brandy. You grow wide-eyed as the choices keep coming. Have as much as you like, or take a rest.OR, ORDER SEAFOOD You don’t have to be a meat-eater to eat well. For seafood lovers, there are Jumbo shrimp cocktails. Chilled Lobster and shrimp appetizer. Main of sea bass with mango relish. All the smoked salmon and fixings (capers, onions, etc.) from the Market Table AND PLENTY FOR VEGETARIANS & VEGANS We counted some 40 items on the vast Market Table. While some are cheeses, charcuterie, candied bacon, and smoked salmon, the majority are fruit- and vegetable-based, plus soup. A complete antipasto awaits, along with salad fixings that enable one to build a fantasy green salad, with all the fixings one could desire.

Our personal favorite meat was the house specialty, picanha (pee-KAHN-ya), the top sirloin cap. It is the most prized cut of beef in Brazil (all photos courtesy of Fogo de Chão).

A heart’s desire: all the lamb chops you can eat.

Chicken legs marinated in brandy and beer.

One side of the Market Table salad bar.

The two-story dining room in the four-story Manhattan location is much more breathtaking than the photo shows.   Although not a vegetarian dish, the Market Table also offers you Brazil’s national dish, feijoada, a black bean stew with sausage, served with rice, fresh orange, and farofa (baked yuca flour with bacon). For our first pass, we made a plate of artichoke hearts, beets, fire-roasted bell peppers, hearts of palm, marinated mushrooms, tomatoes, and mozzarella. For the table, scalloped potatoes, yucca fries, sautéed bananas, and the delicious cheese bread, pão de queijo, appear, as if there weren’t enough to eat (we reveled in the sautéed bananas and vowed to make them at home, often [very easy!]). Yes, there are desserts; but who has room? We didn’t even have room to go back to the Market Table for mango, papaya, pineapple, and melon (among numerous other tempting fruits).