Cuisine:

• Steak House
• Brazilian
• Latin American
• Others
• Homestyle

Fogo de Chao Description:
Enter through imposing copper-plated doors to find a theatrical environment, complete with large murals depicting scenes of Brazilian gauchos. A two-story wine tower at Fogo de Chão, the most luxurious churrascaria in town, displays much of the cellar's 10,000-bottle inventory, which includes both old- and new-world selections, even some less-than-stellar efforts from Brazil's fledgling wine industry. Diners begin their feast with a formidable buffet of salads, vegetables, smoked fish, prosciutto and cheese. But the main event begins when you turn a marker on your table from red to green, signaling servers to initiate a parade of more than a dozen meats, all cooked over fire, then carved directly on to your plate. Options include sirloin, picanha (a signature Brazilian cut of beef), leg of lamb, robustly flavored linguiça (pork sausage), filet mignon, and more. And it doesn't stop until you flip the marker to red. At $50 per person for dinner (excluding wine and cocktails), Fogo de Chão is not a bargain, but you probably get more bang for your buck than at a traditional American steakhouse. Desserts include a flan that is more intense than its Mexican counterpart, and refreshing papaya cream drizzled with crème de cassis---recommended as a much-needed digestif.