A Festival of Meat
I’m so excited that Fogo de Chao has come to DC. Our vegetarian readers can stop reading at this point and just scroll to the next post. For the rest of us carnivores, however…
If you haven’t had churrasco, Brazilian barbecue, before, you’re in for quite an experience. Twenty or so men with moderate command of the English language, walking around with swords and pikes, asking if you’d like more meat.
Mmm, meat.
Fogo de Chao is a chain which started in Brazil before making its way to the States, and the gauchos with the pikes are also the chefs. Flip the round card on your table to green to start the meat parade, and flip it back to red when you need a break. And then stop by my table to say hello.
Churrasco isn’t entirely new to the area though. If you want to give the Brazilian BBQ experience a shot without the crowds of a “new” restaurant you can go to Malibu Grill at Bailey’s Crossroads where Gaucho’s have been quietly serving up a variety of sword skewered meats for about 9 years.
5715 Columbia Pike
Falls Church, VA 22042
I drive by that place all the time, but with the name Malibu Grill, I always pass them by as something other than a churrascaria.
I wouldn’t warn off vegetarians, since Chao’s salad bar can be had for half the price of the regular meat experience, and is one of the best salad bars I’ve seen in a long time. You could get very, very full on the salad bar alone, and at only $19, hey, why not join your carnivorous friends?
I went to the DC Fogo de Chao shortly after they opened. I’d never been to one and my friend thrilled at “breaking me in”. I was amazed at how well the staff worked together, it was like every server in the place was ours.
We did find the real 9th inning secret to meat was to have everyone at your table but one person turn their discs to red. When the server comes around to offer them some, then everyone else interested flips to green.
I could barely walk when we left, but only 3 days later I was already asking when we could go again. Mmmmmm, meat!
And that’s true, but since my first churrasco experience was at Sal Grosso in Atlanta, I’ve become sort of stuck on the idea of eating at restaurants whose sister locations are in Sao Paolo. ;)
Dinner at Fogo de Chao $45 per person
Dinner at Malibu Grill $18 per person
Malibu Grill is pretty good, actually. At least the one over by Fair Oaks – I dunno if there’s multiple locations.