Fogo E Brasa - Phoenix (Ahwatukee)

June 05 , 2004 by Mystery Reviewer

Fogo e Brasa
4909 E. Chandler Blvd, Ahwatukee
480.783.6060
Price Range: $9.95 - $13.95
Dress code: Business Casual
Hours open:
Monday - Sunday 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Credit Cards: Accepted
Type: Brazilian, Family friendly

Having never been exposed to exotic dining in the Brazilian culture we thought we'd venture out of commonality and see how the better half lived.

We knew the instant we stepped inside Fogo e Brasa that it would be a different sort of dining experience. Decorated with dancers designed in mosaic tiles on the walls, complemented by exotic looking light fixtures, the mood is set rather quickly even before you sit down. The feel is upscale while the dress is more business casual to casual. The servers attire is vest and bow-ties and every table has five-dollar water just waiting to be opened.

We were greeted almost instantly by our server, who described how the dining worked at the restaurant. Forget ordering from the menu, they simplify the process by giving you three choices, all-you-can-eat salad bar, all-you-can-eat meat varieties or a combination of the two.

We chose one salad bar and one of the meat variety lunches. My companion returned from the salad bar with a fresh sampling of the vegetables and seasoned white fish that were piled high for the taking.

We were in control of when the meat was served by signaling with the simple flick of a wrist and a cool little red, yellow and green peg. I flipped the peg from red to green and within five minutes the server arrived with seasoned chicken lined up on a skewer.

I took a few, and waited for the next round. Two minutes later the server arrived with beef which was carved off one slice at a time. This continued with pork and some other type of seasoned meat very soon afterwards. A second server arrived shortly after the first wave of food was served and brought us rice, Brazilian seasoned veggies, salsa and a unique mixture of breading for my steak.

If you forget to turn your peg back to red, the servers will keep on coming and you will keep on taking -- so come prepared with a hearty appetite.

Both meals were really tasty and filling. Fogo e Brasa is an experience and it won�t cost you a fortune to dine. We spent around $25 for a tasty and unique lunch with service that was top-notch.