Fogo E Brasa

Fogo E Brasa
4909 East Chandler Blvd
Phoenix, Az. 85048
(480)783-6060

MEAT! Yes, this was the nickname my misinformed college roommate gave me when he first glimpsed a photo of my girlfriend during my dorm days. He felt that she was much too attractive for someone like me, and therefore, in the words of T-Pain, I was "swangin." He was incorrect, and, of course, she broke up with me a few months later. The important lesson we can take from this anecdote is the primacy and importance of MEAT! Every man, woman, and child savours, cravours, and endeavours to devour the roasted flesh of beasts.
This is where Fogo E Brasa enters. Imagine a buffet. Now imagine a buffet which has a carving station with piping hot selections of almost any meat you've dreamed you could want to eat. Now, imagine that all these carving stations are mobile, and come directly to where you sit. That's right; come over to you, sitting in a carnivorous torpor, glutted on savoury delights, unable to move from the constant stuffing of your meat-hole. The image in your head will now prepare you for what awaits at Fogo E Brasa.
I'm not saying this is the sort of restaurant to visit often. Having heard tales of "Brazilian BBQ" and "Meat Buffet" for months, I must say my interest was piqued. I knew, however, that I would not be able to casually stroll in on a lunch and experience this. No, I needed to be hungry, have some extra time, and bring my favourite dining companion. Also I heard it was expensive. Well, I was right on all accounts.
Fogo e Brasa is the first buffet where I was asked if I had a reservation. That I did not, but no matter; plenty of open tables awaited us. We started with the salad bar, which is a more traditional buffet setup. Many cold salads are offered here, everything from pasta salad, to crabs legs and seafood salad, to delicious balsamic vegetables and loose olives of several types. Regular lettuce is available, as are hot vegetables and some other hot dishes. I didn't see any soups, which I might have enjoyed. The quality of the salads was good, and there were some very interesting tastes represented, with over 30 selections total. But, like Bart says, "you don't win friends with salad."
No, the meat is the main idea here, and it is brought right to the table. When the server brings the drinks, he gives you a little wooden totem which is coloured green on one end and red on the other. He places it red end up, to indicate "STOP." When the diners are ready to go, they are instructed to flip it over to green, or "GO" and then the meat train pulls into the station. Ham, bacon-wrapped chicken, sausage, pork, roast beef, sirloin, filet mignon, chicken, kabab, and even pineapple are brought on spits, and sliced off fresh for patrons. We were given small tongs with which to grab the slices as they were shaved off the hunks of flesh. Barely could I finish one selection before another was presented, and sometimes I fell behind, to my embarrassment. If ever I was lacking for meat on my plate, beans, rice, salsa and something like couscous or pilaf were available to compliment the main selections. Both my companion and myself strove to sample every tidbit available, sometimes repeating, until we could eat no more.
We flipped over the totem to "STOP" and collected our thoughts. A busser removed the side dishes and cleared the table, and we were asked if we wanted to order dessert. Now, I have seen dessert menus, dessert trays, and the like. The folks at Fogo have a dessert trailer. It is a cart which towers above the table, bedecked with four storeys of confectious goodies: raspberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, brownies, eclairs, and flan. My friend got the cheesecake, which was very well done, rich but not bricky. I had the flan, which was covered in warm honey upon serving. I don't eat enough flan to compare, but it was certainly delicious and not watery. I would rank it above most flan I've had.
As for the bar experience, we elected to get the capirinha, which is evidently the "national drink of Brasil." It was described as being like a mojito. It was tart and full of muddled lime, which was strong enough to almost make it taste like a margarita. If you like margaritas and mojitos you would enjoy this rum/lime/sugar combination. As for our after-dinner coffee, we were offered espresso and accepted. We should have noticed the machine's absent portafilter groups and its somewhat abandoned appearance. The brew was overdrawn. Though it didn't look too bad, it was definitely burnt. Not a major complaint, because it's typical of all restaurant espresso, and even coffee-shop espresso in general.
The last item we received from the staff was, of course, the least welcome. Bring your credit card, because I doubt you will have enough cash on you to cover the bill. Over $100 for just the two of us including the dessert and drinks. I've paid much more for a meal, but not for a buffet. The quality is very high for the meat, but, like I said, it's not a place to go weekly.
Final analysis? Despite its high price, the quality food, attentive staff, and all-you-can-eat aspect make Fogo e Brasa a very interesting dining experience. I would recommend it as a special treat when you want something our of the ordinary, or maybe to entertain a discerning gastronomer who is visiting from out of town.