Fogo de Chão Brings Brazilian Churrasco Cuisine To Reston Town Center

RESTON, VA — People dine out at restaurants for a variety of reasons. It may be a business luncheon, a meet-up with friends, or a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary. Or they may be just hungry and want a good meal.

On Thursday night, my son and I dined at the new Fogo de Chão in Reston Town Center. The occasion was the impending opening of the Brazilian Steakhouse at 11915 Democracy Drive on Friday.

Local foodies, bigwigs — Is that Ken Plum? — and media people like me were invited to bring a guest Thursday night for the grand opening celebration.

Another reason why people go to restaurants is they want to experience something different and Fogo de Chão is indeed different than other steakhouses you may go to.

Founded in Southern Brazil in 1979, the restaurant specializes in serving "churrasco," which is high-quality cuts of meat roasted on skewers over an open flame.

Gaucho chefs circulate throughout the restaurant, serving slices of seasoned ribeye, lamb chops and the house specialty, picanha, which is the top portion of a sirloin, directly off the skewers. This sometimes requires the diner to use a small set of tongs to transfer the meat onto their plate.

Fogo de Chão also gives each diner the opportunity to exercise their meat management skills.

On the table next to each plate is a small cardboard disc that's red on one side and green on the other. If the green side is up, the gaucho chefs will continue bringing over skewers. If you want them to steer clear so you can work on the food that's already on your plate, flip the disc over to red.

Fogo de Chão is not all meat all the time. It has seafood on the menu and a Feijoada Bar, which features soup, seasonal salads, fresh vegetables, imported charcuterie and more. Also, the gauchos will bring you a selection of beverages and side dishes.

"It's always about discovering something new, right?" said Fabrizzio Silveira, general of the Reston location. "From the moment you walk in the door, we have caipirinhas, we have people going around making drinks table side. We have gauchos, which you've never seen before, right? Bringing a whole stick to your table. You get a little piece. It's the completely different experience of an a la carte restaurant."

In addition to serving dinner, Fogo de Chão offers a weekday lunch, including the Market Table of aged meats, Feijoada Bar, and Brazilian side dishes for $15 per person.

The restaurant's weekend Brazilian brunch features the full churrasco experience, plus braised beef rib hash and made-to-order waffle and omelet stations.