STEVE'S ALS RESTAURANT REVIEW #4

‘Tis the season.  Mistletoe and holly, crowded shopping centers, struggling with the Christmas tree, and holiday parties.

This year, as in several years past, our office held its annual holiday party at

FOGO DE CHAO

Throughout the rest of this review, I will refer to the restaurant has “Fogo”.

Fogo is located in downtown Indianapolis, at the corner of Washington Street and Virginia Avenue.  Because of its location, access is going to be a challenge—unless you are as lucky as were we.  Immediately around the corner on Virginia Avenue is a handicap parking spot—the only one that we saw.  If you are fortunate enough to grab the spot, you will end up in the street until you get to the accessible curb at the corner of Washington and Virginia.  If there is no handicapped slot available, you will be well advised to use the car valet.  I did not see any parking garages close by.  Even with the valet though, you will still need to travel a bit to get to the accessible curb.

Getting into the restaurant is a bit of a challenge.  There is a revolving door ( ha, ha) and nearby are two really heavy doors.  That is our access and you will need some help getting in and out.  Of course, there is no automatic door opener.   Once in the restaurant, access into the dining room is really pretty easy.

Fogo is a theme restaurant.  In my judgment it is a place to have a good time with a group.  It is not where you take your partner on date night.  The theme is meat, and lots and lots of it.  The idea is that you are seated at a table and at your plate is a round disk, one side is red and the other green.  When your disk shows green, the servers, all of whom are dressed as Brazilian cowboys, bring skewers of meat and slice off pieces for you.  There is sirloin, filet, bacon wrapped garlic beef, more beef, bacon wrapped chicken, pork tenderloin, lamb, and more and more beef.  The servers will continue to bring various selections as long as you have your disk with the green side up.  You signal that you have had enough by turning your disk to its red side up.

There is an extensive salad bar that I could not reach.  The sides are an afterthought.  Dabs of mashed potatoes, fried plantains and rolls.  But really, who cares?

This is all about, as one of our party noted, a feeding frenzy coupled with lots of laughter and good companionship.

I almost forgot dessert.  I had a cheese cake slice slathered in chocolate.  It was pretty good, but simply too large.  (remember the desserts at Seasons 52)

Getting into the bathroom was easy enough using a combination of my scooter and my hands.  The door was reasonably light.  The handicapped stall was spacious and contained, in addition to what you’d expect, a sink.  Oddly, it was placed so that access on my scooter was difficult—I kept backing into the toilet.  Getting into and out of the stall was a breeze.

Conclusion:  Fogo is a fun place to go with a group.  The theme and the way the featured meats are presented make for a unique evening.  The restaurant’s location downtown makes it tough for parking and access.  The front doors are heavy and you’ll have to hope a partner helps.  Good luck navigating the salad bar.  I had to rely heavily on my wife in order to enjoy all Fogo has to offer, and who wants to do that?

Fogo tries, but could make a better effort.  2 scooters.