The Johnson Society held it's second meeting/outing Saturday, March 8, 2003 (photos @ bottom). I, personally, ate enough red meat to feed a small African village for two months. We don't have too many photos as were we focused on the task at hand: eating, drinking and having fun. The idea of taking pictures didn't come up until we were almost done.
The locale for this meeting was Fogo de Chao. The food is easily some of, if not THE, best I've ever had. They have a great selection of meats and wine, and the service is fantastic. I kid you not - all I had to do was think about wanting something and there was someone there at the table ready to provide.
When I mentioned in an off-hand way to one of the waitresses that I'd never remember the name of the wine we had with dinner, she offered to write it down and include it with our check. Other places will do that, but I've never had anyone so eager and willing to please.
We had several moments of joking and conversation with our wait-staff, which only served to enhance the overall mood. I've never had that at the other places. In fact, at some joints the wait-staff are so snobby and act as if they're doing you a favor by serving you. God forbid you don't know your wine at one of these places - you're taken out back and flogged. At Fago, it's clear they want you to enjoy every aspect of your dining experience, and there's none of the snobbery or pressure-to-perform you get at the other places (if you don't know what I mean by "pressure to perform", then you probably know wine like the back of your hand).
While the setting is all-you-can-eat, don't let that fool you into thinking it's anything less that top-notch. None of the other high-end, "classy" Chicago steak joints offer this format, and many equate all-you-can-eat with the cheezier, low-end side of things, but this place rules.
There is a fantastic salad bar, with a wide selection of greens, vegetables and fruits (they have olives the size of your head and shitake mushrooms to die for), and meat everywhere. Literally. With maybe a dozen or more servers walking around the floor carrying various chunks-o-meat on serving rods (see the first photo below), when you want something, all you need do is turn a coaster-size chip over from red to green. Green indicates that you're a carnivore open for business and anyone walking around with meat will stop by your table and offer you a slice. Red indicates "Leave me alone! I need to eat this pile of meat on my plate!!"
Many was the time when I'd turn the chip over from red to green and there'd be someone at the table within moments. This method of serving food takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you wonder why no one ever thought of it before.
In a unique twist, the entire wait-staff is there to serve. Instead of having just one, dedicated waitress or waiter, everyone on the floor is at your beck and call. Not that you'll be doing much beck-n-calling, though, as there is always someone passing by your table just when you need.
Fago de Chao has managed to create a meat-lovers paradise that is certainly as upscale in appearance, ambiance, service and food, as any of the other Chicago steak joints. The beauty of it is, for a set fee (roughly $45/person), you can stuff yourself to your heart's content (or dismay), and try several different types of meat. Drinks and desserts are extra, by the way.
While $45 for the meal alone might seem a little steep, the service, chance to sample many different types of meat and overall experience more than make up for it. Will TJS have another meeting at Fago? Hell yes. In fact, Neddy came up with the idea of ball caps with bills on both sides - one red, one green - and instead of turning over the chip on the table, we'd simply rotate our caps back and forth. He's so silly.
Click on a thumbnail below to view the larger image. Each image will automatically open in a new browser window to save you from having to keep reloading the thumbnails when jumping back and forth.
Note: Yes, that bill is for three people. Three really hungry, carnivorous people. God, I love being a carnivore.
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