REVIEW: FOGO DE KEVLAR

by Andrew Chalk

Fogo de Chao corporate must be reducing the quality of the meat they buy. Tonight, at the Dallas McKinney Avenue location, the top sirloin (alcatra) and the garlic steak were both like Kevlar. Either the kitchen did not test and reject them, or they just didn’t care. The picanha (top sirloin) was not as resistant to the South Atlantic weather, but it was too chewy for how it is supposed to be. Likewise, the filet mignon was tough, sub-Choice grade. And this is supposed to be one of steak’s tenderest cuts. 

The lamb picanha and chops were okay, and the pork belly was delicious.

It is unacceptable that so many meats are defective in a steakhouse. The regular GM, who seems to care (based on previous visits), was off duty and maybe that accounted for the kitchen letting out meat that was not up-to-standard and the couldn’t-care-less attitude of the surly waitress we had. 

I told her that I had reported to a manager two weeks ago that the prosciutto on the Market Table was like leather. Yet it was the same tonight. She said she would tell the manager. Useful. The same person who couldn’t/didn’t fix the situation two weeks ago will be told about it for a second time. This is a company in don’t-give-a-damn time.  

Even the two meats that met expectations were over 30 minutes in coming, and we had to request them several times.

I told the GM’s stand-in about the problems but the B-teamer had clearly never been taught anything about hospitality. As well as paying for the accumulating pile of inedible meat on my side plate the “suggested gratuities” on the check start at 18%. Nobody here was working remotely close to that. 

We were using our second loyalty “reward” coupon so we have visited several times, making the downward trend really clear. Fogo de Chao has all the signs of a failing business doing anything to cut costs. No more trips for me, even to redeem my “birthday reward”. There are simply too many better choices in Dallas.