Churrasco at Fogo De Chao Brazilian steakhouse in NYC, New York

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Fogo de Chao (means "fire on the ground" in Portuguese) is a Brazilian steakhouse located Midtown Manhattan that opened few months ago, in December 2013. It is a chain in fact with multiple locations in Brazil, where it originated, and in the US (Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Las Vegas...). 

Typically, when you know you are going to a Brazilian steakhouse, you know you need to wear stretch pants, because it is all you can eat. Now, that is what I call paradise for meat lovers! And it is not all you can eat passable food most of the time: it is all you can stuff in high quality meat. Here is how it works:

The staff goes around the restaurant with large skewers (coming from "churrasco", concept of grilling skewers of meat over a wood fire, the churrascaria being the restaurant serving them) and will check a chip that is given to you, at your table. The chip has two sides: green and red.

The red side that says "No, Thank You" means that you do not want any meat, and the green ("Yes, please), means you want them to serve you some meat from the skewer.

The pace can be fast; for instance, this is what I ended up with after just couple of minutes:

The portions may not seem big, but you can ask for more and do not forget that they are walking around anyway, ready to serve you again.

Before I go into detail more about the feast I had, let me tell you few things about the place itself.

I guess I could describe it as an elegant, dramatic, stunning 16,000 square feet restaurant. At the entrance, you can see a huge representation of O Lacador (a gaucho in traditional outfit), symbol of Porto Allegre where this place originated in 1979.

Upstairs is the bar and downstairs, the restaurant.

Similar to other churrascaria places, there is a gourmet salad bar.

I admit that I only went to see what was there, because I came for the meat, not the salads! Proposing a salad bar is a good way to make sure people will stuff themselves and eat less meat...

This salad bar was quite big and included mozzarella, beets, asparagus, shrimp,...As well as some salami, cheeses or smoked salmon.

But what was truly surprising was the applewood smoked bacon bowl:

and this whole parmiggiano reggiano cheese:

On our table was also a basket of cheese bread or pao de queijo:

The recipe apparently comes from Sao Paulo and interestingly it is gluten free. I liked it, but found it slightly dry.

Now, concerning the meat, they serve something like 16 different kinds, ranging from beef, pork, lamb or chicken. I tried:

The pork sausage or Linguiça.

These sausages are seasoned with garlic and paprika, and slow cooked.

Chicken legs:

I usually limit how much chicken I eat in these places, not because I do not like it, but rather because I prefer saving myself for prime meats!

The leg of lamb:

The Fraldinha or bottom sirloin:

This was my least favorite, the meat being a bit tough.

The Alcatra or top sirloin:

The beef ancho or prime part of the ribeye:

The filet mignon:

The flank steak:

The picanha or prime part of the sirloin:

The meats were really good and of high quality, tender and juicy. The outside had a nice char and, sometimes, you could taste a bit of salt that enhanced the flavor of the meat. My favorite was the filet mignon, the flank steak, the ribeye and the leg of lamb. My least favorite was the bottom sirloin and prime, but it might be because of the cuts they served me.

With the meat were three sides, also in unlimited servings:

Mash potatoes:

Crispy polenta:

Fried bananas:

These sides are pretty standard for this type of restaurant. My favorite was the fried banana. You may think these are plantains, but they are bananas that are simply fried with a bit of condensed milk, giving them this nice sugary coating.

You would think that I would stop there, but no: I could not resist trying their desserts. The first one was the flan.

I did not like it as it was way too dense. However, their tres leches cake was spectacular!

And trust me, after such a feast, it was difficult to resist.

I am glad that Fogo de Chao came to NYC. Not that there are no churrascaria in the city, the most known being Churrascaria Plataforma, with one location close by, but because they definitely serve some great pieces of meat that puts them on the top of NYC steakhouses. One thing I should add is that if you are vegetarian, you can just get the salad bar, or they propose a fish of the day. Sorry, I did not and will not try them, preferring to indulge in what this place is known for, but if they are as good as the meat, you may not regret it!

Enjoy (I did)!

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The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, NYC, NY

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Before, when I went to Chinatown to eat, it was to have some Chinese food, but it did not include ice cream, until now. We discovered the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory thanks to our friends Gary and Jen, after a brunch at Tartinery that left us hungry for something sweet. We went twice and each time, the place was busy.

What makes it stand out? They have been making homemade ice cream for more than 30 years. But not just your regular flavors, like the vanilla I tried once with Nutella. 

Or coconut like Jodi got, once with chocolate sprinkles:

And once without:

No, some combinations are quite interesting, like the durian, this Asian fruit I tried many years ago in Singapore and that you can find in stores in Chinatown. 

In Singapore, at the time, it was forbidden to carry it in public transportation or to bring it to the hotel because of its pungent smell. I remember that we ate it after putting plastic bags on our hands so they would not smell...

The taste was good, particular but good and indescribable. 

So there, at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, they sometimes have ice cream made with durian. Sometimes not, because they vary the flavor for the joy of their customers avid to try uncommon flavors. And I am definitely one of them!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Dumbo, Brooklyn

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Alright, I finally made it to Grimaldi's, on a week day to avoid the mass of tourists and New Yorkers who want to have a piece of the most famous pie in New York. 

It was probably a smart move as we showed up few minutes before opening time and there was already a line. Tourists for sure, from France, Germany or Japan, as well as a pizza tour.

This place is impressive, located right under the Brooklyn bridge, it is an old Bank building. But it is not the original location: it was originally at 19 Old Fulton, few steps from it, where now sits another pizza place, Juliana's, opened by the original owner of Grimaldi's, Patsy Grimaldi himself. Yes, because Grimaldi's was sold by Patsy in 1998 to Frank Ciolli as Patsy wanted to retire. Few years later, Frank Ciolli had to find a new place, his landlord refusing to renew the lease because, allegedly, of problems with rent and city taxes. Hence the new location. Few years later, regretting selling, Patsy decided to do a come back, opening Juliana's where Grimaldi's was first open. Needless to say that it started a feud between the two owners, that I am not sure is settled today.

We got seated pretty fast, in one of the tables on the left after entering the restaurant.

There, you cannot order a slice and have to pay cash. So, we looked at the menu and considered the many toppings they propose. We went for a small pizza (6 slices) with mushrooms, ricotta and meatballs.

After a short wait, our pizza arrived. Ok, let say that it is 6 large slices...

Not only it looked appetizing, but it smelled fantastic, freshly cooked in the coal oven.

I truly appreciated that they put a lot of the toppings we ordered (especially the ricotta and meatballs) and did not simple drizzle few of it. The crust was nicely charred, with a delicious crispness on the outside. The tomato sauce, that I believe is cooked in advance, had a wonderful taste and it was great that they put a reasonable amount of it on the pie.

This was a succulent pizza, the crust, cooked in the coal oven, being incredibly good. I understand now why Grimaldi's is considered one of the best in the US.

Enjoy (I did)!

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