CHÃO DOWN
Enjoy everything you love about Fogo de Chão in a newly redesigned interior in downtown Minneapolis
Images by Natalie Hall
By Natalie Hall
The recent remodel at Fogo de Chão on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis created a space as fresh as the food it serves. While the restaurant used to be dimly lit with recessed lighting set in dark wood, it has transformed into a lighter, more expansive space, making it feel larger than before although no space was actually added. The recessed lighting has been replaced with chandeliers that exude tasteful elegance, and the modern feel accentuates the same cream walls and dark wood trim, which felt traditional before, but now convey modernism.
Although Fogo de Chão is an international chain, each restaurant is designed with its location in mind. At the unveiling of the new design, the staff emphasized their joy in reinvesting in the city and their pride in being here.
It has been ten years since the restaurant first opened in Minneapolis, and the staff at Fogo is excited to welcome visitors and Twin Citians alike into the new space, which they describe as “egalitarian.” While the space radiates refined sophistication, it also has a new energy. Heavy window treatments were removed in favor of sheer curtains that wash the space in natural light.
The Bar Fogo area was expanded and reinvented with a new Carrara marble countertop and more seating for bar guests. The drinks menu was expanded as well, with new twists on the traditional Brazilian Caipirinha such as mango habanero and seasonal strawberry hibiscus. White Carrara marble also freshened the Market Table, and new lighting fixtures both brighten and enliven the appetizer and salad bar. The waiting lounge and wine cellar have also been updated, so the restaurant feels crisp and classy from the moment you step through the door.
While the dining experience has not changed, in the new atmosphere each cut of meat tastes fresher and more flavorful. I would recommend sampling the top sirloin cut of beef and the bacon-wrapped chicken for a mouth-watering experience. The meat is very high-quality and as fresh as you can get. The red ties around the gaucho servers’ necks mean that they butchered and cooked the meat that they are now serving entirely their own.
Make sure to save enough room for not only the digestive-aiding pudding that follows the meal, but also the delicious carameley flan—the most amazing non-chocolate dessert I’ve ever had—that is a creamy, smooth way to fill any empty spaces in your stomach.