Fogo de Chao

http://www.fogo.com/

6300 N. Scottsdale Road

What do you expect when you hear of a Brazilian steakhouse; a place where they serve over a dozen different cuts of meat, delivered on swords to your table?  That’s what you are facing at Fogo de Chao.

Well, they really do serve meat on a sword and they do have over a dozen varieties.  But what’s really shocking is that the idea came from Brazil.  Wouldn’t you think that an American came up with this concept?

So how are the sword-meats?  Overall, pretty dang good.  They offer several varieties of chicken and different cuts and flavors of steak, as well as several pork options, lamb, and sausages.  All are brought to you when you turn a marker from red to green.  And they come fast. 

The steak options were a little disappointing.  The filet was flavorful, but fatty.  Most of the sirloin options were forgettable, except for the Picanha, which has a salt and garlic rub on it.  The sausages were surprisingly good; one of the items I never turned down.  But the best, most flavorful selection was the chicken wrapped in bacon.  It was moist, tender, and has the most exquisite flavor. 

Fogo also boasts of its salad bar but this was the biggest disappointment of the night.  It can best be summed up in this wise: cooked vegetables should not be served cold.

Along with the salad bar and meat selection, you are also served some Brazilian favorites to your table: fried bananas, fried polenta, mashed potatoes, and rolls.  The rolls are infused with parmesan cheese and are a nice, light juxtaposition to the piles of meat.  The mashed potatoes were of the instant variety. 

The atmosphere at Fogo is . . . dark.  The attempt is for “intimate”, but the restaurant is too crowded for that.  The tables are so close together that it is difficult to move without banging into someone else.  For the price you pay for this extravaganza of meat, you would think that they could remove a couple tables. 

Overall, Fogo de Chao merits a 4 out of 5.  It was good, but not great.  Probably someplace worth going once, for the experience more than anything else.  But I can’t say that I‘ll be back next week.

Cracker Barrel

www.crackerbarrel.com

Loop 202 at

Dobson Road

At the end of a long day, have you ever thought “I just want some good, old fashioned home cookin’ for dinner”?  Have you ever wondered where you can find the candies that you loved as a child?  Both desires are amply filled at Cracker Barrel Restaurant and Store. 

The restaurant portion is like eating in an old farmhouse, complete with a fireplace and pictures of people you don’t know hanging on the wall.  It’s quaint and cozy, but “Mom and Pop” don’t exactly run the tightest ship in terms of prompt service. 

The menu at Cracker Barrel contains all your home-style favorites: meatloaf, fried chicken, dumplings, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, and more.  Everything is served with their buttermilk biscuits and cornbread muffins.  The cornbread is too dry and flaky, but the biscuits are light and fluffy. 

My personal favorite is the chicken fried chicken.  It is both thick and tender, and comes smothered in a delectable white gravy.  The gravy also covers a side portion of mashed potatoes and puts any brown gravy to shame. 

Chicken and Dumplings are something that has always confused me.  Something deep within me says that I should like them, but they never meet my expectations.  Cracker Barrel’s chicken and dumplings are no exception.  Maybe it is the nature of dumplings to be bland and completely flavorless and, if that is the case, then these ones fit the bill.  I just need to accept that there are no good dumplings out there.

One of Cracker Barrel’s strengths is their choices of side dishes.  Mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, cinnamon apples, and fried okra are just a few of their offerings.  Most are passable and only one is great.  The cinnamon apples are good enough to serve as dessert.  And, for me, they usually do.  The cinnamon is cooked down to a caramel sauce that is unbeatable. 

The country store portion of Cracker Barrel is part nostalgic candy store and part general store.  The old timey candies and snacks are great reminders of simpler times, but the clothes and home décor remind us all why we are thankful for shopping malls.

Overall, Cracker Barrel gets 4 stars (out of 5) and an enthusiastic return visit.

Jimmie John’s Gourmet Sandwiches

http://www.jimmiejohns.com/

Baseline and Country Club in Mesa

First off, they are not gourmet sandwiches.  Jimmie John (if I may anthropomorphize the chain) even admits as such.  But there is an inescapable absurdity when someone with two first names claims to serve a gourmet meal.  It is brilliant marketing.

All sandwiches start with bread, and Jimmie John’s does the same.  Their bread is fresh and firm.  It is not too thick, which is something that slows down many other sandwich chains that shall remain nameless.  You never have a bite that is 90% bread. 

The produce is fresh, which is the highest praise I can give it.  The tomatoes were ripe and firm, but not mushy.  The way tomatoes aspire to be.  The sandwich meats were perfectly ordinary.  Neither high nor low, they just were. 

Jimmie John’s has their own line of potato chips.  These kettle chips are a nice change, because they were not “kettled” into a burnt stump of potato.  Remarkably well seasoned.

The ice here tastes like snow.  In case you need snow-tasting ice some day.

As for atmosphere, Jimmie John’s is designed to prepare a large number of sandwiches very quickly.  It is not designed, however, for a large number of people to sit down and actually eat those sandwiches.  There was little to no seating available.  Those fortunate enough to get a table on the patio were graced with the melodious sounds of classic rock tunes playing over the speakers. 

Overall, Jimmie John’s is a welcome addition to the local “sandwich scene.”  I will definitely return.  On the sandwich scale scale, Jimmie John’s earns 3.5 stars!