Summer is full of celebrations- birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and family. As you know, I adore gathering large groups of friends together for cocktails, excellent food and lively convo. I was invited by Fogo de Chão to take part in their Celebrations at Fogo experience, and my husband and I hit the town last Saturday night to participate.
If you aren’t familiar with the Fogo dining concept, it is a unique whirlwind feast full of culture, flavor and fabulous food. Fogo de Chão is a Brazilian Steakhouse, founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and expanded into the U.S. in 1997. In Brazil, communities come together to celebrate with a churrasco feast, and Fogo aims to share this tradition with patrons of it’s restaurants.
As soon as we sat down, we were immersed in the experience. You receive a small disc that has a red side and a green side- green for go and red for stop. As soon as you flip the disc to green, gauchos stop by with a wide selection of chicken, beef, lamb and pork on skewers that they carve to your specifications and serve immediately.
In addition to this delicious spread, they also have a market table, which is a culinary experience unto itself. It is full of divine gourmet salads, vegetables, cured meats, rich cheeses, and more. My absolute favorite are the hearts of palm- I think I usually fill my plate with half of these, and the rest piled high with an incredibly fresh variety of greens.
While we dined, there were celebrations happening all around us- birthdays, graduations, coworkers gathering to celebrate summer, grandchildren serenading their grandfather in a raucous rendition of “Happy Birthday.” At our table, we soaked in the scene and chatted about our 7 years of marriage since our wedding anniversary is fast approaching. Kids, homes, jobs, so many changes and so many reasons to celebrate.
To add to the celebration, Fogo is hosting a giveaway for those who dine with them by June 28th. At the end of your meal, you will receive a small card with a unique code you can enter at fogo.com/celebrations. Check out the prizes available:
Grand Prize:
Three grand prize winners will receive a trip to Rio de Janeiro for themselves and three guests, which will include hotel, airfare, a $250 voucher (Visa gift card), an authentic churrasco celebration at a Fogo de Chão Rio, and a guided tour of the city.
Additional prizes include Fogo de Chão gift cards ranging in value from $25 to $500.
And of course, I always have to chat about the fashion. For this particular dinner, I wanted to embrace the lively spirit of the venue and go all out. I am ALL about the long sleeved maxi dress this summer- it is versatile, sexy and incredibly comfortable! This particular dress is what I call my “Slash Dress”- it is my Mother’s Day gift/Anniversary gift from my husband. It is the Diane von Furstenberg Abigail wrap dress, and currently on discount at The Outnet. A huge thank you to my husband for reading my Mother’s Day post and gifting this to me!
I paired it with my favorite Carlos Santana white leather tasseled bucket bag, which I picked up for under $15 at Burlinton (available at Macy’s right now for $79) and BCBGirls perforated leather peep toe pumps that I found at Crossroads Trading last year for a steal. As for the earrings, I picked these cuties up at Macy’s last year for around $10. TIP: Make sure to order the Passionate Caipirinha- you won’t be disappointed!
As for the manicure, I truly love the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel- no light needed, and the mani lasts for up to 14 days (which, if I am going to put the effort in, I need it to LAST!). I found a color that matched perfectly- Purplexed.
Make sure to make your reservations at Fogo de Chão for your summer celebration! Check them out on Instagram, follow them on Twitter, and find them on Facebook for more celebration information.
Disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to Fogo de Chão for review purposes; all opinions are honest and my own.
