by Mary Ann Fitzmorris
Yeah, yeah, we know. Salad bars went out in the Eighties. But this isn’t one of those salad bars.
Taken down to basics, what is inherently wrong with a salad bar, minus the stigma? Technically, it has the ingredients we prize so much today. Fresh ingredients. Vegetarian. Vegan. Options.
To us, it has one of the most important things people want - choice. If I want more tomatoes and less cucumber, I can have it. No one is calling the shots for me. Don’t get us wrong, there are a lot of great salads out there. But we agree with Burger King, sometimes you just want it your way.
Right now, hiding out on Canal Street is the best salad bar we’ve ever encountered. And it is a steal at $15. Fogo de Chao, home of the carnivore, has a salad-bar-only option for just $15. At lunch, and $28.95 at dinner. It is the classiest we have ever seen, with fresh ingredients and some exotic ones. Dressings are homemade. Try the basil.
Fogo de Chao does not even call this a salad bar. It is The Seasonal Market Table. There are at least five lettuces and combinations thereof. There is kale, if you must. All the usual things you’d expect from a salad bar are here, along with imported charcuterie items like Prosciutto and Parma Ham, salamis like Calabrese and Toscana, and Spanish Chorizo. The cheeses are Parmigiano Reggiano, Bleu, Manchego, Swiss, Smoked Provolone, and a Brazilian sheep’s milk cheese called Monte Caputo. Cold smoked salmon shares its own board with basil dressing, red onions, and capers.
And there is candied bacon. A sweet and savory thing with red and black peppers and brown sugar.
Also included in this $15 is Fogo Feijoada, a truly great Brazilian black bean stew with sausage served over white rice, accompanied by oranges, malagueta hot sauce and farofa, a baked yuca flour with bacon. Traditional helpers for a creamy soup that needs no help. There is also another seasonal soup alongside this one, like lentil, or carrot-ginger.
Jumbo asparagus, edamame, pomegranates, arugula, endive, tabbouleh, lentils, quinoa. Such things were never seen on those salad bars of yesteryear.
It is hard to go to a place like Fogo de Chao and not want meat. The swords of roasted meats kick off an aroma that wafts through the air in the dining room. The full “experience”, as they call it, should definitely be had if you haven’t. But it is $53 for dinner and $37 at lunch. There is a lunch version that includes one meat, but this isn’t really the meat. For example, the chicken special gives you roasted chicken breast rather than the delectable morsels of grilled chicken wrapped in bacon, or garlic roasted chicken, or roasted chicken legs. These are far tastier than the basic breast. And other meats are not available as a lunch special, like sausage or beef ribs.
So be careful with this option. It is affordable if you want meat. For Picanha, the sirloin is plus $8, the pork plus $9, Fraldinha, a different sirloin steak cut is $9. The chicken breast is $6 Prime lamb lunch special is $10. If you want meat but not an extra price, a very nice chicken salad comes with the Market Table.
Surroundings match the upscale food. This isn’t those salad bars.
Fogo de Chao
624 Canal St New Orleans 70130
504-412-8900
fogodechao.com
Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am -2pm
Dinner Mon-Th 5-10pm Friday till 11pm
Saturday 11:30am-11pm
Sunday 11:30am-9pm
