Wagyu beef and VIK wine are expertly paired at Fogo de Chão’s special event on Thursday, Nov. 7 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus and the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne.
The night features Wagyu ribeye, bone-in ribeye, and and savory bar bites including Brazilian-style Empanadas, Bacon Wrap Steak, and more. Each Fogo de Chão’s cut of beef is rated USDA Choice or higher and then aged for 21 days.
About Wagyu Beef
Highly prized for its fat content, ultra-tender texture, and buttery flavor, Wagyu is among the most coveted of all types of beef. Fogo sources its beef from the Midwest and Australia, although Wagyu is a term referring to cattle originating from Japan, according to Wagyu.org.
There are just four breeds considered Wagyu, which are noted for superior marbling and flavor. Wagyu cattle came to the U.S. about 50 years ago and there are now American, Australian, and Japanese Wagyu beef on menus.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and founded in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre in 1979 by brothers Arri and Jair Coser, Fogo de Chão has over 70 U.S. locations and 80 worldwide.
The restaurants feature gaucho chefs demonstrating the Culinary Art of Churrasco by butchering, hand carving, and grilling high-quality cuts of protein over an open flame, creating a salty bark. There’s also a Market Table with seasonal salads, fresh superfoods, cured meats, antipasti, and more.
About Fogo de Chão
The churrasco chain opened its third New Jersey location in 2023 at Bridgewater Commons in Bridgewater following its first N.J. launch in Paramus and second in Wayne. The openings were part of the chain’s larger global expansion efforts.
Founded in 1979, Fogo de Chão serves grilled, seasoned meats cooked churrasco-style on skewers and then carved at the table by the chefs, known as gauchos. Its menus for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and group dining also feature chicken, lamb, pork, seafood and salads.
It rolled out in the U.S. in 1997 with its very first location in Dallas, Texas, and now has over 70 restaurants. Fogo de Chão restaurants can be found throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, including a flagship in New York City.
On April 20, 2015, the company filed for an initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It traded there under the symbol FOGO until April 5, 2018, when it was acquired by Rhône Capital. In August 2023, Bain Capital acquired the restaurant chain for a reported $1.1 billion