Fogão Gaúcho — Local services in Elk Grove

First time at this restaurant. When we walked in we were immediately greeted by friendly staff. We had a reservation and got seated right away. The restaurant is small but did not feel cramped. We started with the bacon wrapped sirloin and it was very salty. I’m very sensitive to excess salt but my partner was the first to say it and he’s more tolerant of salt. We were a bit unsure of how the rest of the meal would go. I went to get my salad and I got broccolini’s, zucchini, pickled peppers, cheese, marmalade and artichoke salad. I was very surprised by how flavorful the broccolini was. It was a little tangy which is great when eating a lot of meat. It was very crunchy and I was very pleased by it. The rest of my sides were good but nothing unexpected. I got more meat some of which were the: lamb, lamb chops, garlic steak, bacon. I wasn’t sure what to expect after the sirloin but everything else was great. The lamb was juicy and perfectly seasoned. The lamb chops were also very tender with an herby type of flavor. The garlic steak actually tasted like garlic not just salt and the ham was also very tender and fatty cooked well as to make the fat melt in your mouth. I had that with the apricot marmalade and it was delicious. The banana was also one of my favorite things I ate there. The bananas were warm and soft without being mushy and had the right amount of sugar and cinnamon that formed a nice little crust on the outside. The grilled pineapple was also great, it’s always one of my favorite things to eat at Brazilian steakhouses. It was also seasoned very well and the pineapple was ripe and juicy. The only other thing I wish would have been better was the cheese and honey. That is also one of my favorite things to eat but the cheese was a little hard which may have to do with how thin it was cut. I like the cheese to be a little spongy with a little grill crust on top. This one lacked that spongy quality that also allows for the honey to coat it well. Each meat was seasoned differently so that after a few pieces you don’t feel like you’re eating the same flavor profile of just meat and salt. The sides were also very good with a nice selection. They also had ceviche and other salads but I’m not able to eat too much so I had to miss out on those. Overall this place was excellent. The service is very prompt and friendly. I will...

This was our first time here and we had a great experience. We even had an electricity black out 🤣 but it was all good. Everyone was in good mood. Good ambiance.

To all the staff that worked on 4/5 and were there at 7:30 p.m. THANK YOU! you all deserve a 100 stars. Everyone was attentive and always checking if we needed anything. Great customer service.

The restaurant is a bit small for this type of service so you need to reserve through Open Table, through the restaurant's website. When we got there, our table was not ready yet, so we had to wait about 10 min (which we didn't mind). The staff was so apologetic for the delay of not having our table on time (which again, we didn't mind as are not conflictive people and very understanding).

The ambiance was nice and they had music playing. All patrons seemed to be enjoying the food and the place.

Why I am only giving 4 stars to food? Well, taste is a very personal thing, especially as other reviewers mentioned about the salt content on certain cuts of meat. I went with my family of 3 and my husband and son loved every meat they were served, but I couldn't eat certain ones (mostly beef) as they were too salty for me. There were a few cuts that didn't have that much salt and it was perfect. If you can't eat much salt for either health reasons or other, stick with the chicken and lamb chops along with the hot/salad bar items (they were all very fresh and delicious). I can't recall which beef cut didn't have too much salt, and not sure if the amount of salt is something they can accommodate for all cuts (didn't ask).

At the end of our diner, I wanted to try some desserts (normally we don't eat desserts as we are not "sweets" people), but my son ordered chocolate ice cream and I ordered a "brazilian flan".

Overall, everything was so good and we are planning to go back for...

Needs Improvement: The salt level for everything was too high and needs to be reduced significantly Meats were cooked well-done on average, need to offer more rare selections The grilled cheese was chalky. It needed a few more minutes of heat. A shame, as I've had it done much better elsewhere. The grilled pineapple was not caramelized and needed a lot more cinnamon. Just tastes like hot pineapple otherwise. Guests were seated too close to other tables and could barely get out at times

There's a handful of brazillian bbq restaurants in Sacramento, and my personal favorite was Rei De Gado, but it's an hour away. After trying Fogao Gaucho, I can now get my fix in EG instead.

It's a much smaller place, less than 15 tables. The service was friendly, our tables were cleaned regularly, and our glass were filled often. The first few rounds of meat were rough. The meat was well done and mostly fat. Some parts were so dry they were inedible. I hoped it was just an accident, but this happened for 3 or 4 rounds. If this kept up I'd have to get full on the Pão de queijo. I started specifying I wanted rare cuts and I was surprised that every meat afterwards was rare to medium. The filet mignon was one of early rounds of tough meat, but after trying it done rare I decided I'd give Fogao Gaucho another chance.

Out of all the meats my recommendations are the prime rib, ribs, filet mignon, and picanha. Pro tip: Tell your waiter early on the meats you would like and what doneness. And the surprising highlight was the lobster bisque. I saw plentiful, delicious chunks of lobster and mussels. Honestly I liked this better than some of the meats.

I'd like to be back soon, and hope to have an even...