Fogo de Chao

Gutting the entire space, this Dallas-based company crafted the perfect spot for its Atlanta endeavor. Gleaming, dark woods shape what the eye sees. First you claim your seat, then you claim your portion of the huge salad bar: best to go easy here as there’s a lot of food, and it’s all tasty, including the house-made mozzarella, the smoked salmon, a fabulous potato salad, the greens, black beans on rice and more. When you’ve finished with the salad bar, turn over the colored disk on your table, and this will cue the garbed staff to start presenting you with your selection of meat, from chicken to sausage and even better beef and lamb-all rich, oozing juices and suspended along long skewers. We hold out for the piranha, a specialized cut that is supremely moist. Good side dishes include mashed potatoes and yucca. There is a dessert, but who can deal with it after all this meat? If you can, go for the papaya cream with a dash of cassis. The extensive wine list includes some Brazilian wines.