Bringing the heat to Brazilian food BY JEREMY WAYNE
D
ining and money — think deals made over power lunches and the persuasive promise of fine wine — have always been inextricably linked. That relationship continues at Fogo de Chāo, the first Westchester County “branch” of the highly successful, international Brazilian steakhouse chain. It’s housed in the Lawyers Building on the corner of Main and Church streets in downtown White Plains — a Romanesque 1926 structure with soaring 80-foot ceilings, vast, imposing stone columns and a grand staircase leading to the first floor, as befits the former home of the Westchester Title and Trust Co. The most recent occupant of the property was, however, a branch of JPMorgan Chase and Co., where I remember all too well my last visit, just before the branch closed in 2019. Me (handing over check and ID to cashier): “Good morning, may I cash a check please?” Cashier (swiping check and viewing terminal): “No.” Me: “Oh? Why is that?” Cashier: “Sir, you have no money in your account.” Frankly, I wasn’t sorry to see the bank go. A first encounter with the folks at Fogo, which opened in April, was more encouraging. Larissa, who greeted us, introduced herself as part of the customer relations team and promptly led my guest and me to a generously sized, well-spaced table along the street wall, away from the bustle but still in touch with the action. Once seated, a panoply of beaming servers approached the table at short intervals, all adding their welcomes. Each asked us how we were, how we’d been, how we were feeling this evening and what we were think-
Fogo de Chāo White Plains, street entrance. Photographs courtesy Fogo de Chāo.
