Fire Pit Brazilian BBQ has been revealed as the first tenant of the Solaire Social food hall in downtown Silver Spring.
Washington Post food critic Tim Carman made the announcement in his review published earlier this month, noting that owner Gui Gonzalez’s version of churrasco “aligns better with modern life than those pricey Brazilian steakhouses and their endless parades of all-you-can-eat meat. Fire Pit is casual. It’s affordable. It doesn’t dare you to eat like a 16th-century royal.”
Picanha steak is the specialty of Brazilian barbecue, Carman writes:
The cut’s very name tells you something: Translated into English, picanha means “rump steak” or “rump cap,” carved from the hind end of the steer. Picanha boasts a thick fat cap, which Gonzalez trims before searing the whole cut on the grill to give it a good crust. He’ll slice the picanha, then throw the bite-size portions into a grill basket. If you don’t tell him what temperature you desire, you’ll get your picanha medium.
Fire Pit opened last November at 804 Rockville Pike in the Golden Arcade shopping center in Rockville. Gonzalez hails from Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, where Fogo de Chão opened its first restaurant, according to Carman.
Solaire Social, the first of two food halls announced for downtown Silver Spring, began construction in June. Springfield, Va.-based contractor ADI Construction is building the 11-tenant food hall, curated by Chef Akhtar Nawab of Hospitality HQ.
Originally scheduled to open in Spring 2023, Solaire Social is expected to open at the Solaire 8200 Dixon apartment building next year, after Commas at Ellsworth Place.
Photo: Fire Pit Brazilian BBQ / Facebook