SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes welcomed recent Portuguese loan acquisition Yannick Djalo in style last week, introducing him to local community figures and media at the posh Fogo de Chão in Santana Row.
Djalo joined the club on loan from SL Benfica on March 10, 2014. The creative attacker has spent the days since sorting out his P-1 Visa and acclimating to life in the Bay Area.
Guests of the event at Fogo de Chão were treated to caiparinhas, a rodizio-style dinner and the restaurant’s signature papaya cream. Fogo de Chão celebrated the opening of its San Jose restaurant, the first Northern California location for the churrascaria, on Feb. 27, 2014.
Djalo posed for photos with members of the staff, signed autographs and met with local media members. He also had a chance to speak his native language with local Portuguese figureheads on hand. San Jose has the second-largest Portuguese community in the United States.
The nearly 9,000-square-feet, 250-seat restaurant, located on the corner of Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue at Santana Row, blends contemporary Northern Californian and Brazilian design and features a mix of textures, colors and materials. In addition to the main dining area, Fogo de Chão features outdoor seating, a lively bar, and three semi-private dining areas that can be combined to make larger rooms, seating from 22 to 110. With its location in the heart of Silicon Valley the restaurant was designed with the tech-savvy crowd in mind, offering fully connected private dining spaces including touch screen televisions and 60-inch projector screens, wired for everything from presentations to video conferencing. The focus on technology also flows into the bar area, which features numerous AC and USB outlets for charging phones and laptops as well as complimentary Wi-Fi.
