Gaucho Urbano Brazilian Steakhouse

Churrasco is a continuous service. Servers circulate through the dining room with skewers of different cuts, stop at your table and slice meat onto your plate. Most churrascarias give each guest a marker, usually a card or coaster, that signals "keep it coming" on one side and "pause" on the other, so you control the pace. Ask your server to explain the system the first time.

The restaurant also offers a Chef's Table and a Harvest Bar, its name for the salad and side-dish spread. Many guests fill a plate there first and save room for meat. The cocktail list includes wines and craft beer.

Churrasco is a fixed-price meal, and the restaurant lists its current price on the website's Hours and Pricing page. Expect it to be one of the more expensive dinners on the Parkway, comparable to a steakhouse, but it covers the full meal. Check the Gaucho Urbano site for current prices, since they change with the season and by day.

Gaucho Urbano describes itself as a family-owned restaurant with more than 30 years of experience. It has a second location in Knoxville, on Kingston Pike, so be sure to use the Pigeon Forge address when you navigate. Reviews and the restaurant's own site recommend a reservation, especially on weekend evenings and during the October leaf season. You can call 865.366.1002 to book. Hours differ between listings, with dinner service starting in the afternoon, so confirm before you plan around it.

• Groups with different appetites, because each guest sets their own pace.
• Special occasions and celebrations, when you want a long, unhurried dinner.
• Meat lovers with a big appetite. The format rewards hunger.
• Diners who want an alternative to the pancake-house and buffet routine.

Guests with a small appetite or a tight budget may find the fixed price hard to justify, and vegetarians will be limited to the Harvest Bar. Children are welcome, and many churrascarias price children's meals separately, so ask when you book.

The restaurant is in Pigeon Forge. The Fun Time Trolley serves the Parkway, so you can ride and skip the traffic. After dinner, the shows, mini golf courses and The Island entertainment area are close at hand.

If you are heading into the national park the next morning, remember that a parking tag is required for any vehicle parked over 15 minutes, at $5 a day, and federal passes do not replace it. Details are on the National Park Service fees page.