Chima
1901 John F Kennedy
Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA
19103
A few months ago, my family and I had our second meeting of
the manly minds that we have come to call “Man Meat Day”. My uncle, my cousin,
and my cousin-in-law went to the Flyers vs. Penguins hockey game in the
afternoon, and then we headed over to a cigar bar in Center City Philadelphia
while we waited for our 5:30 reservation time at a Brazilian steakhouse called
Chima. We all get pretty pumped to go out for our “Man Meat Day” because we can
escape our significant others for the day, and just be men; talk about manly
stuff, eat lots of meat, and drink some good drinks. I was very interested to
see how Chima measured up to Fogo de Chao which we had been to a few months
prior for our first “Man Meat Day”.
When we walked in we were seated right away, which was a bit
different than the 10 or so minute wait at Fogo. Chima was set up in a circle,
with a main dining room where the luxurious salad bar was located, and a ring
and ancillary dining rooms located around the outside of the main dining room
in a circular fashion. We were seated in the ring around the outside of the
dining room and we ordered drinks before we took off to dig into the salad bar.
I ordered a capirinha, a rum drink famous in South America that is made with
sugar, mint, and lime juice. It is so crisp and refreshing; I could see myself
sipping them all day on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. This happened to be the
best capirinha that I have ever tasted. Now I haven’t had too many, but this
was by far the best one I have had. The rum was very strong, and the sugary and
citrusy taste in each and every sip was amazing.
When we approached the salad bar I was basically in awe.
There were so many different types of salads, toppings, cheeses, meats, and
pretty much anything you can think of at this salad bar. I tried to get a
little bit of everything that I wanted without going overboard because we all
know the reason I was there was for the meat. I especially enjoyed the tiny
spicy peppers that were served on the salad bar. I ate quite a few of them and
they kept my mouth burning for quite some time, but it was well worth it. All
of the meats and cheeses were phenomenal and the salad was a nice way to warm
up my stomach for the flood of deliciousness that was headed its way.
At Chima, they start you off with a smoked turkey spread,
croquettes, and cheese bread. All three items were incredible, and I could
honestly have eaten an entire meal of just these three. However I knew the
surprises that were luring just around the corner, so I restrained myself,
flipped over my card to say yes please, and waited, drooling, for the meat fest
to begin. Right off the bat I noticed that the servers at Chima were not as
quick and plentiful as they were at Fogo. That being said, I dug into
everything that they brought by; super tender and delicious flank steak,
charred swordfish and salmon served with a magnificent passion fruit sauce,
bacon wrapped filets, parmesan crusted pork loin, leg of lamb, lamb chops, and
the list goes on and on. In a direct comparison to Fogo, I have to say the
addition of the flank steak, swordfish, salmon and that passion fruit sauce,
blew Fogo out of the water. However, I think the lamb chops in particular and
most of the cuts of beef were better at Fogo, and the service was definitely
better at Fogo.
The main meal also comes with fried plantains, mashed yucca,
and fried polenta. These accompaniments are fantastic, and must be tried. They
pair so well with the saltiness of the meats.
Since it was my last week before lent began, I had to
indulge in dessert. We ordered plantains
with cinnamon ice cream to split, and boy am I glad I decided to partake. The
bananas were super sweet because of the caramelization, and the cinnamon ice
cream was absolutely to die for. The cinnamon taste wasn’t overpowering at all,
but it was the perfect amount of zip to go with the creaminess of the ice cream
and sweetness of the plantains.
I think Chima is an awesome place to go for a pretty
phenomenal meal. It’s worth going just for the amazing capirinhas alone, let
alone the delicious variety of meats you can indulge in. You need to try this
place, so go ahead, and let me know what you think! Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment