My friends and I are in our mid-40s+, and enjoy both casual and fine dining in Philadelphia. We are hearty eaters who enjoy well-prepared food. In addition, my father was in the meat business for his entire career, so I feel that I can safely say to the folks of Philadelphia -- Chima is fabulous! There are three things that made our experience at Chima so exceptional:\r
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1) The service was excellent -- between the waiters refilling our side dishes to the gauchos who served the meats, we really felt like we were special. Drinks were quickly refilled, plates removed, etc.\r
2) The salad bar was remarkable -- I had heard that these places offered big salad bars, and I always felt that it would be a waste of appetite to fill any of it with salad -- but Chima's salad bar had so many fine offerings that even I got a plateful. From the fresh mozzarella, roasted asparagus, shrimp salad, roasted peppers, tons of cheeses, (oh yeah, and there was lettuce too) -- all of us sampled the diverse offerings and were very impressed with the freshness and quality. \r
3) The meat!!! Note to diners -- if you take the very outer piece of a roasted meat it is going to have spices on it like salt, pepper, etc. That is how you are SUPPOSED to cook meat. If you don't like those flavors, have some from deeper in the meat, or go to McDonalds. I consider myself very knowledgeable about meat and how to prepare it. Chima's meats were fabulous. The leg of lamb had a true rich lamb flavor, the filet mignon was nicely aged and as tender as butter, the regular sirloin (which I almost passed on because it is so common) was PERFECT, the rib-eye was to die for...I could go on, but the drool is starting to reach my computer keyboard!\r
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My friends and I went to Chima during Restaurant Week, but we all agreed that we will DEFINITELY be back for another visit soon. PS - I do not work for Chima or anyone associated with them -- I truly loved the meal and the dining experience Chima offered us.
Pros: Great service, salad bar, and MEAT! Lovely dining room, great bar with Happy Hour prices
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