JAY and I were lucky enough to be invited to dinner at Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse, located right next to Tyson’s Corner. I was excited for two reasons: one, because I wanted another food writer’s opinion on the restaurant, and two, because I love meat, especially of the red persuasion, and Chima would have plenty of it. I had been here once last year and enjoyed it, and was ready for another night of meat deliciousness. This was JAY’s first time at Chima, but he’s also a fan of Brazilian steakhouses, so this was right up our alley.

As you walk in, there’s a nice, big bar to the left, with plenty of seating area, and as you walk towards the back, there lies the salad and hot food bar. I’m not one to dabble in the greenery, especially at a steakhouse (in the wise words of Homer Simpson, “you don’t win friends with salad”), but we sampled some of the items. I sampled some mozzarella, prosciutto, smoked salmon, and parmesan, while JAY sampled the beans (with delicious chunks of pork) and rice, and a few other items from the hot bar. For those of you who have never been to a restaurant of this nature, the salad and hot bar may look appetizing, but save your appetite for the meats. Do not be taken in by the bright colors of vegetables. The salad bar also has dipping sauces for the meats, so if you need a meat condiment, go for it. We had the hot sauce and it was quite tasty.

chimSimilar to other Brazilian steakhouses, as you sit down, they explain the process of how you order the meat, and take your drink order. While the waiter was taking our drink orders, he was plugging away on his iPhone. No, he wasn’t texting people or playing on the interwebs, he was placing our drink orders and requesting my garlic steak through a Chima app. The drinks came out in a matter of seconds, and I once again realized how fantastic technology is… especially when it brings me wine and red meat at an astonishing speed. While the drinks are served, the staff also brings out these little fried meat balls, then turkey spread, cheese bread, fried polenta, mashed potatoes and fried bananas (these are good for cutting the meat flavor during the meal).

I’ve been to other steakhouses of this sort before, where the lovely gauchos come around with skewers of meat and slice you off a piece of whatever you’d like, and grilled to your preference, and you eat until your heart’s content. Chima, however, had two fish selections (salmon and swordfish) in addition to their meat selection. This go-around, I didn’t have the fish, but had liked them before. Not enough to get seconds, but likeable. JAY and I each had a couple of pieces of the garlic steak, lamb chops, beef rib, bacon-wrapped filet, and house special. The beef rib was extremely tender. It was like buttah. So soft and almost melty. Delicious. The garlic steak, as always, was tasty and had just the right amount of garlic coating. The bacon-wrapped fillet was fantastic, because meat wrapped in meat is always a good idea. The house special was perfectly seasoned, as were the lamb chops. We split a piece of the parmesan pork, and liked that as well, but not as much as the beef rib.

Dessert was next, because after eating a plethora of meat, nothing calms the stomach better than a giant piece of chocolate mousse cake. I really didn’t think we could polish off the brick of chocolate, but it was so rich and smooth that we finished all but a small bite. We’re no quitters.

All in all, the meal was absolutely delicious. I judge Brazilian steakhouses by their garlic steak, and triple bonus points for cheese bread. Chima definitely earns a gold star in my book. The servers were very welcoming, the food was fantastic, and the atmosphere was perfect. Not too loud, great décor, and a fun little sheer screen in the middle of the seating area that looked like it was showing a Cirque du Soleil performance. I’d like to thank Christina Mohr of Chima, who set this up for us, for her incredible hospitality. Everything was great and I know I’ll be making some trips back. For those of you who live or work near the Tyson’s area, Chima is participating in Restaurant Week January 17 – 23 (dinner only), so take advantage of the deal and go enjoy a great meal at a great price. And wear your stretchy pants.

-JDS

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