Shut Up, Laura

So there's this chain restaurant that I love, with a branch in Philadelphia, called Fogo de Chao. (Known amongst those I love as "Frodo's".)

A few weeks ago, a competing restaurant opened up a few blocks away, so last night I tried out Chima as a comparative measure.

My findings?

Food:  Similar offerings on the face of it, but I think that Frodo's is better prepared and better seasoned. Several of the offerings at Chima were not available any less well-done than "Medium", which to me is roughly equivalent to eating burlap. (My repeated refrain when dining at Frodo's is "How would you like it?" "Rare as you've got.") I will admit that the salad bar at Chima is lovely. You have to admire a salad bar that serves carpaccio - there's even meat in the salad bar!

Service:  Frodo's, hands-down. However, Chima had only been open for a few weeks, so I'd be willing to give them another chance on this matter since they might still be working out newness-kinks.

Decor: Chima looks "nicer", like the kind of place you'd show up to in nightclub-wear or for a first date. Whereas Frodo's is, to me, a more "comfortable" place that I can walk into wearing my usual jeans and t-shirt regime and feel perfectly at-home.

So all in all, try Chima for the sake of trying it or for the sake of going somewhere new, but you'll be back at Frodo's next just like me.