Restaurant Week: The Verdict

Today concludes the first half of restaurant week, and boy is my belly tired! The huslte and bustle of making reservations was well worth my experience yet again! Here's the verdict on the two places I went for this season:


Phillip's -- This place is a childhood favorite of mine. Growing up in D.C., my family and I used to go to Phillip's on The Wharf. The Wharf is a seafood market lined with a few unique seafood restaurants, everything from mom-and-pop, to fine dining. Sure its by the water and smells like fish, but the Wharf is one of those places that always mesmerizes you because each time you go you find another gem. Another stand with fresh seafood, another vendor with his own exotic mixture of spices, and for me Phillip's was always the place that brought the experience together.
Their restaurant week menu included, soup, salad, a main course and dessert. Cream of Crab soup had real chunks of crab, which is always a plus, and the salad cleansed my palate just in time for the main course. I went with a couple of friends, so we all got something different to share. I got the steak, one friend got the crab cakes, and another the shrimp linguine. Steak was cooked perfectly, crab cakes were to die for, and the shrimp linguine was decadent. The plump prawns were an awesome compliment to the garlic, buttery pasta. The garlic and oil tossed broccolini was a pleasant surprise, and the mashed potatoes were perfectly creamy. The carrot cake was moist and delicious, and the cheesecake was gone in no time! I've never had a bad experience at Phillip's and the wait staff was just as pleasant. None of these portions were too small and filled us to delight, needless to say, Monday ended very well.

Fogo De Chao -- I've already been to Chima and loved it there, but people have been telling me "go to Fogo, its so much better!" While both have a delicious meats cooked to your liking, Fogo's atmosphere felt more open and bright. Again, the waitstaff at both places were top notch, and the food was amazing, but I think the general consensus last night was; Chima was an overall better experience. Chima's aisles were bigger, the salad bar had more options and the polenta had more flavor. In no way am I knocking Fogo, that place is amazing, but personally I felt my style and personality suited Chima a little better, and the frozen cheesecake at Fogo pushed that message home for me.

I'd love to try some places for the 2nd half of the week, but all of my funds have been reserved for "grown up" things (bills). If you haven't been to Restaurant Week yet, pick a place and go! Your wallet, and palate will thank you.

Also, CONGRATULATIONS to my friend and fellow Greek & Blogger Eric C. for being voted "Professional of the Year" by the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 2010 was a big year for you! Much success in 2011 mi amigo!