So this past Friday I was lucky enough to experience Chima Steakhouse’s new Tysons location – for free! This was my first time at a Brazilian steakhouse, and I definitely was not disappointed. Well, the only disappointment I had was that I couldn’t eat more!

The restaurant was absolutely beautiful, with modern and warm decorations and a pleasant atmosphere. I gathered together a few girlfriends to use the coupon I got which offered a complimentary lunch or dinner during the past week. That sure beats Restaurant Week!

When we arrived we started with some drinks, I had a mojito which was perfectly minty and refreshing. The combination was just right and I could imagine enjoying it outside on a warm summer night. Once we were seated, the waitress came over to explain how it all worked and we began our churrascaria adventure.

The salad bar was much more than the usual salad fare you would see at any other restaurant. In addition to some mediocore caesar salad and regular greens, there was a “hot” bar with rice, beans, and potatoes in addition to the features of the “cold” bar. The cold bar featured over a dozen kinds of salads with different kinds of beans and vegetables, and also some plates of fruit and a ton of cheeses (fresh mozzarella balls!) with raw vegetables and pretty much anything else you can think of.

The main event of course, was the meat. There were about a dozen gauchos walking around the restaurant who served the meat. They came to your table and asked you to try any of the 15 varieties of meat offered…top sirloin, new york strip, filet mignon, lamb chops, roast beef, beef ribs, and even chicken (with or without bacon), fish, and shrimp! The meat comes on a skewer that they slice off for you, whatever you want and as much as you want. It was funny that some of the guys were pretty cute, so it was almost sexual when they would come over and ask if we wanted some of their meat. Haha. That could have just been the alcohol talking though. As for the food, let me just say that the meat was AMAZING. It was all perfectly cooked (a nice medium/medium rare – although you could get more well done portions) and the steaks were seasoned with salt and pepper. The meat melted in your mouth like butter. Although the main focus is meat, I think that many vegetarians would be happy eating here too as the salad bar is certainly adequate with a variety of foods, and for those vegetarians who eat fish – the swordfish and shrimp would be a welcome addition.

We ordered dessert that we couldn’t even eat, a molten chocolate cake and a warm banana and ice cream dessert. Both were awesome, the bananas came with a mini candle to heat them up and had orange juice, cinnamon, and maybe caramel to the sauce with sliced bananas. Poured over the vanilla ice cream (which was more like ice milk)…it was to die for. It smelled as good as it tasted! The molten cake was really rich and fudgy, and went well with the ice cream. It was a shame we couldn’t finish it all.

All in all, we had a great time made all the sweeter by the fact that it was a free meal. When they brought us our bill (over $200), she came back and we only had to pay for our drinks and desserts (as they were not part of the meal). Usually a dinner there would cost about $45 a person, so this was a great deal! I had such a good time though, that I would definitely go back there and be happy to pay. Which is what they want to hear.

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