[My ongoing series for 2016 continues ... with the TWENTY-EIGHTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!]
Establishment: The Chimney House Grill and Cafe
Location: Ft Lauderdale
Meal: Dinner
Drink: Half Pitcher Traditional Sangria
white (not red)
Appetizer 1: Guacamole Costeño
with green plantain chips
Appetizer 2: Tuna Ceviche "Nikkei"
Japanse and Peruvian fusion ahi tuna ceviche marinated in lime with nikkei sauce
Main: Lomo Saltado
the perfect Peruvian-Cantonese fusion: wok stir-fried steak strips, red onions, tomatoes, french fries and soy sauce
Side(s): White Rice
Dessert: n/a
Server: Lauren
Website: http://www.thechimneyhouse.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechimneyhousefl
As hard as it is for someone like me who has lists and plans and folders and such to accept, sometimes the best experiences happen when you abandon your plans at the last minute and find something new as a replacement. Which is exactly what happened for this establishment after our original plans to go to a classic FTL diner on the opposite end of Las Olas (maybe some other time?) were reevaluated ... and this place on a part of Las Olas we didn't even know existed filled in at the last minute. And what a great concept -- panLatin -- with choices included, but not limited to, Argentinian, Venezuelan, Peruvian, Colombian, Cubano, etc etc. It was like a greatest hits collection of dishes ... and here's how it garnered it's score:
AMBIANCE: 10/10 (what an adorable set up -- a historic remodeled house rebuilt to feature the chimney ... which we actually walked right past to get to an expanded outdoor two level porch that tripled the amount of seating available, and it had overhead fans to address the summer Florida evening heat ... it was covered in such a way that even a quick evening rain storm *enhanced* the feel of outdoor eating ... there were also neighborhood dogs being walked by time and time again ... [and, since it was outside, even a few that pulled up a chair to eat with their owners])
FOOD: 8/10 (everything was delicious and extra flavorful ... the plantain chips for the guac was a nice twist, the ahi ceviche with the roasted corn nuts was visually appealing [remember, you eat with your eyes first], and the main dish was oh so tasty, with every ingredient -- including the fries -- covered in the scrumptious sauce, and the steak strips were tender and juicy ... one point is lost because the chef seemed to have a heavy hand with the red onions [in EACH and EVERY one of those dishes] and a second point is lost because the tuna was oddly chopped into pretty big pieces, which made for an awkward chewy mouth feel)
SERVICE: 9/10 (our waitress was extremely friendly and on top of everything throughout the whole meal ... plus there was the added bonus of her being able to pronounce the dishes authentically but not having a language barrier for the customers ... just a single point lost for her not being excited enough about the desserts to sell us on it when we asked)
BACON: 8/10 (although not referenced on the dinner menu, we asked to see the brunch menu, and were pleased to see that it was indeed a possible side, so some points in this category can be awarded)
BONUS: 10/10 (+3 for those roasted corn nuts, which I now think should be treated like bacon and be added to every dish, +3 for being the kind of place to which we will confidently recommend anyone goes who asks us for a dining selection, +3 for the pan-Latin concept and +1 for being a place to which we will return again [maybe because we recommended it to you and made you take us along!])
TroyScore: 45 out of 50 -- aka 90, a low A
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