Rating: Thumbs Up from 7 out of 7
Chapada is a relatively new Brazilian Style Steak House at the corner of 21st & Tyler Road. Six regular members of our group and a guest came this week. Our experience can be summed up by the following quote "When we have money, I want the Chewbacca (Churrascaria)". Another quote "This is pretty cool, I Like this place". Yes, we are a witty group:) Okay, now for the dish reviews -
I chose the small plate of Crab Cakes. I wanted to save room for dessert (if they didn't have anything - Orange Leaf was across the intersection!). This was a wise move on my part. The two crab cakes were cooked perfectly with a proportionately large amount of crab and just barely enough bread to keep it intact. It came with an Almond, Apple, Radish salad. It sounds like a weird combination, but it worked. I'm not a big salad dressing fan, but this one pulled everything together and the salad wasn't swimming in the stuff. I'll save dessert until later.
One person chose the Ahi Tuna Small Plate. This was several thinly sliced Sushimi grade tuna on a bed of spring lettuce. The tuna was as good as expected and it also had a nice dressing on it. She also got the Quail and Mushroom Soup. This was a rich, creamy soup loaded with lots of quail and mushrooms. Very tasty.
The next up was a Chicken and Sausage Sandwich. Don't let the dull name fool you. This is not an ordinary sandwich. The sausage is a Brazilian sausage called "Linguica". The sausage was really, really good. It also had a cheese and pesto that brought the sandwich together. We talked her into a side of sweet potato fries, of which she is not a fan. She still is not a fan, but would order again to get the sauce that comes with them. It was a creamy sauce that had a nice kick to it. I love sweet potato fries and hers were cooked correctly: soft on the inside, crisp but not black on the outside.
Two people chose the Gourmet Food Bar. From the menu it looks like a glorified salad bar, but that would be a wrong assumption. There are lots of salads and salad ingredients, and soup, and lavosh pesto pie, and taquitos, and deviled eggs, and .... Excellent food and well worth the $15 price.
Two brave souls ordered the meat fest otherwise known as the Churrascaria. None of us could pronounce it correctly so we resorted to calling it the Chewbacca. The waiters (?) come to the table with a sword full of meat hot off the grill and slice some for you. On the beef, you can choose medium rare, medium, or medium well. The closer to the handle, the rarer the meat. Just as you finish, they come around with another selection. There were many, many cuts of meat and a grilled pineapple. Each selection seemed better than the last. I got a small bite of the pork with a hint of cinnamon. Oh My Gosh, it was sooo good and then came the bacon wrapped chicken. It was so unbelievably good, they had to let everyone try. That is when Dennis made his quote. All this and you start with a plate of sides.
Three of us chose to get dessert - yes the three that had not gone the all you can eat direction.
One chose the Mango Cheesecake - the plating was spectacular and she said it tasted almost as good. A very good choice.
Two of us chose the Cream Brulee Trio. The three flavors are a Banana, a Raspberry, and a Coffee. I generally hate banana flavored things and love coffee in any form, so I ate the banana first. It was so good. It tasted more like a Bananas Foster with that caramel and hint of bananas flavor. The Raspberry was somewhat disappointing, it was pink and you could see the seeds but the raspberry flavor was missing except for the raspberry garnish. It was just a nice creme brulee. The coffee was very disappointing. There was no coffee flavor whatsoever and it seemed to dull the creme brulee. It was creamy and smooth, but very bland. None of this kept me from eating the entire thing! Both of us concurred that the banana dish was by far the best. Next time, I'll go for a Martini instead.
The atmosphere is classy without being stuffy, but it would be nice to see the roasting pit. They have a lot of interesting wines and drinks on the menu that we didn't try. I do think the next trip will be for a their special appetizer times. The waitstaff was friendly and one of the meat cutters was very funny and entertaining. I had read several less than favorable reviews and so I was a bit apprehensive. After a great experience, I went back to those reviews and looked at the dates. They were all just after the opening, so I chalked it up to growing pains.
We all expect to go back.
Next up: River City Brewery.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
N & J Bakery
Rating - 4 out of 6 people
I usually eat lunch at N & J, so this was a very different experience. At lunch, the place is crowded, the service is quick, and the food is fresh. At dinner, none of those things are true. We went on our usual Friday night at 7pm and only half of the tables were filled. We had called ahead so we had a larger table set aside for us and we were seated very quickly. Our server took our drink order and most of us just wanted water, but two wanted lemon. We had to ask three times to get receive the forgotten lemon. The table was edges were sticky. They wiped the table again for us, but it is the finish on the table not the cleanliness.
Each peson ordered a different item, so I'll go over each one.
We started the meal with a large Hummus and Pita bread and Za'atar Chips. The Hummus is the among the best in Wichita which says a lot, but tonight it was a little runny. Their Pita is made on-site is wonderful. The Za'atar Chips were baked just right but had little Za'atar seasoning on them so they were a little bland.
First order was a Gyro (pronounced GEY Row With a Hard G not Gi Ro) Sandwich and sides of Tabouli and Baba Ghanouj. The Baba Ghanouj is made like Hummus but substitute eggplant for the chickpeas. It is not as runny and has a great tanginess. The Tabouli (finely chopped parsley with lemon, onions, olive oil tomatoes and cracked wheat) was bright and has a zing - as usual. The Gyro meat (roasted lamb) was slight over-cooked.
Next the Mixed Grill - The Chicken and Kafta (ground beef with parsley) were cooked nicely and tasted very good, but the steak was over-cooked. You are going to read this several times. Much of our meal was overcooked.
Our third person ordered the Combo Platter off the appetizer menu - I've already talked about the hummus, baba ghanouj and tabouli and she agreed with the first person on these items. Next on the plate were cabbage rolls. which are ground beef, rice, and spices cooked in a cabbage leaf. These were very bland - lots of rice and very little spice. Followed by Grape Leaves; these are essentially the same as cabbage rolls but in grape leaves instead. This combination worked better because there is a lot more flavor in a grape leaf. Not just in the leaf, but the vinegar. Last was a couple of Falafels. These were so overcooked that they lost all flavor and looking at the inside they appeared to be lacking in spices. I found it really sad because falafels are one of my favorite foods and I've always favorably compared N & J's to ones I've eaten in Israel and New York City, but these puppies were burnt beyond recognition. She also had some Labneh (cheese yogurt) which we encouraged her to spread on the last three items. It helped, but not enough.
I got a small appetizer of Hummus Shawarma (chicken). This and the Vegetarian Combo are my go-to meals. Mine had lots of flavor and the chicken made the hummus not seem as runny. My only issue was the meat was again over-cooked.
To my right was the Gyro Platter. This is the lamb meat served over a bed of signature rice. The meat was so over-cooked that parts were crunchy. The rice however was perfection. It was cooked right and had spices and vegetables mixed throughout.
Last was the Shawarma Platter (beef). This is the Shawarma meat served over a bed of the signature rice. This was a flavorful dish and was properly cooked. It was the best dish of the evening.
Three of the meals came with a House Salad which everyone really enjoyed. The vegetables were crisp and the house dressing had a great flavor.
Four people chose dessert - Two had Baklava (which you can choose walnut, pistachio or almond) and both liked. The others had cheesecakes - Tuxedo and Raspberry Chocolate. I was surprised to find out the cheesecakes come from the Cheesecake Factory. Both were generous servings.
I ended the evening with a Turkish Coffee. I love the N & J turkish coffee. They serve it black and hot. I try it wherever I travel and no one beats N & J.
All in all the service was slow, much was over-cooked, but there were flashes of brilliance. I will go back, but I think I'll stick to lunch.
I usually eat lunch at N & J, so this was a very different experience. At lunch, the place is crowded, the service is quick, and the food is fresh. At dinner, none of those things are true. We went on our usual Friday night at 7pm and only half of the tables were filled. We had called ahead so we had a larger table set aside for us and we were seated very quickly. Our server took our drink order and most of us just wanted water, but two wanted lemon. We had to ask three times to get receive the forgotten lemon. The table was edges were sticky. They wiped the table again for us, but it is the finish on the table not the cleanliness.
Each peson ordered a different item, so I'll go over each one.
We started the meal with a large Hummus and Pita bread and Za'atar Chips. The Hummus is the among the best in Wichita which says a lot, but tonight it was a little runny. Their Pita is made on-site is wonderful. The Za'atar Chips were baked just right but had little Za'atar seasoning on them so they were a little bland.
First order was a Gyro (pronounced GEY Row With a Hard G not Gi Ro) Sandwich and sides of Tabouli and Baba Ghanouj. The Baba Ghanouj is made like Hummus but substitute eggplant for the chickpeas. It is not as runny and has a great tanginess. The Tabouli (finely chopped parsley with lemon, onions, olive oil tomatoes and cracked wheat) was bright and has a zing - as usual. The Gyro meat (roasted lamb) was slight over-cooked.
Next the Mixed Grill - The Chicken and Kafta (ground beef with parsley) were cooked nicely and tasted very good, but the steak was over-cooked. You are going to read this several times. Much of our meal was overcooked.
Our third person ordered the Combo Platter off the appetizer menu - I've already talked about the hummus, baba ghanouj and tabouli and she agreed with the first person on these items. Next on the plate were cabbage rolls. which are ground beef, rice, and spices cooked in a cabbage leaf. These were very bland - lots of rice and very little spice. Followed by Grape Leaves; these are essentially the same as cabbage rolls but in grape leaves instead. This combination worked better because there is a lot more flavor in a grape leaf. Not just in the leaf, but the vinegar. Last was a couple of Falafels. These were so overcooked that they lost all flavor and looking at the inside they appeared to be lacking in spices. I found it really sad because falafels are one of my favorite foods and I've always favorably compared N & J's to ones I've eaten in Israel and New York City, but these puppies were burnt beyond recognition. She also had some Labneh (cheese yogurt) which we encouraged her to spread on the last three items. It helped, but not enough.
I got a small appetizer of Hummus Shawarma (chicken). This and the Vegetarian Combo are my go-to meals. Mine had lots of flavor and the chicken made the hummus not seem as runny. My only issue was the meat was again over-cooked.
To my right was the Gyro Platter. This is the lamb meat served over a bed of signature rice. The meat was so over-cooked that parts were crunchy. The rice however was perfection. It was cooked right and had spices and vegetables mixed throughout.
Last was the Shawarma Platter (beef). This is the Shawarma meat served over a bed of the signature rice. This was a flavorful dish and was properly cooked. It was the best dish of the evening.
Three of the meals came with a House Salad which everyone really enjoyed. The vegetables were crisp and the house dressing had a great flavor.
Four people chose dessert - Two had Baklava (which you can choose walnut, pistachio or almond) and both liked. The others had cheesecakes - Tuxedo and Raspberry Chocolate. I was surprised to find out the cheesecakes come from the Cheesecake Factory. Both were generous servings.
I ended the evening with a Turkish Coffee. I love the N & J turkish coffee. They serve it black and hot. I try it wherever I travel and no one beats N & J.
All in all the service was slow, much was over-cooked, but there were flashes of brilliance. I will go back, but I think I'll stick to lunch.
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