I ate dinner at the Chart House restaurant in Philadelphia and really enjoyed it. I read a lot of mixed reviews on the place. Some good and some bad. In all fairness to the Chart House and other restaurants, I find a lot of us bloggers tent to write bad reviews to be vindictive toward bad service rather than for the sake of writing an objective review.
I assure you my review will be very objective and overall positive.
The Dress Code
In short, I wore a very nice deep dark blue button down shirt, dress slacks, nice shoes and dress belt. I felt very at ease in this attire. The restaurant suggested "smart casual" and my outfit fit the bill fine and was similar to what other guests where wearing. A couple guys had jackets. I saw one customer wearing a suit. Some did wear jeans but the jeans were of the dark, pressed-looking, 'dress up' or 'fashionable' jeans.
The Food
The food rocked. Two of my friends got the prime rib. The Chart House is noted for its seafood but the prime rib I tried from their plates was simply out of this world delicious. I thought is was as good as the Prime Rib restaurant in center city Philly. Very tender, not a lot of seasoning but simply a wonderful high quality beef flavor.
My other buddy got the Ahi Tuna. Also delicious. Wonderful meaty quality done simply to perfection
I got the swordfish. Honestly, I was a little disappointed in the size of this fish, but that may be because this fish is becoming rare (and, hence, I probably should have avoided anyway). For $30 the cut was the size of my palm. It was very tasty though and part of my disappointment may have stemmed from the fact that nothing could live up to that prime rib.
The dumplings that came on the side were not too hot either. Don't get me wrong though, I very much enjoyed the quality of the meal.
The View
I should have mentioned this first. The view of the Delaware river at the Chart House is spectacular. If you go for anything, go for the view. Wonderful.
The Service
Very good service. I've been disappointed in the watered down service in Philly likely due to the boom of restaurant industry and competition for available (ie sparse) talent. The Chart House service was terrific. Mostly young, good looking servers and had everything under control.
The Inside
The inside of the restaurant is very nice, bordering on the elegant side. It has an old-school sort of sophistication to it. Arching isles, grand piano, leather (pleather?), awesome waterfront views. The lounge had somewhat dated but appropriately cool chairs that look out onto the Delaware. The dining room has tables somewhat close together but I still felt private, padded chairs, white table cloth and, again, great views.
The Price
I consider it a bit expensive but considering food quality and location, not unexpected.. For my financial standards (hey I blog which means I make about a dollar a day :-) I'd consider it a special occasion place (birthdays, get together, meaningful date, holiday, celebration) and not an everyday price. Everyday would be nice though. Figure dinner in the $30 to $40 range. I had two drinks at the bar, one at my table, swordfish, no desert, no apps and espresso afterward. My bill came out to about $90
To Sum Up
Go to the Chart House.
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I assure you my review will be very objective and overall positive.
The Dress Code
In short, I wore a very nice deep dark blue button down shirt, dress slacks, nice shoes and dress belt. I felt very at ease in this attire. The restaurant suggested "smart casual" and my outfit fit the bill fine and was similar to what other guests where wearing. A couple guys had jackets. I saw one customer wearing a suit. Some did wear jeans but the jeans were of the dark, pressed-looking, 'dress up' or 'fashionable' jeans.
The Food
The food rocked. Two of my friends got the prime rib. The Chart House is noted for its seafood but the prime rib I tried from their plates was simply out of this world delicious. I thought is was as good as the Prime Rib restaurant in center city Philly. Very tender, not a lot of seasoning but simply a wonderful high quality beef flavor.
My other buddy got the Ahi Tuna. Also delicious. Wonderful meaty quality done simply to perfection
I got the swordfish. Honestly, I was a little disappointed in the size of this fish, but that may be because this fish is becoming rare (and, hence, I probably should have avoided anyway). For $30 the cut was the size of my palm. It was very tasty though and part of my disappointment may have stemmed from the fact that nothing could live up to that prime rib.
The dumplings that came on the side were not too hot either. Don't get me wrong though, I very much enjoyed the quality of the meal.
The View
I should have mentioned this first. The view of the Delaware river at the Chart House is spectacular. If you go for anything, go for the view. Wonderful.
The Service
Very good service. I've been disappointed in the watered down service in Philly likely due to the boom of restaurant industry and competition for available (ie sparse) talent. The Chart House service was terrific. Mostly young, good looking servers and had everything under control.
The Inside
The inside of the restaurant is very nice, bordering on the elegant side. It has an old-school sort of sophistication to it. Arching isles, grand piano, leather (pleather?), awesome waterfront views. The lounge had somewhat dated but appropriately cool chairs that look out onto the Delaware. The dining room has tables somewhat close together but I still felt private, padded chairs, white table cloth and, again, great views.
The Price
I consider it a bit expensive but considering food quality and location, not unexpected.. For my financial standards (hey I blog which means I make about a dollar a day :-) I'd consider it a special occasion place (birthdays, get together, meaningful date, holiday, celebration) and not an everyday price. Everyday would be nice though. Figure dinner in the $30 to $40 range. I had two drinks at the bar, one at my table, swordfish, no desert, no apps and espresso afterward. My bill came out to about $90
To Sum Up
Go to the Chart House.
Other Articles By Me
Please check these Out
Best Coffee Shop in Chestnut Hill Philadelphia
Peanut Chews Candy - A Great Philadelphia Junk Food
Places to Catch Your Own Fish for Dinner Near Montco and Philly
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