Chima and the art of drinking Port in Charlotte

This Saturday The Mrs. and I were treated to dinner at Chima, a Brazilian Rodizio in uptown Charlotte, by Mimi and Papa J. This was in repayment of caring for their cats, one of them being a truly demonic beast previously discussed on this very blog. This was completely unnecessary but welcomed all the same. I will not belabor the point of the rodizio style, since that is not really the point of this post, but for those unfamiliar, it is an all you can eat meat bazaar. You start with the compulsory trip to the salad bar to take the edge off and then you flip the little token next to you to have the nice men, dressed as Gauchos, with the large skewers of freshly prepared meat come by and offer their wares. Chima had an excellent selection and the quality was top notch. My favorites were the garlic sirloin and the sausage. I was tasked with choosing the wine to accompany our meal and went with a Rodney Strong Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley and it was excellent. I find the Russian River Pinots to be closer to the French style; more subtle than their cousins from Napa and Sonoma.

What I found truly amazing about Chima was their port selection. The usual restaurant selection of my drink of choice consists of a Reserve Ruby and a Fine Tawny. These are fine, but not inspiring. And, I can completely understand the lack of variety since there is very little demand. This brings us to the Chima port list. it was not a long list but a very well appointed list. It started with a Fonseca Bin 27 which is a high quality NV Ruby, followed by a 10 yr and 20yr Tawny. The crown jewel of this collection was a Taylor Fladgate 40yr Tawny. I did not have the stomach to ask Mimi and Papa J to take that hit. But tucked between the 20yr and 40yr was a wine you almost never see in a restaurant, especially by the glass, vintage port. It was a Grahams 1994 to be exact. I eyed it wearily until the server came back around for our dessert orders, of which they apparently have 16. The Mrs. got the Key Lime Pie, Papa J ordered a chocolate cake and Mimi ordered something called Walnut Creme, which was amazing. I on the other hand wanted my dessert in a glass. And, so, I asked the question I have asked so many times before, about many different drinks, only to get a blank stare in return, "when was this bottle opened?", but this time was different. Our server turned to the manager, who happened to be near by, and he said to me, "we will open it as soon as you order it". Now, this may have just been my good fortune in timing but, the fact that he knew what and why I was asking and there was no long drawn out inquiry gave me great satisfaction . Vintage port is a very temperamental beast. It usually starts to hit its stride at 15 years of age and loose its luster about two days after being opened. You can possibly get a week out of it if you have a really fancy air removal kit. And so it was, the bottle was brought to the table and inspected, The manager butchered the cork, which is common and also, in a restaurant, beneficial. If they butcher the cork they have to decant the bottle, which should be done anyway but is not an operation always performed. Decanting lets the wine breath and open up. Ideally it should be decanted an hour or two before consumption and if I am ordering a bottle I will do so at the beginning of the meal and have it decanted then, for consumption at dessert. I let the glass sit until dessert arrived. And then took my first sip. It was amazing, huge blackberry and tobacco flavors burst out of the glass with little hints of alcohol and a tart finish. 1994 was an excellent year and this was no exception. Mimi asked for a sip and then wanted her own glass, so one was brought and about half way through it was mistakenly knocked over with an errant hand gesture. Without even skipping a beat our server was there and a fresh glass was brought to the table, no questions asked. It was so refreshing to see a restaurant do the little things that make a night like that worth it. I believe Chima is a chain and normally that means nothing good but the staff really took pains to make you feel welcome and cared for. If you don't happen to be a meat person or just don't want to drop a wad of cash on the table, why not stop by for dessert and a drink after a show at the Knight Theater. A glass of port is always the perfect way to end an evening.

A sia saide

Chima - is located at 139 S. Tryon St. - Uptown