Don't Miss Chifa!

Jose Garces is touted as Philadelphia's next (or newest) Steven Starr - a restaurant impresario who seems to have the golden touch with all things culinary.

Garce's latest creation is Chifa at 707 Chestnut along Philly's new restaurant row.

Chifa is a term used in Peru to refer to a style of food produced by the fusion of creole Limean food with Chinese food brought by Chinese immigrants mainly from the province of Canton in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also used to define a restaurant where this type of food is served.

So, Chifa is a fusion of Peruvian and Cantonese food served tapas style.

Now, ordinarily I don't like small plates. And ordinarily, I don't like to share.

But last night we found ourselves with lifelong friends at the chef's table at Chifa and we had a wonderful meal served in a leisurely fashion with lots of tasting, sharing, laughing and discovering. The dishes were fresh, fragrant and beautifully presented and the service was first-rate.

The intimate atmosphere shimmers with red lacquer, a gleaming gold communal table, twinkling votive candles and a ceviche bar sitting atop an intriguing Chinese apothecary cabinet. And the seats are exceptionally comfortable.

Among the dishes we tasted were a large number of sea food treats including scallops, shrimp, crabs, salt crusted bronzino and lobster with noodles. We also sampled stir fried rice, yuca fries and barbecued ribs.

Thank goodness, our host Jeremy Trinidad (who called us together to celebrate a Very Significant Birthday) did the ordering for us and the chef complied with an unforgettable tasting menu.

We topped it all off with chocolate mouse cake.

The Garces Restaurant Group just seems to keep growing and growing under the tutelage of one of the nation's hottest superstar chefs. The whole thing began with Amada and now includes Distrito, Tinto, Mercat (Chicago) and Chifa.

Called the “Latin Emeril” by one food critic for his wide smile and his educational approach to food, Jose Garces, who the prestigious James Beard Foundation recently nominated for its “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award, has long been an ambassador of contemporary Latin cuisine, appearing regularly in the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Cooking Light, Restaurant Hospitality, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Philadelphia Magazine and Travel Channel’s Epicurious TV.

His newest creation is a solid winner. Don't miss it!