Amada
217 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
I think that restaurant week is one of the greatest inventions of all time. I do not only feel that way because of my passion for food, but rather because I think it is something that everyone can enjoy. I do not like to miss going out for restaurant week because it is such a good deal. Usually 3 to 5 courses will run you $35, and while the selection is usually limited, there is typically enough things to choose from to satisfy anyone’s tastes. My girlfriend, who is my usual dining out partner is away visiting her sister, so I had to find other people who wanted to go out to dinner with me on a Tuesday night. My cousin and his wife are always willing to go out, so we made a reservation for Amada.
I have been to a few of Iron Chef Garces’ restaurants: Village Whiskey, Distrito, and Chifa. However, I was very much looking forward to Amada. I have heard nothing but good things about it, and I know that it has been extremely popular for the last five years. Tapas has become one of my favorite eating styles, so I was pretty excited to get to the city this past Tuesday.
The restaurant was packed, which was not surprising, and probably also the reason we got seated after our reservation time. My cousin, his wife and I decided to order something different for each dish so that we could get a good feel for the menu. The way that the menu was set up we could each order two first courses, two second courses, and one dessert. We ordered the following fourteen dishes:
- cana de cabra (goats milk cheese with fig and cherry marmalade)
- aged manchego with truffled lavender honey
- melon con jamon (melon with ham)
- chorizo pamplona with caperberries, cornichons, and french Dijon
- gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp)
- croquetas de jamon (ham croquettes)
- costillas de ternera coca (beef shortrib flatbread with horseradish, parmesan, and bacon)
- the madre e hijo (chicken breast with truffles and a fried egg)
- calamari a la plancha (grilled calamari)
- patatas al ajillo (fish and chips)
- chorizo brochettes
- gambas con garbanzos (shrimp flatbread with fresh herbs, chorizo, and garbanzo puree)
- crema catalana (caramelized vanilla custard, blood orange and winter melon)
- dobos torta (flourless chocolate sponge, nutella caramel & bittersweet chocolate ice cream
I know that is a lot of dishes, so I will do my best to keep this short and sweet.
The first things that came out were the two cheese plates. Both were small, but large enough for us all to share. Both were served with sliced granny smith apples as well. The cana de cabra was very good. Creamy, smooth and tangy,. The cheese was perfect to spread on the small pieces of bread served with it. The real key to the dish was the fig and cherry marmalade. It was tart and fruity; I wish I could buy it bottled and spread it on my morning toast. The other cheese plate, the aged manchego was also very good. Manchego is a Spanish cheese that has a good bite to it, and is pretty similar to parmigiano reggiano. The lavender honey that was served with it was a very interesting contrast to traditional honey. Each serving had a huge lavender taste; definitely something I will never forget.
The next two dishes that came out were the melon con jamon and the chorizo pamplona
A few of the other dishes came out in the mean time. The croquetas de jamon, the madre e hijo, and the gambas al ajillo. All three were very good dishes, with the croquetas being the highlight of the meal for me. They were really fantastic; fried to perfection and still the inside maintained the perfect consistency. They were creamy and silky, but I could still taste ham at the forefront. If you decide to go to Amada I will tell you that this is a must order dish. The chicken and fried egg dish was very well done. The chicken was salty and melted in my mouth, and it was the perfect thing to mop up the yolk of the fried egg with. Finally, the gambas al ajillo were also very good. They were very tender and full of the garlic flavor. They paired perfectly with the toasts they were served with.
We very much enjoyed the two flatbreads we ordered. The shrimp flatbread was like a small oval shaped pizza. The sauce was delightful, the cheese was superb, and the crunch of the bread mixed with the tenderness of the shrimp in a way that I did not know was possible. The short rib flatbread was great as well. Short ribs are a wonderful addition to any dish, and all of the flavors in this dish combined to make one cohesive, successful whole. The crunchiness of the bread was the perfect contrast to all of the flavors and textures on the top of the crust.
The final three main course dishes were the calamari a la plancha, the chorizo brochettes, and fish and chips with the patatas al ajillo. The calamari was tender and succulent to the very last bite. It was citrusy and held each bite tasted wonderfully. The chorizo was cooked perfectly. I like a bit more kick to my chorizo usually, but it was still a tasty little morsel. The patatas al ajillo or the Spanish version of fish and chips was very good. The fish was wonderfully crispy on the outside, perfectly cooked in the middle, and the potatoes underneath were scrumptious. They were garlicky and delicious.
Finally it came to the dessert; the flourless chocolate torta, and the vanilla crema. Both were delectable. The custard was smooth, delicate, and light, but it still packed a lot of flavor. It was topped with a touch of cinnamon and a caramalized sugar tweel that I found extremely interesting. The chocolate torta was rich and creamy, and the ice cream brightened up the whole dish.
I loved Amada and cannot wait to go back when it is not restaurant week, to see if the experience is the same. If you like tapas, I think you should try it. If you like Jose Garces, I think you should try it. If you like food, then you should definitely try it because you will not find too many places that serve this good of food!
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