Gastronomy Blog

First of all, hats away to Amada in behalf of even taking us in without a hesitancy after that all in all Mandoline debacle.

The hosts graciously took us off the street and gave us a nice table in the back room to enjoy our first meal at this ultra-hyped Spanish restaurant. Executive Chef Jose Garces has to be people of the most decorated aliment wizards in Philadelphia (if not the wilderness) thanks his efforts here, as well as his novel venture - Tinto - which, conveniently enough, is right on all sides of the corner from my apartment.

Stylistically, the employment was certainly hip. Unfortunately, in cultivating such an inviting ambiance, someone overlooked a bit of the hands-on. due to the fact that benchmark, I was seated in a booth whose mitigate I almost drowned in. Even the addition of an especially pillow below the tuchus scarcely got me up to the plain.

But enough with the environment, how was the food?

Drinks

All of Amada's specialty drinks are named after Pedro Almodovar movies, which is a amicable make use of for a film geek such as myself. My ball completely enjoyed her Talk to Her (a margarita-like concoction) but intelligence it a little skimpy.

My "red" sangria (one of three kinds offered) was magic. It had a little more pizazz than I was used to, but it worked.

Appetizer

Since all the plates are piddling, Amada doesn't serve an appetizer course, but we did delight in a Spanish translation of bread and butter. It featured extensive, stylish pieces of crisped tortilla with a tuna/olive dip. While it was sapid, it didn't really stray far enough from regular tuna salad for me to certainly recommend it.

Tapas

We ordered five, which was more than enough chow. The PIQUILLOS RELLENOS / Crab-Stuffed Peppers was the blue ribbon to arrive. Again, while these were virtue, they seemed only to be a richer, more creamy version of something I've tasted elsewhere and were not all that impressive.

Next to make the grade were the GAMBAS AL AJILLO /Garlic Shrimp. While these were tasty, they were also wonderful-buttery, arousing my suspicions that the cooks were hiding something. at a stroke again, we were not impressed.

The next two dishes came simultaneously: TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA / Spanish Tortilla, Saffron Aioli and ALCACHOFAS Y SETAS /Artichoke & dishevelled Mushrooms, scurvy Truffles, Manchego. The first (pictured first of all) was remarkably disappointing. Having been to Spain once in my effervescence, but subsisting on tortilla espanola sandwiches in place of that entire short occasionally, I did not know what to make of the thick wodge of potato pie that was put in front of me. Both my wife and I agreed that the spuds were too mealy and the presentation was honourable not sensitive sufficient.

The flatbread dish, however, was fantastic. notwithstanding that a touch ample on the cheese, this mini-pizza had some wonderful funghi flavor, highlighted by the malignant truffle bits. It was quite rich and salty, but nicely of a mind.

when all is said, we ended with ARROZ DE LANGOSTA / Lobster Bomba Rice with Clams, Lemon Zest & auspicious Pea Shoots. This paella cousin was the highlight of the do to excess. While even then succulent in flavor, the dish was not at all recondite, and had an amazing socialize of flavors that danced on both our plates and palettes. It was unfortunate that this exuberant dish only came at the discontinue of the food, and could not save us from the buttery onslaught it had followed.

The Verdict

Like most heavily hyped restaurants, Amada fell quite short of giant. Of seminar, in its defense, this was at worst our head experience and we did not undertaking any of the substance dishes - usually standouts in Spanish cuisine.

That being said, what we tasted was at best too rich and grievous, relying on the salty/fatty tastes that haughty French places all things considered huckster. I would stop short of saying I'd never go undeveloped, but I won't rush out-dated to eat there again as a one, especially with the luscious tapas and more colleague familiarity that Tinto provides a scant hundred feet away.