Amada- Old City/Society Hill (Philadelphia, USA)

It was a Friday night. With no dinner reservations and empty stomachs we found ourselves in Old City searching for a new restaurant to discover. Walking through the old cobblestone streets behind Independence Hall we arrived at Chestnut passing Amada. Amada has been on the list of restaurants I have been wanting to try, so with no hesitation we walked in hoping to find a table. The hostess was nice enough and told us that all the empty tables in the dining room were reserved but offered us to wait in the bar area until a high top became available. And so we did. The place was buzzing with tables of young and old drinking wine and mouthfuls of small Spanish tapas. 

The bar area was dark with a variety of Spanish Jambon hanging from the ceilings. 

...And more cheese and cured meats on display. 

The bar was full and so we stood around watching others eat while the bartenders sliced the leg of ham and prepared drinks. A high top became available and we were quickly seated. At this point, we were both too hungry to speak so we sat quietly staring down at our menu ordering everything that sounded good in my head. Not too long after, we were served bread chips with a side of tuna. The side itself was so delicious I wanted to order more...if only it was offered on the menu. 

After watching the men slice up the jambon we couldn't resist ordering a plate of the Serano ham from the Cured meat selection. If you are familiar with Italian Proscuitto and like it then you will enjoy the Serano ham. It is very mild in flavor and melts in your mouth. We also ordered a cheese plate with the aged Manchego, La Peral and Ermesenda. One goat, one blue and one hard. Each were served with a side which added to the taste and flavor. 

The Garlic Prawns were next. Served in a hot dish of sizzling butter and garlic the prawns floated so delicately in the mix. It's hard to dislike anything that is cooked in garlic butter but neither of us found this dish to be exciting or necessarily good. It seemed the prawns were a tad bit undercooked. 

The Amada Empanada was next. It is hard to go to a Spanish restaurant without ordering an empanada. Amada has three different varieties on the menu but we chose to go with the vegetarian version filled with spinach, manchego cheese and artichokes. The presentation was beautiful. One empanada was sliced in half presented over an artichoke mix. The Empanada was slightly empty on the inside with a layer of spinach and cheese mix barely visible. I assumed that we were left with the task of filling it up with the artichoke filling. This we did and the result was fantastic. The mix of flavors were great- unlike anything I have ever tasted before (at least in an empanada). 

The next dish that was brought out was the Patatas Bravas. Again, this is typically offered on most Spanish menus and can vary in shape, flavour and presentation. At Amada the potatoes were cut into little round cylinders with a spicy mayo mix on top. Presentation was beautiful and flavors were great. 

The next dish was the Count's choice: a bowl of chickpeas served in a tomato base sauce with spinach. First spoonful of chickpeas were undercooked and too hard (you know what beans can do to your stomach). So we had to send it back. The waiter informed us that the chickpeas are made to taste this way. Perhaps undercooked chickpeas is a thing in Spain but neither of us were a big fan. Without hesitation they took the dish of our bill. 

The next dish was my favorite: a baked goat cheese served in a hot tomato sauce with a side of toasted garlic butter bread. 

At this point we were both full after initially filling up on all the bread and cheese servings. But we had one last dish coming: the arroz temporado. A creamy rich rice dish mixed with wild mushrooms, peas and manchego. The Count refused to have more. But I took one bite. I am not sure what the herb in the rice was but it was very strong. I had envisioned a risotto dish filled with mushrooms however, I think I spotted one or two mushrooms in the entire plate. Overall, this was my least favorite dish. 

Our dinner was Amada was exciting and flavorful. The bill came to just over $100 for the two of us. A bit expensive seeing that between the two of us we had two drinks and 7 small plates. However, the experience, service and ambiance was well worth it. 

Website: http://amadarestaurant.com/index.html

Menu: Click here

Type of food: Spanish Tapas

Ambiance: 5/5

Food: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Jamonera- Washington Square West (Philadelphia, USA)

We ended up at Jamonera quite randomly one evening while walking the streets of Philadelphia trying to get ourselves acquainted with the city. We stumbled upon 13th street which seemed like the place to be on a Monday night since all the restaurants were packed. Since then I have learned more about chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran and their 13th street empire. They practically own the entire block with Jamonera being one of several of their restaurants (which I have yet to try). 

Jamonera is a wine bar specializing in Spanish tapas. We walked in to a very dimly lit restaurant with red reflector lights displaying the wine bar and art work on the walls. We were immediately seated and served a small plate of gourmet olives. 

We started our dinner with the Crispy Cana de Cabra: fried goat cheese served with salad, picked cherries in a sherry vinaigrette.The goat cheese was creamy and crispy on the outside and combined well with the cherries and tangy flavors of the salad. 

The Papa Frita was next: a plate of crispy skin potatoes, wood smoked garlic aioli, brava salt and house made sherry vinegar-hot sauce. I found that the potato skins were not crispy but chewy. I don't like eating potato skins if its not completely crispy. Besides that, the pieces that didn't have the skin were good: crispy on the outside and well cooked on the inside. It was not an extraordinary dish and like many I've had at other tapas restaurants around the world. Perhaps, a bit too oily. 

Next was the Berenjenas: crispy eggplant served on top of a smoked tomato salmorejo and truffle honey layered with Parmesan. This was my favorite dish. I have never had eggplant served this way and thought it was a wonderful creation. I will definitely attempt to make this at home. The eggplant was crispy with the creaminess on the inside. The sauce went perfectly with the eggplant. 

By this point we were both full. The portions were much larger than we expected. Given the price I assumed the dishes would be a lot smaller so we had ordered more dishes than our stomachs could take in. 

Next was the Calamarest en su tinta: crispy calamari which was fried in its own black ink, served with lemon aioli and garlic chips. The Count is not a big fan of tentacles but I can't get enough. I think I finished this plate on my own. The Calamari was fresh and melted in my mouth, not at all chewy like I've had at other spots. I didn't really taste the ink and think it is added more for it's visual effect. It could have used more flavor as the calamari was a bit on the flavorless side and there was not enough lemon or dipping sauce to add the proper flavours. 

The next dish was a definite first: roasted Spanish peppers. It seemed to be quite a simple dish: peppers sauteed in olive oil sprinkled with salt and viola: a new favorite. I did find that it was a bit too oily but it was too good to care.  

We were so full but still had more food coming! Our last plate was the wild mushroom tosta: seared mushrooms, dry oloroso, cadi urgelia cheese, grilled ramps drizzled with truffle oil served on toast. The mushrooms were very strong and drowned out the other flavors. But overall it was a bit too oily for my taste buds. 

Stuffed at this point, the waiter came over with the dessert menu. The Count and I looked at each other and knew there was physically no more room for dessert. Maybe next time we will know better than to order half the menu!  

I enjoyed our meal at Jamonera. Overall, the dishes were delicious but a bit on the greasy side. Don't expect to have anything healthy if you are going here as many of the items have some fried element. It's a great place to dine for a small group as the restaurant is quite small and the tables are literally one right next to the other. If you don't like intimate settings where you can feel your neighbour breathing then ask for outdoor seating. 

Salú (New Orleans, USA)

Salu is located on Magazine street and offers hot and cold Spanish and Mediterranean tapas (although they also had some Indian dishes).  It is a pretty large restaurant offering both indoor and outdoor seating.  The interior dining area is decorated with eclectic art pieces and a hand-painted circular skylight designed by local artist E. Lee Jahncke.  There is also a large colorful bar offering a wide range of wines. 

This place has been around for over a year now; however, I've always passed it by without considering it. What a mistake! Everything from the decor, ambiance, service and food was great. The food....

...ahhh the food was delicious. Although I wouldn't exactly describe all the dishes as tapas since some came in large portions. We ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, Patatas Bravas, Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Empanadas and Grilled Lamb Lollipops. 

As soon as we finished ordering we were served with warm white bread and a plate of olive oil and herbs. Each plate came out as prepared. We went on a Thursday which also happened to be Paella night. 

The Grilled lamp lollipops was served on top of roasted red pepper fava bean hummus and crumbled goat cheese with two pieces of flat bread.

The wild mushroom and goat cheese empanadas was amazing. I could go back just for those. It was served in a delicious sauce with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. 

The patatas bravas (roasted potatoes served in tomato sauce) was perfect. Usually the skin is not crispy however this one was crispy yet absorbed in delicious sauce. 

And on to my favorite dish of the night, the Chicken tikka masala. The masala was a perfect blend of spices and flavors, served over top saffron rice and flat bread. It was delicious and the portion was huge considering it was meant to be a tapas...but I'm not one to complain about larger portions.