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At about 5 p.m., Americans enjoy the cocktail hour, while the British sit down to afternoon tea. Spaniards, however, go to tapas bars to munch delicious nibbles with a glass of sherry.
Tapas run the gambit from slices of chorizo with manchego cheese to garlic shrimp in lemon-parsley sauce. The tapas hour does not replace dinner, which traditionally in Spain begins at about 10 p.m.
I have always loved Spanish food, but have had to travel to New York or Baltimore to dine in authentic Spanish restaurants. In this atmosphere, beef, poultry and seafood are enhanced by olive oil, garlic, parsley, almonds, lemons and oranges. Several months ago, I heard about a new Spanish restaurant called Amada and looked forward to its opening. The restaurant at 217 Chestnut St., most recently the home of the now-closed Adriatica, is open for business.
The bar area has been overhauled, complete with a gleaming white marble bar top, high stools, a display case packed with ham, sausages and cheeses, and shelves filled with olives, nuts, olive oil and other provisions for sale.
Edward, my mom, Berthe, and I settled into a roomy table. I sat on the leather banquette, which was most cozy. We sipped our usual martinis, which were good-sized and properly prepared for $10.
The Amada staff is first rate. Professional and courteous, they understand the menu, but that menu is impossible to read. It is a large sheet of paper with print so tiny few people would be able to understand the text. Thank goodness our waitress brought us a flashlight and explained each dish. She told us Amada intends to reprint the menu.
The presentation on the menu is a sort of mishmash. I’m calling it as such because the dishes are grouped willy-nilly. One doesn’t know if the fresh sardines will come out hot, cool or room temperature.
Our server brought a plate of crispy flatbreads along with a ramekin of fresh, homemade yellow fin tuna spread studded with capers. The dip was uncommonly good and a nice touch.
We ordered a selection of dishes and found the portions too small for the price. Four grilled fresh sardines ($8) arrived warm. They were simply cooked with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. The ensalada verde ($9) was a midsize mound of cool, blanched green beans, bite-sized bits of tender, pencil-thin asparagus, fava beans and specks of avocado tossed with fresh lettuce. The salad was dressed in a light vinaigrette.
Cod is the fish of choice in Spanish cuisine. Neighboring Portugal is famous for its Bacalhau, or salt cod. Several hundred years ago, Portuguese fishermen were the first to salt cod as soon as the fish was caught, creating a craving for it from Iberia to France and Italy. Codfish balls, formed into croquettes, are a traditional tapas and I looked forward to this dish at Amada.
The Bacalhau croquettes consisted of three round pieces the size of a golf ball. The salt cod was soaked, mixed with seasoning and a bit of crumbs before being fried to a golden brown. They were creamy inside as they should be, but $12 is a ridiculous price.
Everyone in our family loves baby artichokes and, at Amada, they were prepared with Parmesan. Tiny artichokes, with their stems, were cut in half lengthwise. They were steamed and served in three halves on the plate, but they, too, were overpriced at $10.
Clams and chorizo is a classic, traditional dish from Spain. At Amada we received a round heated earthenware vessel that contained about a dozen cockles, which are miniscule clams about the size of a baby’s thumbnail ($9). Several strips of slightly spicy chorizo were added along with a light sauce made with natural juices from the cockles and some white wine. A few pieces of grilled bread came with this dish.
There is a long list of specialty drinks, wines and sherries. Edward ordered a glass of Malbac ($7), which arrived half full. Malbac is a dry red wine from Argentina and fares well with tapas.
While ordering, we struck up a conversation with another couple that was finishing up their dinner with cheese and sherry. The couple said they spent $200, including tax and tip.
Our waitress, who served and cleared with ease, brought us a complimentary tuille for dessert. This cookie, which originated in France, was thin, long, crisp and topped with almonds.
Although we found the food tasty, prices at Amada are too high for such small portions. Tapas are the little dishes of Spain, but here one must spend a lot to satisfy an appetite.
Two tips of the toque to Amada.
Amada
217 Chestnut St.
Open for dinner seven days a week
Wheelchair-accessible with two steps required to enter the restaurant
Credit cards accepted.
215-625-2470
