AMADA (New York, NY)

There are so many restaurants in the state of New York that you can’t go wrong with what you choose.  Unless your restaurant choices suck, then you’ll need to reevaluate your life or let someone else choose for you like you’re a 5 year old child that can’t decide on which body part of the animal cracker to eat first.  (Just so you know, always eat the head first, they feel it less.)  I chose this restaurant because it’s budget friendly, has an extensive menu, and did I mention it was budget friendly?  Let me also state that this restaurant is absolutely beautiful.  High ceilings, dim lighting, and an attentive staff makes this restaurant worth making a priority.

This restaurant is located a few steps from the water so after dinner you can walk across the board walk and see the Hudson River.  It was really nice outside when I went so I decided to sit outside to enjoy dinner.  I can honestly say that their outside patio looks better than some restaurants inside furniture, and that’s saying a lot.  I could discuss the exterior and interior of this restaurant all day, but you most likely came here for the food review, so let’s get to it.

Several dishes were ordered.  I did mention that the restaurant is budget friendly.  Chickpeas & Spinach, Roasted Pork, Scallops, Crab Stuffed Peppers, Razor Clams, and Wagyu were all on tonight’s menu.  Let’s start off with the Crab Stuffed Peppers.  The Stuffed Peppers were some of the most flavorful stuffed peppers I’ve ever had in my life.  It was cheesy, they weren’t too spicy, and they were very generous with the crab meat.  The Stuffed Peppers also were topped with toasted almonds which I wasn’t a fan of so I kindly removed them from the dish.  The original name for this dish is called “Piquillos Rellenos”, please… Don’t ask me how to pronounce it.  I actually thought that this dish would be a little bigger than it was, but I had to remind myself that these were small plates.  This dish is a great starter for two people to share.

The next dish on the list was the Pernil Asado.  It consisted of Roasted Pork, White Beans, and Orange.  The Roasted Pork was cooked to perfection and was very flavorful.  The skin was extremely crispy and the beans with orange complimented each other nicely.  I’ve had roasted pork before which was very dry, but the pork that was provided was fatty, which I love, and had a nice texture to it.  It was extremely juicy, almost as if it was infused with another ingredient, and meaty.  I was very satisfied with this dish.

The third dish that was ordered was the Wagyu Brochettes.  It consisted of Wagyu and Potatoes on a stick with a red wine sauce.  The meat, although wasn’t asked how I wanted it prepared, was made at a medium temperature.  You can taste the juices with each bite that was taken.  It was salty, sweet, and the potato added the starch to bring out the “meat and potatoes” concept.  There are so many things I can say about this dish, but you’d actually have to get there and try it to understand how I feel.

The fourth dish that was ordered were the Vieiras.  Those are Diver Scallops.  The scallops were complimented with a pesto buttery sauce.  Although these scallops were inhaled, I’d have to admit that they were a bit undercooked.  They were a little mushy, but the texture didn’t bother me, although I could see how it could bother others.  This was one of those dishes that goes great with the Wagyu.  These scallops were great for the perfect “surf and turf” dish.  They provide you with four nice sized scallops on two sticks so you and someone else could share.

The fifth dish that was ordered was the Garbanzon Con Espinacas which was Chickpeas & Spinach.  This dish wasn’t particularly my favorite but I’m happy it was ordered.  The chickpeas weren’t too dry and it was surrounded by a tomato based sauce.  The spinach that was in the dish was a little scarce.  I would’ve loved to see more spinach in this dish, but because spinach wilts into nothing, I’m pretty sure a bunch of spinach was added to this dish before it was cooked.  This is a excellent side dish to order, although I did have my eye on the Parmesan Artichokes.  Maybe next time?

Last but not least we have the Navajas.  Navajas are Razor Clams.  These clams were the best clams I’ve ever tasted in my life.  I’ve never had razor clams before so I was excited to try these.  The clams were cooked with shallots and garlic and a pesto sauce was added for extra flavor.  The clams were sweet, buttery, and tender.  Have you ever had razor clams?  I’m not sure if the restaurant provided me with a nice size portion of clams but I was thoroughly satisfied with the amount of Clams that was provided.

Overall, this restaurant is a seek and find immediately.  It’s a beautiful restaurant for special occasions, date nights, or just to have a nice drink.  The flavors and extensive menu is worth the travel alone.  If you decide to go to New York make sure this restaurant is on your list.

OVERALL RATING : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE