I dined at Amada in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s, Ocean Casino Resort for a lunch and learn event with Chef Jose Garces. The chef’s original Amada location in Philadelphia is celebrating its 18th year. Amada offers Spanish cuisine and tapas-style dishes.
© Katie Skrzek
Our group was greeted with a welcome glass of prosecco upon arrival, and we made our way to our table. A plate of crackers, Marcona almonds, olives and tuna dip sat at each table. The event was packed, but the servers didn’t miss a beat with timely service throughout the meal. The tapas-style menu included lamb meatballs, short rib flatbreads, chickpea and spinach stew, cauliflower and grilled chicken. Dessert was olive oil cake. There wasn’t a weak link in the meal, though my favorites were the flatbread and cauliflower. The flatbread was topped with beef short rib, horseradish, Parmesan and bacon. The flavor combination was perfect. Cauliflower isn’t my favorite vegetable, but I loved the preparation of the sweet stem cauliflower at Amada, which was grilled and topped with a light lemon Parmesan cream.
© Katie Skrzek
We enjoyed excellent wine pairings with the dishes, including Albarino, Rioja and sherry with dessert. Each of the dishes highlighted Andalucían cuisine, and the wine pairings elevated the dishes even further.
Throughout the meal, Garces delighted diners with anecdotes of his time as an Iron Chef and other culinary tales. After lunch, I had the opportunity to speak to Garces. His upcoming plans include franchising his fast-casual Bueno Ondo restaurant and expanding his retail business, Casa Verde.
If your travels bring you to Atlantic City, a visit to Amada is a must.
Ocean Casino Resort
500 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
tel 609 783 8000
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