Chef Jose Garces To Open Amada

ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S TOP LATIN AMERICAN CHEFS JOSE GARCES TO OPEN AMADA


PHILADELPHIA, PA - Jose Garces, one of the country's top Latin-American chefs, will open his first restaurant, Amada, the city's only authentic Spanish tapas bar and restaurant, at 217 Chestnut Street, in October. Chef Garces will demonstrate his exceptional culinary talent with a menu of traditional tapas and his contemporary interpretations of Spanish cuisine. The highly anticipated Amada, which translates to "loved one," is destined to become one of the nation's best restaurants.


"By bringing Spanish tapas to Philadelphia, we are offering something that's been missing from the city's vibrant dining scene," says Garces, the young, 33-year-old Ecuadorian-American chef who has already mastered Peruvian, Cuban, Mexican and Spanish cuisines in his career. "I'm excited about pushing my creativity in a new direction with my own restaurant."


Garces has become widely recognized as a bona fide rising star in the culinary world. For the past two years, he simultaneously led the kitchens as Executive Chef at Philadelphia's Alma de Cuba and El Vez.


To create Amada, Garces collaborated with designer Jun Aizaki of the New York based firm Crhme, who started his career as project manager at Rockwell Group. Inspired by the hundreds of bars and small restaurants that the pair scouted during a recent visit to Spain, the design scheme captures the essence of a tapas bar, while simultaneously exuding a hip European-Bohemian vibe. Elements of the warm dicor will include rusticated metals, earth colored fabrics and dark woods. A fireplace, plaster walls with rustic antique finishes and wainscoting will add to the atmosphere.


Stepping into the large, 30-seat bar area, guests will feel as if they entered a typical Spanish bodega, complete with hanging jamons, whole cheeses, a European hand slicer and shelves brimming with canned goods. The bar will be lined with fresh made tapas, wooden sangria barrels and hundreds of stacked plates ready for Amada's daily creations.


Other features of Amada's welcoming design will include: a staging area for Flamenco performances and other exciting entertainment; and a lounge area with its own separate entrance where guests can mix and mingle.


The dining room's rustic motif will extend to the open kitchen where guests will have unobstructed views of Amada's talented chefs. The area will also offer a six-seat chef's table, where guests can enjoy dinner amidst the action, and enjoy Chef Garces' spur-of-the-moment creations.


To create the menu, Chef Garces drew from his work experiences and travels in Spain, where he sampled the styles and trends that the country's new culinary masters are putting forth.

"Traditionally tapas are light fare served at bars throughout Spain," says Chef Garces. "Depending on the region, they often consist of charcuterie and different types of seafood and various preparations of vegetables. It is a fun, casual way to share dishes amongst friends."


Working with this formula Chef Garces has drawn up an impressive menu of inspired creations that gives guests the opportunity to mix and share multiple dishes while enjoying drinks, or to sit down and indulge in a full meal. An extensive wine list will feature Spanish, Portuguese and American selections and there will be a cocktail menu including a variety of sangrias.


Tapas dishes will include: Serrano Ham; Shaved Mohama; Salchichon; Pulpo Gallego, extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, lemon squeeze and minced garlic; Gambas al Ajillo, garlic sliver crisps, chopped red chilies and extra virgin olive oil; Piquillos Rellenos, crab with toasted almonds, San Simon cheese, paprika sabayon and parsley oil; Pan con