Has it only been five years? It hardly even seems possible that one dude has opened five crazy successful restaurants in one city in that amount of time (Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey), not to mention a market & cafe spot (Garces Trading Co.), a cute-as-buttons roving food truck (Guapos Tacos), and the coming-soon JG Domestic at the Cira Center and Frohman’s Wursthaus to bump up the restaurant count to seven. Oh, and the man is an Iron Chef now, too. Yeah. Exactly.
For the entire month of October, Amada will be offering a $65 per person Five Years La Mesa de Jose Tasting Menu to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the opening of Chef Jose Garces’ flagship restaurant and tapas bar as well as Garces’ general rise to power and his taking of the title of Supreme [But Benevolent] Overlord Of The Food Universe.

The anniversary menu will include some of Amada’s classic dishes, selections from Garces’ first cookbook Latin Evolution, and even some of the crazy shit he made up during Iron Chef America battles. Behold, a few teasers:
Cheese Mixto – Manchego, Garrotxa, Cadi Urgelia
Amada’s Empenada – spinach & Manchego-stuffed plantain pastry with artichoke & piquillo escabeche
Pulpo Gallego – Spanish octopus with smoked paprika
Pernil Asado – crispy roasted pork with rosemary white beans & Seville orange
Ensalada de Jamon – micro arugula/spinach salad with Cabrales blue cheese croquette, spiced almonds, smoked bacon lardons, and sherry vinaigrette (one of the ICA dishes)
PLUS – Amada’s blow-your-mind white, red, and seasonal sangrias

Chef Garces has given you many food hangovers, Philadelphia, and you likely got laid after taking a date or two there, so save those nickels for a couple of weeks, or dust off that credit (hah!) card you hid in your dresser drawer last year and go show the man some birthday love.

Amada, 217 Chestnut Street, (215) 625-2450