Iron Chef Jose Garces Expands Spanish Tapas Restaurant + Chef's Guacamole Recipe
Garces opens his eighth restaurant in one year
Philadelphia suburbs get James Beard Award Winning Iron Chef Jose Garces’ restaurant concept, Amada Radnor. This is the third outpost, Amada operates two locations, one in Historic Philadelphia and the other in Atlantic City.
Amada is considered one of Philadelphia's essential restaurants and the Spanish tapas concept won Garces the Best Chef MidAtlantic James Beard Award in 2009. When Garces went out on his own in 2005, Amada was the first restaurant he opened.
The newest addition features 7,000 square feet of space for indoor and outdoor dining, with seating for an estimated 250 guests, two outdoor patios, a private dining room for 45 people, and a newly renovated bar that will seat around 25.
The menu at Amada will include a variety of dishes from the Philadelphia original such as the classic Amada’s Empanada with Spanish Manchego and artichoke escabeche, an homage to the meal he would prepare with his grandmother for family gatherings and Tortilla Española, Spanish tortilla served with a saffron aioli. Amada Radnor will also feature brand new Gin Tonic Experiences with a cart that arrives tableside inviting the guests to partake in creating the perfect Gin Tonic to pair with their meal.
"Amada is near and dear to my heart," said Garces. "It was the very first restaurant I opened when I went out on my own in 2005. It will be a great addition to the exciting and rapidly growing Main Line dining scene. We have so many Garces fans from over the years come join us in Old City, and now we are bringing the concept right to them in their own backyards."
Chef Jose Garces Guacamole Recipe
Guacamole
Ingredients:
4 each Ripe Avocados
1/4c Diced, Roasted Jalapeno (skin and seeds removed)
1/3c Washed, Chopped Cilantro Leaves
1 tsp Salt
2/3c Diced White Onion
3.5-4oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Cotija Cheese
Remove the skin and pits from the avocados and place them into a mixing bowl. Lightly smash the avocados with a spoon or preferably your hands. The avocados should remain chunky. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until it all binds together. Taste your guacamole and add more salt or lime juice if needed. Because avocados vary in size, it’s important to check for seasoning before finishing. Serve immediately with your favorite chips, topped with the grated cotija cheese.
Recipe Tips from Chef Garces
Get Haas avocados when they are green.
Apply medium pressure with your thumb if it creates a little dimple, it is ripe.
If you can't create an indentation then the avocado is under ripe.
If you can put your thumb all the way through the avocado then its overripened.
Don’t skip roasting the jalapeño, it makes the recipe!