Pig Out Event at Amada

A friend suggested we go to this "all you can eat pig" event at Amada in Old City. I had never (gasp!) been to Amada before, but I love anything pork related so it was a no brainer. This "Pig Out" event happens about twice a year at the restaurant. You can get the unlimited food menu for $55, or add endless Sangria for $75 (they have three types). 

The food menu- First Course: Spinach Salad, Chorizo A La Planxa, Padron Peppers

Second Course: Endless Suckling Pig, Rosemary White Beans, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Garbanzos A La Catalana

Dessert: Cochinillo Cookies (Bacon Shortbread, Nutella)

Our party of four had a great window seat, at a picnic style table on top of a rock/pebble floor. We all opted for the unlimited Sangria option, where we tried all three types (Blanco, Tinto, and some other fruity white one). Shortly after we sat down, the first course started coming. 

 

The Spinach Salad was exceptional. It has sliced spiced almonds, onions, blue cheese, and of course, bacon. It really had the right amount of dressing on it, and the flavors blended well- crisp, salty, sweet, and spicy.

The Chorizo was next, which was not the spiciest I’ve had but the flavors were good. Grilling it added a nice flavor as well.

I wouldn’t normally order the Padron Pepper, but I’m really glad we had them. I ate like 10 peppers this day. They were still a little crunchy and simply seasoned. There was a hummus-like sauce underneath that went really well, but I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was made of.

After all this, a fellow came over with a whole suckling pig on a cutting board and set it down on our table.

We got to watch him butcher the pig (including the head), and  taste pieces along the way. We asked for some of the skin, and my god, it was delicious! Perfectly crisp, salty, and tasted like they put butter on it as it cooked. We were also offered some brain, tongue and cheek (some tried, some did not).

Not that we noticed, but the waitress had brought over the sides to go with the pig.

The Garbanzos A La Catalana- garbanzo beans, edemame type beans, roasted red pepper, onion, cheese with a vinegar based marinade. Roasted Fingerling Potatoes- a big hit at the table! And, Rosemary White Beans- like smashed potatoes but with white beans, and with bacon added of course.

Here is a picture of the pig meat, which was probably the best pig I've had. The meat was very juicy and perfectly salty. They added some chicharron on the plate too, which was by far the best I've had, buttery, crisp, and salty. It really melts in your mouth after the initial crunch.

By the time dessert came, Nutella sandwiched between Bacon Shortbread, there was no hope . I had a couple bites, but really they made an even better snack the next day.

This was a great event, and totally worth the money spent. The food was amazing, and I’m still dreaming about it. Come hungry, really hungry. And, don't back down. Now I can't wait to go back to Amada to try the regular menu. ¡Ole!

7th Anniversary Brunch at Water Works

Water Works has always been intriguing with it's location along the Schuylkill River. It is a touch pricey, and I haven't heard enough rave reviews to commit to trying it out. I saw a tweet about their 7th Anniversary brunch and figured this would be a good opportunity to try it out. Every weekend they do The Grand Sunday Brunch, which is usually priced at $40 for adults. In celebration of their 7th year in business, they offered the full brunch buffet for $7, which included coffee and a mimosa. I made a reservation and moments later, it was booked solid.

The restaurant was a little hard to find at first, but we made it. It's behind the Art Museum, down the hill on the river. We got to see some pretty little sights on the way down though.

I was nervous that there would be way too many people there, and incredible lines. We waited about 3 minutes to be seated, and then had our waiter introduction and drinks about 5 minutes later. In the main dining room where the buffet is set up, there were several empty tables. I assume they capped the number of people they would have for this (Thank God). We sat at a booth inside facing the window, so we could see the river. I was actually thankful we didn't eat outside because it was incredibly hot and humid outside.

  

We got our water, coffee, and mimosas, and immediately hit up the buffet. I had a wait a few minutes in line, but it wasn't so bad. There were three main areas to the buffet, first the hot food/breakfast side. This included biscuits, bagels, lox, bacon, sausage, two kinds of potatoes, fruit, pancakes, French toast, and a made to order omelet station.

As you can see, I went with a biscuit, which was actually really good- very moist and buttery. I normally don’t go for sweet breakfast foods, but I did try the French toast. It was just ok. The flavor was good, but it was a little soggy, like it was made in mass quantities and had been sitting for a while (casualty of buffet foods). I had to get bacon and sausage too, which were both really good. The omelet was also great. I went with crab, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta. I was pleased that they had two people cooking them, so it moved fast.

The other side featured more of the lunch items- salad, cous cous, cold pasta, cheese plate, cooked veggies, raw oysters, mussels, shrimp cocktail, cooked salmon, beef tips, sweet potato puree, fried chicken wings, a carving station with prime rib and ham, and a made to order crepe station.

The oysters, shrimp, and salmon were really good. The mussels were a touch dry. The roasted Mediterranean veggies were also good, seasoned and still a little crispy. The fried chicken wings were nothing to brag about, because they were pretty cold. What isn't pictured is my 2 lbs of cheese cubes (blue, cheddar, gouda, Swiss). The beef tips were a little dry, but had a good sauce on top (almost tasted like a bbq sauce). The prime rib was nicely flavored, and pretty juicy. I really didn't have room to try much else.

They also had made to order waffles and a huge table of very fancy looking desserts. I'm not a dessert person, so I didn't really eat any. I noticed some little cheesecake bites, cups of chocolate mousse, pastries, cakes, etc...I wish I got a picture.

The best part of this restaurant was the atmosphere for sure. Great views, both inside and out. Especially for a buffet, the food was great!