Amada
217 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Mr. B and I went to Amada with two of my coworkers for a long lunch during the week. We didn't get there until 1pm and we waited about 15 minutes to get a seat. Between the four of us, we decided to get a pitcher of red sangria (sangria tinto) and it was delicious! It was just enough for about a glass and a half/two glasses each.
The lunch menu is not very extensive, but everything looked good. We each ordered one or two tapas and a sandwich. I got the Piquillos Rellenos, which are crab stuffed peppers. The red peppers were sweet and the entire thing was filled with lump crabmeat...soo good! Mr. B got the Shrimp a la Plancha, which are garlic shrimp and they were ok. One of them did have it's eyes and legs still attached, so beware! My coworkers ordered the mixed olives, which I didn't have any of because I'm not an olive fan. They also ordered the Aged Manchengo and I could have eaten it all day long. It was absolutely divine! We also got an order of Chorizo and the Chipirones and they were both amazing.
They guys got the Serano Ham sandwich and it was overflowing with meat. They all said that it was delicious. I got the Chicken sandwich with bacon, tomato and parmesan cheese...it was also delicious. All of the sandwiches came with patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) and I was really disappointed with them. They were one of my favorite tapas in Spain and it was really a let down. They were just overcooked fries with a little bit of sauce on them...blah. They weren't even spicy. That was honestly the only negative of the entire lunch.
I can't wait to go back to Amada and I highly recommend it! I give it 4.5 bulls out of 5.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Dublin--Last days
Our third full day in Dublin we went to the Guinness Factory and the Jameson Distillery. I absolutely loved the Guinness Factory. We spent a good 4 or so hours in there going through the self-guided tour. That place is amazing! N and I both got to pour our own pints of Guinness and I think we did the best. We even got certificates!!
After drinking some beer we headed back to the hotel to drop off all of the Guinness propaganda that we bought and then quick caught a bus back into the city for some fish and chips. I had some lemon sole and it was delicious!!
The Jameson Distillery isn't in the best part of town, but we took the tram over there to get our drink on. The distillery isn't where they make the actual whiskey anymore, so it's more of a museum with a bar. We both volunteered to do a taste testing, which was fun. I'm not much of a whiskey drinker, but I like Jameson! I bought a bottle of 12year old whiskey for Mr. B while we were there. We also took some glasses from our tasting ;-) Gotta love free souvenirs!
We did some more shopping afterwards and got some food in the room. The next day we were on a mission to find everything that we couldn't find before. We ate at Lemon again--love their chai! We were able to find the Dublin castle, which was very cool and we also found St. Patrick's Cathedral :) N and I also made a stop at Temple Bar for a drink and had a nice conversation with an Irish guy that claimed to be an ex-pro golfer. On the way back to the hotel that night we almost got into a scuffle with this supremely rude guy on the bus. He pushed past N even though we were obviously getting off of the bus too, so we gave him a Philly-style verbal beat down. He didn't like that too much and ran far, far away from us. It was pretty funny.
That night we just did some packing. We had alot of 'free' souvenirs to pack and my luggage got a nice heavy tag on it, but no extra charge, which was nice. I'm so glad that I went to Ireland. It was a blast!
After drinking some beer we headed back to the hotel to drop off all of the Guinness propaganda that we bought and then quick caught a bus back into the city for some fish and chips. I had some lemon sole and it was delicious!!
The Jameson Distillery isn't in the best part of town, but we took the tram over there to get our drink on. The distillery isn't where they make the actual whiskey anymore, so it's more of a museum with a bar. We both volunteered to do a taste testing, which was fun. I'm not much of a whiskey drinker, but I like Jameson! I bought a bottle of 12year old whiskey for Mr. B while we were there. We also took some glasses from our tasting ;-) Gotta love free souvenirs!
We did some more shopping afterwards and got some food in the room. The next day we were on a mission to find everything that we couldn't find before. We ate at Lemon again--love their chai! We were able to find the Dublin castle, which was very cool and we also found St. Patrick's Cathedral :) N and I also made a stop at Temple Bar for a drink and had a nice conversation with an Irish guy that claimed to be an ex-pro golfer. On the way back to the hotel that night we almost got into a scuffle with this supremely rude guy on the bus. He pushed past N even though we were obviously getting off of the bus too, so we gave him a Philly-style verbal beat down. He didn't like that too much and ran far, far away from us. It was pretty funny.
That night we just did some packing. We had alot of 'free' souvenirs to pack and my luggage got a nice heavy tag on it, but no extra charge, which was nice. I'm so glad that I went to Ireland. It was a blast!
Dublin--Day 3
On our second full day in Dublin (day 3 of our trip) we decided that we had spent enough time getting lost in the city that we had found our way around. We took the train up to the town of Malahide to see the Malahide Castle. The round trip train ride was pretty inexpensive and the train was pretty nice. The ride there only took about 30 minutes.
Right outside the station there was a really pretty church. We took some pictures and then headed towards the castle. The walk there was never ending, but it was pretty cool because you're just walking on a paved path through the forest. The castle was really pretty and had really lush green land around it. I was upset that we weren't allowed to take pics inside, but N snuck some pictures in some of the rooms. The entire place was really small and I found myself ducking down in alot of doorways.
We were just leaving the castle to make the trek back into the town of Malahide to get something to eat and this lady came up to us with her daughter, her bike and a dog. We thought she was going to ask us to watch the bike, but she asked us to watch the dog. I was amazed by how trusting she was. I guess she figured that alot of tourists visit the castle and what are they going to do with someone's dog while they're on vacation? The dog was really cute and her name was Oscar, which is the same as N's doggie :) She must have been some kind of pug mix because she kept doing this snorty-grunt thing. So cute!!!
N and I tooled around the town a bit, but decided to eat at one of the first places we saw, Duffy's. We were just about to cross the street to go in and we saw this guy trying to parallel park. A cab driver was behind him and kept inching up even though the guy was obviously trying to park. The guy parking opens his door, leans out of the car and starts yelling, "Are you trying to be an asshole, or were you just born that way?!" at the cabbie while STILL parallel parking. The cab driver parks his car and gets out to ask the guy what he said and yell at him some more. I'm not lying when I tell you that the guy in the car parked his car perfectly while having an argument with this guy. Now they're both out of their cars yelling at each other and then the next thing you know they throw their hands up in the air and go their separate ways. I wish we would have taken a picture or video. It was so hilarious!
Our lunch at Duffy's was very good and not at all what I was expecting. I had a wrap with some spicy chicken, cheese and red peppers, which came with crisps (potato chips) and N had a grilled cheese with chips (french fries). We both got a pint of Bulmer's, which is a delicious hard cider that tastes like apple juice. The pub was really empty for lunch time, so we still don't know when people from Ireland eat their meals.
We took the train back to the city and tried to find St. Patrick's Cathedral, but to no avail. We did find Christ Catholic Cathedral and this really delicious pastry place called, Queen of Tarts, which I highly recommend!! After that we were both pretty tired, so we went to Spar and got some booze for the room. Booze and cookies...mmmm....
Right outside the station there was a really pretty church. We took some pictures and then headed towards the castle. The walk there was never ending, but it was pretty cool because you're just walking on a paved path through the forest. The castle was really pretty and had really lush green land around it. I was upset that we weren't allowed to take pics inside, but N snuck some pictures in some of the rooms. The entire place was really small and I found myself ducking down in alot of doorways.
We were just leaving the castle to make the trek back into the town of Malahide to get something to eat and this lady came up to us with her daughter, her bike and a dog. We thought she was going to ask us to watch the bike, but she asked us to watch the dog. I was amazed by how trusting she was. I guess she figured that alot of tourists visit the castle and what are they going to do with someone's dog while they're on vacation? The dog was really cute and her name was Oscar, which is the same as N's doggie :) She must have been some kind of pug mix because she kept doing this snorty-grunt thing. So cute!!!
N and I tooled around the town a bit, but decided to eat at one of the first places we saw, Duffy's. We were just about to cross the street to go in and we saw this guy trying to parallel park. A cab driver was behind him and kept inching up even though the guy was obviously trying to park. The guy parking opens his door, leans out of the car and starts yelling, "Are you trying to be an asshole, or were you just born that way?!" at the cabbie while STILL parallel parking. The cab driver parks his car and gets out to ask the guy what he said and yell at him some more. I'm not lying when I tell you that the guy in the car parked his car perfectly while having an argument with this guy. Now they're both out of their cars yelling at each other and then the next thing you know they throw their hands up in the air and go their separate ways. I wish we would have taken a picture or video. It was so hilarious!
Our lunch at Duffy's was very good and not at all what I was expecting. I had a wrap with some spicy chicken, cheese and red peppers, which came with crisps (potato chips) and N had a grilled cheese with chips (french fries). We both got a pint of Bulmer's, which is a delicious hard cider that tastes like apple juice. The pub was really empty for lunch time, so we still don't know when people from Ireland eat their meals.
We took the train back to the city and tried to find St. Patrick's Cathedral, but to no avail. We did find Christ Catholic Cathedral and this really delicious pastry place called, Queen of Tarts, which I highly recommend!! After that we were both pretty tired, so we went to Spar and got some booze for the room. Booze and cookies...mmmm....
Dublin --Day 2
Now we have about 6 hours before we can actually get into our hotel room and pass out, so we hop a bus into the city center. We walked around and saw a few sights and then we got lost in the never ending loop of Indian restaurants and Trinity College. We also found this really cute little crepe cafe called Lemon. I had a Chai and a scone and N had some tea and a chocolate croissant.
Trinity College was a really pretty campus, but they had absolutely no bathrooms. We went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, but alas, it didn't open until noon and it was 8euro to see it. We did see a big shiny gold ball and a SHAG week sign, which was quite interesting. We also saw the pub, The Hairy Lemon. It too was not open yet. I'm really not sure what Ireland's work hours are, but I think I should move there. No one works during the day and everything closes at 6 or 7 pm. On Sundays it's a ghost town. We were able to find a Pizza Hut, but it definitely wasn't the same as US Pizza Huts. No breadsticks :(
The Hairy Lemon
Oh yes, SHAG week!
Trinity College Campus
We decided to go to a free museum to see what kind of art Dublin had in store for us. There were these trecherous stairs that I fell up and then I fell asleep on a bench. The curator guy kept giving me dirty looks because we were sitting in front of these little kids drawing. He probably thought I was some kind of petaphile or something. I was so tempted to just lie down on the bench, but I figured that getting kicked out of a museum on your first day in the city isn't wise.
We took a bus back to the hotel and I proceeded to tell my mom the whole arrival story and then I laughed until I was crying. I was absolutely delirous! We decided to take a nap, which turned into 6 hours. Nothing was open for dinner by that time so we walked down to the convenience store called, Spar. We would frequent this place at least once a night. It was awesome because they had food and booze! We got our goodies and headed back to the hotel room. Mmmm...chocolate wafer cookies...I had them in Spain and had been craving them since :)
Trinity College was a really pretty campus, but they had absolutely no bathrooms. We went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, but alas, it didn't open until noon and it was 8euro to see it. We did see a big shiny gold ball and a SHAG week sign, which was quite interesting. We also saw the pub, The Hairy Lemon. It too was not open yet. I'm really not sure what Ireland's work hours are, but I think I should move there. No one works during the day and everything closes at 6 or 7 pm. On Sundays it's a ghost town. We were able to find a Pizza Hut, but it definitely wasn't the same as US Pizza Huts. No breadsticks :(
Center of Dublin
The Hairy Lemon
Oh yes, SHAG week!
Trinity College Campus
We decided to go to a free museum to see what kind of art Dublin had in store for us. There were these trecherous stairs that I fell up and then I fell asleep on a bench. The curator guy kept giving me dirty looks because we were sitting in front of these little kids drawing. He probably thought I was some kind of petaphile or something. I was so tempted to just lie down on the bench, but I figured that getting kicked out of a museum on your first day in the city isn't wise.
We took a bus back to the hotel and I proceeded to tell my mom the whole arrival story and then I laughed until I was crying. I was absolutely delirous! We decided to take a nap, which turned into 6 hours. Nothing was open for dinner by that time so we walked down to the convenience store called, Spar. We would frequent this place at least once a night. It was awesome because they had food and booze! We got our goodies and headed back to the hotel room. Mmmm...chocolate wafer cookies...I had them in Spain and had been craving them since :)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Big Weekend Plans
I have zero big weekend plans, so I hope to be able to update by blog with Ireland stories and pics. I must also tell about the drama of the best man and his baby's mama.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Dublin, Ireland--Day 1 and a half
I got back from a 5 day trip to Ireland a few weeks ago, but I've been so busy since that I haven't been able to post. I went with my friend, N. because her mom couldn't go and I'm so glad I decided to go!
We left on Valentine's Day out of JFK airport and flew Delta airlines. Checking in was a PITA because they didn't have all of the booths filled and people were being obnoxious. When we finally got up to the desk to check in, we were told the flight was overbooked and that we didn't have an assigned seat. Wonderful.
We make it safely through security and to our gate, and the Delta guy at our desk tells us that they'll call our name for our seat assignments. We're both starving, so we go to get a sandwich. We went back to the gate and just as we sit down they announce that they're boarding in 10 minutes. That's great, but we don't have seats!!!! We run up to the desk and the guy that we just talked to 15 minutes before is wondering why we look so scared. Umm, maybe because we don't have seats?! The idiot had the tickets right there and never called our names.
So we get on the plane and I'm excited because I have a window. I like my arm room and I like to be able to put my leg in the aisle. So N is in the middle seat and the window seat person hasn't come yet, so I'm thinking maybe it will be empty. WRONG! This girl that looks like she's going to hurl any second comes stumbling down the aisle and stops at my arm. She wants to know if she can sit on the end because she's not feeling well. How about you sit somewhere else because you're not feeling well?!
Being the pushover I am, I scooted over and ended up in the middle seat. Thank god N is small because sick girl kept pushing over in my seat and I had to lean half way in N's seat to be comfy. There were 2 good things about the flight though: free booze and in-seat TV's with free movies and games.
We arrived at Dublin Airport at 5:30am on Sunday the 15th; 2 hours ahead of schedule. We take a bus to the hotel and have to cram in with all of our luggage. The stop before our hotel an older woman gets on with a little cart and stands right in front of us. The bus stops at our stop and I tell her we need to get off. She moves her cart sideways and tells me to squeeze through; not likely lady. I have a huge piece of luggage that is bigger than you and there's no way I'm getting through. After numerous attempts, she realizes that she needs to move completely out of the way, except now all of the people that wanted to get on the bus have gotten on and blocked the exit. It takes another 5 minutes before they actually realize that they have to move, but it's only because they got forcibly pushed out of the door.
We trek up to the hotel and are told by the front desk clerk that they are fully booked--see a pattern here?! They tell us that we can't check into our room until 2pm. It is now 7:45am and I haven't slept in forever. So we leave our bags with them, grab our umbrellas and head out into Dublin city.
We left on Valentine's Day out of JFK airport and flew Delta airlines. Checking in was a PITA because they didn't have all of the booths filled and people were being obnoxious. When we finally got up to the desk to check in, we were told the flight was overbooked and that we didn't have an assigned seat. Wonderful.
We make it safely through security and to our gate, and the Delta guy at our desk tells us that they'll call our name for our seat assignments. We're both starving, so we go to get a sandwich. We went back to the gate and just as we sit down they announce that they're boarding in 10 minutes. That's great, but we don't have seats!!!! We run up to the desk and the guy that we just talked to 15 minutes before is wondering why we look so scared. Umm, maybe because we don't have seats?! The idiot had the tickets right there and never called our names.
So we get on the plane and I'm excited because I have a window. I like my arm room and I like to be able to put my leg in the aisle. So N is in the middle seat and the window seat person hasn't come yet, so I'm thinking maybe it will be empty. WRONG! This girl that looks like she's going to hurl any second comes stumbling down the aisle and stops at my arm. She wants to know if she can sit on the end because she's not feeling well. How about you sit somewhere else because you're not feeling well?!
Being the pushover I am, I scooted over and ended up in the middle seat. Thank god N is small because sick girl kept pushing over in my seat and I had to lean half way in N's seat to be comfy. There were 2 good things about the flight though: free booze and in-seat TV's with free movies and games.
We arrived at Dublin Airport at 5:30am on Sunday the 15th; 2 hours ahead of schedule. We take a bus to the hotel and have to cram in with all of our luggage. The stop before our hotel an older woman gets on with a little cart and stands right in front of us. The bus stops at our stop and I tell her we need to get off. She moves her cart sideways and tells me to squeeze through; not likely lady. I have a huge piece of luggage that is bigger than you and there's no way I'm getting through. After numerous attempts, she realizes that she needs to move completely out of the way, except now all of the people that wanted to get on the bus have gotten on and blocked the exit. It takes another 5 minutes before they actually realize that they have to move, but it's only because they got forcibly pushed out of the door.
We trek up to the hotel and are told by the front desk clerk that they are fully booked--see a pattern here?! They tell us that we can't check into our room until 2pm. It is now 7:45am and I haven't slept in forever. So we leave our bags with them, grab our umbrellas and head out into Dublin city.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ireland bound
This weekend a friend and I are going to Dublin, Ireland. I've never been there and I'm getting pretty excited. I haven't been sleeping well the past few days because I'm a worrier. I can't help it and it makes my stomach hurt. I'm not nervous about flying or being in a different country, it's more that I just want everything to work out. I want us to not hit any traffic and make it to the airport ok. I'd like it if we could get good seats on the plane and not have any problems getting the tickets. It would also make me happy if the plane is on time and not crowded. I've been worrying alot about packing, but haven't really started.
Tomorrow is my packing day and I've already started an extensive list. I usually overpack, so I'm going to try to bring the bare minimum, which for me is probably 10 lbs more than I should bring. I still have to empty my camera memory sticks from Spain.
Mr. B and I are also going to try to get some Valentine's Day stuff in tomorrow. I'm really not sure what we're doing besides drinking a bottle of wine that we brought back from Spain, but that already sounds good to me! I got Mr. B a North Face fleece and I can put it on here because he's had it since January. It wasn't something he needed, but he definitely wanted it and wouldn't buy it for himself.
Ireland is going to be fun and from what I've heard, the people there are friendly and the booze is plentiful. I'll definitely post some pictures when we get back!
Tomorrow is my packing day and I've already started an extensive list. I usually overpack, so I'm going to try to bring the bare minimum, which for me is probably 10 lbs more than I should bring. I still have to empty my camera memory sticks from Spain.
Mr. B and I are also going to try to get some Valentine's Day stuff in tomorrow. I'm really not sure what we're doing besides drinking a bottle of wine that we brought back from Spain, but that already sounds good to me! I got Mr. B a North Face fleece and I can put it on here because he's had it since January. It wasn't something he needed, but he definitely wanted it and wouldn't buy it for himself.
Ireland is going to be fun and from what I've heard, the people there are friendly and the booze is plentiful. I'll definitely post some pictures when we get back!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Annoyed
I don't understand why people have to mess with other people on the internet. They just ruin it for everyone else. There are really some crazy ass people out there. People that will stop at nothing to make other people's lives miserable just for $hits and giggles. Get a life. Stop your stupid $hit. You're crazy and we all know it now.
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