Ristorante Amada Amante, Chef Saul Marino on Traville Gateway Drive in Potomac - Closed

[Heather]

My dinner tonight was moved from Jaleo in Bethesda to Amada Amante in Potomac. There's no thread on it...has anyone been there?

[porcupine]

My dinner tonight was moved from Jaleo in Bethesda to Amada Amante in Potomac.  There's no thread on it...has anyone been there?

 Rocks is going to hate me for posting too many times today, but...

Yes. For lunch 2 years ago. It really wasn't bad, but overpriced, and I recall thinking that the chef just doesn't get it. You know how it is when someone has a familiarity with today's innovative cusine, and tries to cobble something together based on that, and the execution is fine but the combinations don't quite work, like the chef is trying too hard? It was like that.

...just checked my notes from that lunch. I had farfalle with peas and pancetta, and wrote that it was a tad undersalted and the egg and cream sauce way too rich. My friend's deesert was eggnog creme brulee served with a scopp of ice cream: egg and cream flavored egg and cream dessert served with a scoop of egg and cream. That's what I mean by "not quite getting it".

Please, someone out there prove me wrong. This was two years ago, after all. Tell me that Amada Amante has morphed into a neighborhood gem. Please?

[DanielK]

My dinner tonight was moved from Jaleo in Bethesda to Amada Amante in Potomac.  There's no thread on it...has anyone been there?

Once, a couple of years ago. It's owned by the same people as Agrodolce.

I thought it was outrageously overpriced, and that was after using an Entertainment card for a discount. Agrodolce is ok if you stick to simple things. The menu at Amada Amante reads like the menu of an expensive restaurant, but I didn't find anything that lived up to the star billing on the menu. Try to stick to simple grilled items, and avoid anything that looks like it belongs on the menu at Corduroy.

Sorry.

[bioesq]

My dinner tonight was moved from Jaleo in Bethesda to Amada Amante in Potomac. There's no thread on it...has anyone been there?

I've eaten well at Amada, but there can be maddening lapses in the service and execution of some of the seafood entrees that makes it more of an adventure than it should be. Phil Burleson is a wonderful chef, and his Duck 3 Ways and stuffed veal rack are things of beauty. So are the Wasabi-crusted fried oysters. But beware the risottos if he's not in the kitchen. Also, he changes his menu quite often so you may not find any of the above items this evening.

I look forward to hearing about your evening there.

[Heather]

...just checked my notes from that lunch.  I had farfalle with peas and pancetta, and wrote that it was a tad undersalted and the egg and cream sauce way too rich.  My friend's dessert was eggnog creme brulee served with a scoop of ice cream:  egg and cream flavored egg and cream dessert served with a scoop of egg and cream.  That's what I mean by "not quite getting it".

That dessert sounds like it was developed by the Department of Redundancy Department.

Try to stick to simple grilled items, and avoid anything that looks like it belongs on the menu at Corduroy.

Thanks Dan, that's very helpful. I'll report back tomorrow. Wasabi crusted fried oysters sounds vaguely promising.

Heather (eating there so you don't have to. )

[Heather]

Amada Amante aspires to be a destination restaurant for the acres of immaculate McMansions popping up all over Potomac. A Galileo for people with more money than taste.

It is never a good sign to open a menu and at almost every item not be intrigued, but rather wonder "how on Earth will they pull that off?" Both my appetizer and main had serious flaws in conception and execution. Add haphazard plating of $25-30 dishes, uneven food temperature, an inflated and boring wine list, and perfunctory (if that) service and the sum is a restaurant I don't plan on returning to.

[MarkS]

I just noticed they are under new management since the summer. Has anyone been there. The happy hour looks decent($% burgers). I live close by and had high hopes when they opened but $200 for a dinner in Rockville was not worth the product they were producing. They had high hopes but did not suceed.

Anyone been recently.

[MarkS]

I went for Happy Hour last week and would go back again(I live very close) $5 martini's(from a set of choices) as wellas $5 mussels and burgers. We had the musells and thought they were good.

Not a huge space but if you live in the area, worth checking out.

[dinwiddie]

Last night we were looking for somewhere to eat that we had never been before. So I got on OpenTable and made a reservation at Amada Amante, located at 9755 Traville Gateway Drive in Rockville.

The restaurant is quite nice inside, dark woods, nice booths, etc. We were seated next to a group of about 16 highschoolers who were going to a prom (or one would assume from the way they were dressed, even though it was after 8pm) but they weren't too loud (although the white tuxs and seaquened dresses were pretty tacky according to my wife.)

My son ordered the Calamari Neapolitan as his starter. It was sauteed calamari in a spicy tomato broth, garlic, white wine, and red onions. The sauce was pretty good, but the calamari was a tiny bit overcooked and rubbery, and tasted very fishy. He then had the personal sized (all the pizzas are personal sized, and really pretty large) Pizza Bianco, a garlic crusted white pizza with Fontina, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Pecorino Romano. It was not bad at all. He also had a side size serving of Spaghetti alla Carbonara. The description says it comes with "a touch of cream", but the touch was very heavy and it was much too creamy, almost an Alfredo without the cheese.

My wife ordered the Frisée and Arugola salad and asked that the balsamic vinaigrette be served on the side. When the salad arrived, it was already dressed. The server immediately took it back and brought her one that was done properly. However, the salad had obviously been in the cooler because it was very cold. However, once it warmed up a little, she said it was very good. She also ordered a Grilled Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza. It was made with Mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, White Truffle oil, and parsley and had a spread of nicely grilled thin asparagus. Again, not bad.

I ordered the Crustini 3 Ways, described as grilled rustic bread topped with fresh tomatoes salsa, olive and roasted red pepper tepenade, proscuitto-basil-mozzarella. Actually it was three large squares of pizza dough that had been baked then topped. The soft bread was a little offputting, and the toppings, while not bad, were lacking in any intensity of flavor. All were nicely done, but just didn't have any ooomph. I followed it with a Mushroom Risotto, described as Morels and Porcini mushrooms, Marsala-vegetable stock Rissotto, finished in butter. I was suprised that it came out, not in a bowl, but rather as a formed mound. It was not creamy at all like a good rissotto should be. However, the flavor was ok, but I've had many better.

The wine list was pretty good, nothing to write home about if you are a wine geek like me, but well priced, especially for Montgomery County, and more than adequate to be able to find a good choice to match any meal served there. Service was excellent, attentive, polite and efficient.

Bottom line, while this is not a bad place to eat, I wouldn't seek it out. I like the wood fired pizza at Ricutti's better for the same price. The appetizers were not especially to my liking, and expensive, entrees were ok, but nothing special, but the wine list was very well priced and more than adequate with some very nice wines. Service is good. I probably won't go back, but mainly because I don't think it is worth the half hour drive from my house when I can get to places I like better in the same or less time.

[wysguymd]

Sounds like nothing has changed. Amada has the potential to be a good restaurant, instead its just an overpriced average dinner pretending to be fine-dining. At least your service was good. I've actually walked out of the restaurant once due to no service. We sat there for 10 minutes, complained to the hostess, 10 minutes later we were still sitting there. Haven't gone back since.

[DonRocks]

Why do restaurants put up posters that say they "proudly" serve Seattle's Best coffee and Boar's Head meats? This morning I got a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese ($2.39) and a dangerously yellow egg bagel ($1.15) at Bagel Towne Deli in Traville Village Center. Not much to say other than that they cater, and have an omelet bar on Sunday mornings.

But on the way out, I noticed that Amada Amante has closed and changed ownership.

The new restaurant, which is open for business, is called The Vyne, and is chef-owned by Nathan Coons who used to be the GM at the Irish Inn at Glen Echo, and before that was the chef at Old Angler's Inn.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[DonRocks]

Although this was never posted here, Ristorante Amada Amante closed in 2008, became The Vyne, which closed in 2010, then became Stella Restaurant, which closed in 2013, and is now Nantucket's Reef, which opened in 2013.

[DanielK]

Although this was never posted here, Ristorante Amada Amante closed in 2008, became The Vyne, which closed in 2010, then became Stella Restaurant, which closed in 2013, and is now Nantucket's Reef, which opened in 2013.

None of them were/are an improvement over Amada Amante, which was itself not worth visiting.

Cava is in the same shopping center. Go there instead.