Thornton River Grille
3710 Sperryville Pike
Sperryville, VA 22740
(540) 987-8790
http://www.thorntonrivergrille.com/

American | $$

CC Image courtesy of Rick Collier Imagery

Just off Virginia Rt. 211 at the foot of the Shenandoah National Park is the picturesque town of Sperryville, home to antique stores, River District Arts, and the Thornton River Grille. Touring the countryside with a friend this fall we stopped in for lunch. Right on the main street in Sperryville the restaurant is easy to find and often busy. On the afternoon we stopped by the wait for us was about 10 minutes but grew longer while we were there.

CC Image courtesy of Rick Collier Imagery

The restaurant has comfortable seating for about 40 with cloth napkins on bare wooden tables for a stylish simple look. The staff was busy but attentive. Except for a few guests giving you the prison guard stare hoping to speed eating along, those waiting for tables are mostly confined to a hall near the rear entrance.

For my lunch I chose the Flamin’ Rooster, a Grilled Chicken Breast with Smoked Bacon, Pico de Gallo, and Pepperjack cheese. The sandwich comes with fresh greens and an incredibly good tomato considering we were technically out of season. The fries were hand cut and very tasty. The Pico de Gallo, sometimes called salsa Mexicana, was chopped tomato, onion, and chili peppers and with the Pepperjack cheese gave it an additional spicy kick. The chicken was grilled nicely, moist and not excessively juicy.

Our friend Jane went with the Braised Corned Beef Ruben served on Marbled Rye bread with Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing. She was not fond of the sandwich because the corned beef was in more of a shredded form than the traditional sliced.

My wife opted for the “House Ground Beef” Cheeseburger with crumpled Bleu Cheese. They grind their beef fresh daily. My wife loved the Bleu Cheese topping and thought the beef patty was generous in size and flavorful.

Our choices were quite filling so we tried no desserts. The noise level was moderate at about 76 decibels. This is not a linger over lunch kind of place. It was busy with the staff constantly on the move and people coming and going nonstop. But we never felt rushed and once you’re done eating there is plenty to do in the area to get you moving. Next time you are hungry for good quality food stop in for lunch. Several friends have recommended Thornton River Grille for dinner so we will be back soon.

Amada
217-219 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-625-2450
www.amadarestaurant.com

Spanish | $$$

Before cutting short our Philadelphia trip ahead of an impending ice storm we made our lunch reservation at Amada. The first of four Philadelphia restaurants owned by Ecuadorian-American chef Jose Garces, Amada is an inviting dinning space. Garces is a Food Network Iron Chef winner and was named the 2009 James Beard Foundation’s  “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.”

Billed as an authentic Andalusian tapas bar Garces gets many of his chesses from Spain. I’ve never been to the Andalusia part of Spain so I can’t vouch for the authenticity. Taking the farm to table concept a step further Garces owns a farm in Bucks County, PA where he grows produce for his Philadelphia restaurants, a smart way to ensure quality and availability.

We started with the Mixto a selection of three wonderful cheeses including an excellent Caña de Cabra with Fig and Cherry Marmalade and my favorite, the Aged Manchego with Truffled Lavender Honey. The Manchego cheese is made from the milk of Manchega sheep in Spain. Importing it ensures you do not get the Manchego “like” cheese made in the United States with cow’s milk.

Our second dish was the Croquetas de Jamὀn, Ham Croquettes on Romesco. The croquettes were bursting with ham and flavor. Having them rest on the traditional Spanish Romesco sauce was an excellent pairing. The nutty flavor of the sauce was a creative counterbalance to the salt in the ham.

Next was Galletas Y Salsa, a Serrano Biscuits, House Made Chorizo, and White Gravy dish. I am a big Chorizo fan and found this to be outstanding. The biscuits were light and fluffy and the gravy was good but overpowered by the spiciness of the Chorizo. I knew the gravy was there, I could see it. I just had trouble finding the taste.

My breakfast dish was the Chorizo Con Papas, Grilled Chorizo, Crispy Potatoes, and a Fried Egg. The grilled house made chorizo was superb as expected. There was nothing crispy about the potatoes; they were just large French fries. There was no option for how the egg is cooked; it’s sunny side up with just a portion of the whites and seasoned nicely.

As is always the case at tapas restaurants I go in fearing I will starve to death and come out full. Amada was no exception. The tables are close but we were lucky enough to sit next to lovely sisters recently retired who offered leads on dinning adventures for our next visit. Our waiter was less attentive than I expected, moderately helpful, and seemed distracted. Our reservation was for 1pm on a Saturday where we found the restaurant half full with a noise level on the high side at 80 decibels.

Tapas fans will not be disappointed and on our next visit I am looking forward to dinner.

Vetri
1312 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-732-3478
http://www.vetriristorante.com

Italian | $$$$

To celebrate my wife’s birthday I surprised her with a trip to Philadelphia and dinner at Vetri. The word dinner is simply unsuitable to describe our time at Vetri. This was hands down the best Italian meal I have had. Chef Marc Vetri has created a wonderful culinary experience at his small restaurant in downtown Philadelphia.

I try to have photos of each dish we order when I am considering doing a review. I could not shoot decent photos with my phone in the low light. The tables are close together and I did not feel it was appropriate to use a flash that might disturb those dinning near us. In Vetri’s case the low lighting fit the décor and I was able to read the menu long enough to hand it back and say “I’m sure the chef will pick something nice.” 

The parade of fantastic small plates began with this Stuzzichini sampler. The foie gras on toast, salami, and the vegetable torta were amazing. As I taste each of the offerings I quickened the pace eager to learn what was next. The plates flowed from the kitchen with perfected timing. Just as the savory flavor from the last dish fades from your palate a new one arrives. Nearly a dozen in all, each more inventive and pleasing than the last.

This bread bone was the most interesting dish of the evening, a marvelous example of ingenious plating. An aromatic Almond Tortellini in a Truffle Sauce, Spinach Gnocchi in a Brown Butter Sauce, Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Antelope Ragu, and a killer Sweet Onion Crepe with Truffle Fondue came next. What I considered the main course came as a Smoked Canada Goose Stuffed Endine and a smoked baby goat with stone milled polenta known as Capretto, both were extraordinary. We were offered a Fettuccini with White Truffle Shavings dish as an add on to the prix-fixe menu. My wife and I said “we’ll take it” at the same time. It did not disappoint us, with the concentrated flavor of the truffle resting on the delectable pasta it was my favorite of the night.

For dessert my wife chose the Bunet with Kiwi. I didn’t taste her dessert, focusing instead on my own Chocolate Polenta Soufflé.

I am a chocolate lover from early childhood so this was an automatic first choice for dessert. The molten chocolate cake paired with excellent vanilla gelato was scrumptious.

If I had one complaint it was that the wonderful coffee after dinner came in a Barbie set coffee cup with a tiny handle I could barely hold. I was really afraid I would drop it. This was really one of our best dining experiences. From the food to the service and décor everything was first class. When I asked my wife what was her favorite dish she said “the last one I had in my mouth.” No attention to detail is spared. Early in the evening when I asked if they would call a taxi to take us back to the hotel after dinner John told us they had arranged a complimentary black car service.

Dinner was not inexpensive. Arguably one of the best restaurants in the country, expect to pay $400 a couple, more if you drink. I say it is worth every penny and will create a memory that lasts a lifetime.