<a target="_blank" href="http://www.restaurantadam.nl/">Restaurant Adam</a>Overtoom 515 A1054 AmsterdamNetherlands+31202339852Food:

Basil encrusted&nbsp;pike-perch gently cooked with crispy squid,
inlaid with white grapes, macadamia nut, mousse of smoked onion, wasabi
mayonnaise and arugula

Zeeuwse
Creuses No. 3 oysters

Skate wing fillet with lentils, cream of celeriac, Olde Remeker
cow cheese and crisps with cheese

French Barbary duck breat, structures of pumpkin compote with
red onion, potato rösti,
confit of duck leg, cabbage, potatoes and Vadouvan&nbsp;cracklings sauce

Pêche
Melba; Poached pears, vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis, with fresh
raspberries stuffed with white chocolate

Wines:

2015
Laibach Chenin Blanc The Ladybird

2013
Mezzek Sauvignon Blanc &amp; Pinot Gris White Soil 

2013 Bodegas Edetaria Garnatxa Negra Via Terra 

2014 Piero Gatti Moscato d’Asti

It was a fall evening in Amsterdam. We
had spent the morning at the Rijksmuseum and the afternoon seeing the sights,
so had worked up a healthy appetite.We had reserved a few weeks in advance
at Restaurant Adam, which opened in February of 2015 but had already made it to
the top of most foodie lists. It’s a welcoming and unpretentious space, warmed
by wood and exposed brick, with a tiny bar, an open kitchen and two small rooms
seating around 35 all told. The tables were filled by 8:00, which seems to be
peak dining hour in a fairly early-dining city. The food at Adam is moderately
pricey, but the place seems to have found a following among residents of the
decidedly un-touristy district of “Oud-West,” a primarily
residential and diverse neighborhood intersected by the large commercial thoroughfare
known as the Overtoom, which also lends its name to the area. Our fellow diners
were for the most part local, including a few casually dressed regulars
celebrating a quiet birthday and young couples stopping by for drinks and
oysters. 



Owner/chef Arne Russchen and sous-chef Job Litjens oversee the kitchen.
Their collaborative style is French-accented, seriously locavore, and keen on
unexpected combinations of fresh ingredients. Menus change every three weeks,
offering “surprise” multi-course tastings in addition to gastrobar fare. Diners
can choose to eat anywhere from three to seven courses, available with wine
pairings.&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1453492134952-Basil-inflected+pike-perch+039.JPG"> Gently
cooked basil encrusted&nbsp;pike-perchWe
started off with an appetizer of basil-inflected pike-perch tucked around a
mousse of smoked onion and garnished with wasabi mayonnaise, macadamia nuts and
white grapes. The filet’s silky texture worked in counterpoint with a ficelle of crispy fried squid. Our wine,
suggested by the house, was the bone-dry 2015 Laibach Chenin Blanc The Ladybird
South Africa’s Stellenbosch. The slightly pétillant
grapefruit pith and crushed-stone flavors sliced through the textural
richness of the fish.



Johan, our estimable waiter and
translator, asked if we wanted to try some local oysters. Of course we did. He
brought out amazingly plump, briny suckers called Zeeuwse Creuses No. 3 from
the Zeeland region of the Netherlands. With its Sauvignon Blanc-like cut and
strong saline character, the Laibach Chenin Blanc was again a great complement.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1453492238752-Skate+wing+fillet+with+lentils+042.JPG"> Skate
wing fillet with lentils, cream of celeriac, Olde Remeker cow cheese and crisps
with cheeseThe next fish course on the
menu promised such an over-the-top preparation that we decided just to ride with
it and, at Johan’s suggestion, step up to a somewhat richer white wine. Skate
wing fillet with lentils was blanketed with a creamy emulsion of celeriac, veal
stock and&nbsp;beurre blanc, and encircled with a ribbon of Olde Remeker cow
cheese. It was served with the equally fulsome 2013 Mezzek Sauvignon Blanc &amp;
Pinot Gris White Soil. The wine, from the Thracian Valley of Bulgaria,
presented subtle aromas of soft citrus fruits, white flowers and tarragon, and
its slightly glyceral, sake-like texture matched fat with fat. But it also had
the saltiness and grip to buffer the butter and cheese. About
that cheese: Remeker
is an old-fashioned style of Gouda, but it is as far from most Goudas
encountered in the U.S. as Epoisse is from Kraft slices. It is earthy and mushroomy
and triple-creamy and effulgent. No fillet of skate should be served without
it.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1453492197574-French+Barbary+duck+breast.JPG"> French
Barbary duck breast, structures of pumpkin compote with red onion, potato rösti,
confit of duck leg, cabbage, potatoes and Vadouvan&nbsp;cracklings sauceFrench Barbary duck breast came with a compote of pumpkin and
red onion, potato rösti,
confit of duck leg, diced cabbage, and Vadouvan&nbsp;cracklings. Each component
of the dish represented comfort food at its most sophisticated, the whole so
seductively scented—Vadouvan being a French version of masala spices—that my
companion was compelled to lunge for it before I had a chance to snap the
picture. The 2013 Bodegas Edetaria Garnatxa Negra Via Terra, from the Terra
Alta region in Spain’s Catalonia, offered silky red fruit flavors but also
peppery spices and herbs and shockingly good acidity to stimulate the palate
between tastes of mellow cabbage and confit.&nbsp;

Dessert was the kitchen’s take on “Pêche Melba,” in this case featuring
poached pears, vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis, punctuated by fresh
raspberries stuffed with white chocolate. The dish was paired with a Piero Gatti’s
2014 Moscato d’Asti—thick and sweet but very fresh, with clean flavors of peach,
orange blossom and ginger that had the effect of leavening the dessert’s sugary
aspect.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1453492111442-The+bar+at+Restaurant+Adam+046.JPG"> The bar
at Restaurant AdamIf
you go, and you should, by all means opt for the house wine recommendations,
which, like the menu selections, are at once off-beat, thoughtful, and hugely
satisfying.--Stephen Tanzer

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