Discover Ada St.┃A Hidden Little Gem

It's not even been a year since Ada St. opened its doors, yet it seems like I had waited much longer to try this place - on a random Monday night last week, it finally happened.  My friend Alex found out the restaurant was screening Home Alone - apparently they often screen movies on Monday nights at this joint - they also include a complimentary bucket of movie popcorn for any patrons in the house.  A super cozy spot, incredibly delicious food, soul-warming cocktails and Home Alone?! Pretty good way to get us into the holiday spirit if you ask me!

I had heard a lot about Ada so I was expecting pretty big things, especially considering this spot comes from the talents who also brought us DMK Burger Bar.  Overall - we were not disappointed.  The interior of Ada is totally my style - exposed brick, lots of candles, stacks of vinyl records, vintage meets Deco, a big dark bar & a cute chef in the kitchen - visible to customers anticipating craft cocktails & delectable dishes.  As we sat down I immediately noticed the closed off open-air patio.  Based on what I've read about this place, we're definitely going to have to come back when patio season begins again.  The patio boasts 50 seats, is covered in AstroTurf and features a fire pit, picnic tables & a ping pong table.  Sounds like a backyard party with a few close friends and 40+ strangers that I could get down with!
(More review & photos below!)

Yes

Private room near entrance

WFW | Word Find Wall

More exposed brick

Oh yes

Quaint little hallway

Record selection

Magic happens here

We started our meal with a couple drinks to get us warmed up - I tried the Day Tripper and Alex tried a spicy little number known as Where There's Smoke There's Fire.  Both delicious, though Alex's seemingly much stronger than mine.  The menu is designed for sharing plates, which I really love because you get to try more dishes that way.  We began our meal with one of the evening specials - a burrata dish with beets - and it was one of the best burratas I have ever tasted.  So creamy & hit with just the right amount of sea salt.  We were also presented with a complimentary "bite" from the chef - a butternut squash concoction perched upon two silver spoons - very tasty.

Bad ass cocktail menu

First course | Complimentary bites from the chef | Insane burrata

Next up: the braised lamb flatbread and polenta fries - the flatbread was packed with flavor (that lamb...oh my), but the polenta fries weren't anything to write home about.  We then moved onto the steak tartare with fried capers & a quail egg. The menu offers two tartares, the other being salmon, but our server recommended the steak.  I enjoyed it - but you do get quite a lot and you can really taste the horseradish, so if you're not a fan of that particular ingredient, I would skip this one.

Braised lamb flatbread

Polenta fries | Chipotle puree

Steak tartare with quail egg

Our favorite dish of the night was the melt-in-your-mouth cavatelli with duck confit, poached egg, spinach & parmigiano - the pasta and duck were so tender & the combination of the egg with the cheese was outrageous - this dish was the perfect flavorful balance.  So. Good.  A very close second in the favorite category was the genoa salami & gruyere panini with fried egg & mornay - an ooey, gooey dish that may have been too rich if the saltier ham weren't there to cut those flavors - this is a great sandwich.

The amazing cavatelli with duck | Just do it

The oh so tasty geno salami & gruyere panini

Topping off our meal was our unnecessary order of the brioche doughnuts with a side of port wine caramel, and a few more drinks - not to mention some of the movie popcorn once the movie began at 9 pm.  The doughnuts came out piping hot, and the sauce was decadent.  I tried Ada's twist on the classic G&T - Death's Door Gin & housemade rosemary tonic - a nice change up, but we both ended our night with a round of Where There's Smoke There's Fire.  This drink just does not disappoint, especially in the wintertime, with Mezcal, chile agave & a frothy egg white it gives off just the right amount of heat to keep you feeling warm & cozy.

Brioche doughnuts | Port wine caramel sauce | Wrapped up steak tartare

Home Alone!

Movie popcorn

Where There's Smoke There's Fire | Vida MEZCAL, Dolin Dry, chile agave, egg white, lime

Bottom line - I will go back to Ada any day, and can't wait for patio season.  If you haven't been yet - look it up on a map first and go - it's definitely a bit hidden, but if you know where the Hideout is then you're fine - Ada sits pretty kitty-corner from this famous hangout.  Check out photos of our time at Ada below!