Ama is more than a northern Italian restaurant. It's a business on a mission. Chef Johanna Hellrigl's goal is for you to enjoy good food and feel good the next day. To that end, every ingredient used is whole, avoiding refined sugars, artificial colors, chemicals, or added flavors and preservatives. Writing this review the day after dining at Ama with a good friend, I can attest that Chef's vision is fulfilled. Here's our experience.
1) Food: Ama specializes in northern Italian food straight from the motherland. To that end, there's a bit of German influence. The menu is organized around antipasti, pastas, mains, and more. To feed two grown men, we ordered the Focaccia di Formaggio (flat bread), Polpette Mondeghili (meatballs), Carciofo al Mattone (artichoke), Finocchio (shaved fennel), Trofie con Pesto Genovese (pesto pasta), Paccheri Al Sugo di Pesce (seafood pasta), Semifreddo, and Tiramisu. We left very content.
Every dish was simple and led with quality ingredients. The winners were the meatballs. They come out not very attractive, but wow. They are crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside and full of flavor. The shaved fennel, pesto pasta, and the flat bread were excellent. You can't go wrong with any dish.
2) Drink: The beverage menu is expansive and comes with cocktails, wines, zero proof drinks, and more. Because it is unique, I ordered the Kiwi Margherita. The kiwi blends well with the rest of the drink. It's refreshing. For my second drink, a glass of their white that was in between a Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc was really good.
3) Service: From start to finish, service was impeccable. Our server Adam was attentive, paced check ins perfectly, and knew the menu in and out. The chef also visited many tables, greeting regulars and welcoming newcomers.
4) Mission: On top of quality ingredients, they uphold slow cooking and planet-friendly practices. Their kitchen is all electric and they are free of single-use plastics. Everything is done with intention.
5) Space: The space is large with a bar, a window that opens for their all-day cafe, and plenty of tables in the dining room. You feel like you're in a European restaurant.
6) Neighborhood: It's in Navy Yard full of tall buildings. With views of the U.S. Capitol up the road, there's easy street parking or you can walk from the Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro station. read more