Finally, The Penguin ninja crew graduates from the nachos, waffle cones and chicken nuggets that are traditional downtown Turf cuisine. It sure took long enough.
But what can we do? (And by “we”, I mean me and part-time Penguin ninja Southside Evan.) Penguins can be stubborn and sometimes skeptical about restaurants that others may laud.
But for the first time, we’re glad we paid attention to all that unsolicited advice to try the Adega Wine Cellars (8519 Fenton St). The casual eatery offers fun food for grownups, and allows patrons to enjoy a pleasant meal in a cozy setting without shelling out too much cash.
For a mature meal without the pretense, the Ahi tuna salad (above) is a smart bet ($13 at lunch, though the menu lists it at “market price”). Three surprisingly thick slabs of seared tuna are served rare over a pile of mixed greens and diced tomatoes tossed with a light vinaigrette (above).
The tuna, served at room temperature, has a clean taste and soft texture, both of which play nicely against the sweet tomatoes and slightly tart vinaigrette. The snap of the mixed greens, and their slight bitterness, round off the dish — er, the black Styrofoam plate on which the food arrives.
The Ahi tuna salad comes with a steaming mound of white rice infused with small bits of fresh ginger that give it a slightly sweet zing. The fish and greens alone make a filling meal, but leave a little room for the rice. It’s a pleasant addition.
From Adega’s selection of wraps, The Jerk ($7.25, above) is fun without being frivolous. Chunks of grilled chicken, crisp romaine lettuce and sweet mango snuggle in a soft chipotle tortilla. The soft mango lends the room-temperature chicken a bright, tropical flavor and balances the wrap’s textures. Potato chips (no big whoop) are served on the side.
For an appetizer or side dish, hit the sweet potato fries ($3.50). They’re warm, crisp on the outside, sweet and starchy on the inside, and really freakin’ good.
Adega’s dining room is bright during the day, cozy and candlelit at night. Counter service is the way things play, so don’t expect waiters. And the restaurant serves wine by the glass (not reviewed) or sells it by the bottle.
Adega Wine Cellars & Cafe, 8519 Fenton St, Silver Spring, (301) 608-2200.
Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.
Originally published Mar 26, 2008.
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Totally agree with ya’ll. They have an awesome deal on Saturdays after 4pm: 1 appetizer,2 entrees and a bottle of their select wine for only $35. Gotta love it. We will definetly be returning. :)
L.P.
“[N]o big whoop” on the potato chips for the side is correct. We keep trying to convince them to offer an alternative (like, maybe, a little salad–it’s not like they don’t have it), but no luck so far. Otherwise, they are the bright spot on the turf. Not a chain, not “fast food,” but nice and freshly prepared. I hope they stay in business.
I dine at Adega at least once a week. The food is good, affordable, and I enjoy the presentation. I often buy a bottle of wine with dinner. I highly recommend Adega. A+++.
Definitely one of my favorite places in Downtown SS. The wine selection is really nice and they let you sample at the bar. I kind of approach the place as more of a tapas bar than a full sit down restaurant as many of the food selection is meant to be shared.
Imagine if you can, a world without MoCo Liquor Nazis. A mid-summer evening sitting outside with the Ahi Tuna Salad, and a chilled bottle of Chardonnay. Is it a coincidence that Silver Spring has the initials SS? I went in Adega once, placed an order then stated that I wanted to eat outside. When told that I couldn’t take wine outside I first thought that they were joking. When I realized that they were serious I canceled my order, and was bummed out for the rest of the day. I miss the quality of life I had living in Europe.
I agree with everyone else, love this place, but I would go for the eggplant fries instead… sooo good.
PS- Is that Saturday after 4pm deal true? If so that’s where I’ll be for now on when I’m staying close to home.
Adega is our favorite restaurant in DTSS. Walter the owner is always willing to take time to recommend a good wine or just chat. It is an adult restaurant (in a non-porn way) in a sea of baby-barf proof eateries. And I agree with JG that the eggplant fries are great. I can also recommend the grilled tofu and the portabello sandwich.
b, Walter is aware and very dismayed of the nonsense about enjoying wine at his outdoor tables. You’re right, the “SS” in Silver Spring applies when it comes to liquor. Even I, a far lefty liberal, decry the godawful nanny statism of MoCo. This ridiculous stranglehold on booze is also thereason why, 1) Walter can’t always get the wines he want (he knows his wine, by the way), and 2) his prices are more expensive than the MoCo store on Colesville.
We need a revolution in MoCo. How can we be so progressive and so regressive at the same time?
I feel that MoCo is afraid that the ACLU will not be able to differentiate between upscale citizens enjoying a bottle of wine with dinner, from someone downing a 40 in a parking lot. This country started to die when rules became tied to the lowest common denominator. If this is gentrification fine, just treat me like an adult, not a criminal!
b, believe it or not, back when Whole Foods was futilely trying to get a license to sell beer and wine, I called my local councilmember to enlist his support, and he told me that part of the opposition came from people who — get this — were worried that drunks who drink the wine or beer in Whole Foods parking lot.
Do I need to point out the flaws in that argument?
Thanks, B and Springvale Roader, for your comments on MoCo’s liquor laws.
However, I’d appreciate it if we could stick to the subject of Adega’s food and wine selection, as well as its service, on this particular post.
If you’d like to continue the string on liquor laws, please holler back at this post:
“State delegates introduce booze bills” (Feb 19, 2008)
Thanks for your cooperation!
My dream is to eat a big fat greasy chicken burrito from Baja Fresh and buy a bottle of chardonnay from Adega and have a little picnic on the dirty turf lawn. Liquor laws be damned.
I love the wine selection at Adega but the clientele is so very — you know — that six letter word that begins with “Y”. Ick.
— AKA IHateYuppies —
No problem, Jennifer.
I forgot to add that Adega has a wine happy hour every day. Not a bad way to chill out after work.
Editor’s note: This comment has been edited for content. — JD (Mar 27, 2008)
We also go to Adega at least once a week.
Wine by the glass is good, but the way to go is to buy a bottle. They’ll gladly cork what you don’t drink for take-home.
The burgers at Adega are awesome. I recommend both highly. They are probably the best burgers that I’ve had in Downtown Silver Spring.
Tried Adega last night. Pretty good, though I understand IHY’s avoidance of the place.
I will say that the weekday happy hour specials are kind of lame. $1 or so off house wines? Meh. Unfortunately I missed out on their specials in the past, which seemed better. The Saturday deal sounds great.
They’ll split a side order –half sweet potatoes, half eggplant.
Favorite entree is Adega spring mix salad with skirt steak.
I’ll back up the recommendation on the eggplant fries. They are delicious. My favorite sandwich is the turkey rueben, which comes with a chutney (cranberry, I think) instead of the traditional Thousand Island dressing. I always want to try so many other things on their menu, but I normally stick with the turkey rueben and eggplant fries. I’d also be OK with skipping out on the bag of chips, as well as a half order of fries.
Adega is a terrific place, and I’m so happy to see how busy it often is. It’s always an example I use when I try to convince people that Silver Spring is more than Red Lobster and Macaroni Grill.
Adega rules! My wife and two young kids (3 and 1 years old) eat at Adega probably once a month, we get the “date night special” of a bottle of wine, an appetizer, and two entries for $35. The kids will eat pasta and the sweet potato fries and we can get in and out quickly before the little ones get fussy. It is a high quality (if bourgeois) alternative to fast food and the “fast casual” chains on Ellsworth. Three cheers for Adega!
I’ve never been disappointed with the food here, but at lunch the wait (between when you order your food and when it is served) can be too much some days.
One burning question – HOW do you pronounce “Adega”? – Ah-day-gah? Ah-duh-jay? I’ve never heard it the same way twice.
@Kathy J.
It’s “Ah-DEY-gah”. It’s Portugese for Wine Cellar.
(Yes yes yes, we know it’s then redundant to add “wine cellars” to the name. We’re ok with it.)
In other news, some of our Ethiopian customers have told us that ‘Adega’ to them means ‘catastrophic danger.’ We hold this to be pure coincidence.
- Jarrod
(Adega’s resident Catastrophic Danger)
Editor’s note: Jarrod is an employee of Adega Wine Cellars. — JD (Nov 20, 2009)