Dada Restaurant & Lounge

Reviews

Name: Gary Solomon
Occupation: Recipe Website Founder
Lives In: Boynton Beach
Favorite Restaurant: Dada Restaurant
Reviewed Dada Restaurant: March 6th, 2008

Entering this cozy cottage with a fireplace burning, you feel comfortable. As your eyes wander around the room, you see interesting artwork and a trendy professional crowd of guests with a sprinkling of snowbirds. The drink order is taken immediately. The cold and frosty martini was potent and delicious. The waiter was attentive. The appetizers came out looking like crown jewels. Perfectly sculptured and generously portioned. The meal could have happily ended right there! The rosemary bread was also crisp and delicious. All of a sudden a party of 10 was seated beside us. The small bar room became noisy and crowded. The main course arrived timely and was stupendously filled with flavor. The fresh seafood was prepared better than I could do at home. Then in the middle of dinner, our soufflé arrived. My guest with a commanding stare made sure that soufflé wasn’t placed at our table. It made us feel slightly uncomfortable that they would even suggest it. Timing is part of a good dining experience. This restaurant needs to slightly improve communications between servers and kitchen. When the soufflé arrived, it was magnificent! Our overall experience was good. The food is outstanding. For deliciously prepared food and drink in a local neighborhood restaurant visit Dada.

Name: Irene Hung
Occupation: Research Administrator
Lives In: Miami
Favorite Restaurant: Happy Wine
Reviewed Dada Restaurant: March 15th, 2008

I had never been to Delray and with the exception of Orlando, had never been this far north in Florida. While half expecting an older, White, upper middle class, cheesy beach town, I was happy to see the sophistication of the establishments and really appreciated the mixture of ages and styles, and found it to be very nice—somewhere I might take my mother when she visits.

As we approached the restaurant, I immediately loved the garden in the front where people were eating, the informal benches placed around the tree, and the lighting which created a subtle and relaxing atmosphere (almost romantic, but there were so few couples dining together…) Besides having lost my initial reservation, the experience with the host was pleasant. Since we arrived 45 minute prior to our reservation, we sat at the bar and had margaritas. The others around us were lively, mixed in age, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The bar was set with mintleaves and sugar for mojitos, and alcohol-infused with green apples and other fruit concoctions. I liked drinking in the living room of the house. My Georgia peach margarita was tasty without being too sweet, though I did find a little fruit fly in my drink.

Sitting outside around the tree was a great table—I could people watch while enjoying the beautiful evening. It was no bother the couple bugs that landed on our menu since they didn’t bother us during the meal and were not too noticeable. The people who came in were dressed in many different degrees of casual, but it didn’t seem to matter. The patrons were a mixture of age, and possibly of residence—I have an inkling that many were on Spring Break.

Their wine list was short and didn’t have anything that was of particular note. Deciding between the Estancia Meritage ($54) or the XYZin Zinfandel ($38) I figured I had already expended my Check, Please! allowance with half a meal from Café Martorano so decided for the less expensive bottle. It was brought to us right away, tasted fine, and we contemplated the appetizers. We tried to choose things that seemed different from other menus that depended on their creativity and ingredients, so I had to tell my friend that sorry, no baked brie, or assorted cheeses, or even the garden salad. We chose between what we eventually ordered--Chick pea and black bean wontons ($7.50), an innovative mixing ingredients from many cuisines (Mediterranean- chick peas, Central America- black beans, Italian- served in a tomato sauce with garlic, Asian- ginger and ‘wonton’) and Beef skewers ($11) served with Asian noodle salad which was tasty as the marinade was the dominant flavor.

As for the main plates, my friend was sold on the Filet Oscar (filet mignon topped with lump crab served with mashed potatoes), and that was excellent—the crab was fresh, the mashed potatoes well made, and the cut of steak delicious. (We did note that while we asked for the filet to be cooked medium rare, it came out more medium on one side.) I had originally thought of getting a couple of the pasta dishes that sounded interesting or a chicken dish recommended by the server, but the Snapper special ($22) with jasmine rice cooked with butter, also served with green peas, seemed the best option. It wasn’t; the fish was fried and doused in a heavy, sweet sauce that didn’t complement the fish at all and was a weird combination of flavors. I guess green peas are in season.

My friend requested we get the chocolate mousse as it’s his favorite, which I was fine with, but we were a bit perplexed to receive this very solid piece of something that seemed more like fudge than mousse. It was still good, but just not what we expected. The peanut butter caramel was a nice addition, as were the strawberries and whipped cream.

We didn’t stay for the live entertainment that was to begin at 11pm, as the drive back to Miami still lay ahead, but we both thoroughly enjoyed Dada, its amicable and intimate atmosphere, and if I was in the area, would definitely go back. In the meantime, we can tell his sister to go.

Name: Nikko Capria
Occupation: Entertainer/Producer
Lives In: Boca Raton
Favorite Restaurant: Café Martorano
Reviewed Dada Restaurant: March 16th, 2008

Ok, the parking is a little difficult. You have to find parking around the corner. Then you walk up to a well lit outside seating. Live music being played inside (jazz-rock). The service and the food is very good, all the way to dessert.

Michelle's Take:
Dada is an enchanting little house, turned into a restaurant with great lighting on the outside to sit out on the front porch or in the backyard for dining. Inspiring food with really fresh local flavors; some spicy, some mild but everything very Florida, little bit Caribbean, just very truly the definition of South Florida dining.

Restaurant Information

Location: 52 North Swinton Ave., Delray Beach, Florida
Phone: 561-330-3232
Parking: On site – Valet is also available
Website: dada.closermagazine.com
Restaurant Owners: Group owned
Executive Chef: Bruce Feingold

Type of Cuisine: American Contemporary
Signature Dishes: Crab cakes
Vegetarian Options: Black bean, chic pea, and cilantro wontons
Alcohol Served: Yes, full bar

Restaurant Hours:
Monday- Sunday - 5:00pm – 2:00am (kitchen closes at 1:30am)

Meals Served: Dinner
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: No
Average Dinner Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 15% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $30
Payment Options: Cash and all major credit cards
Accept Reservations: Yes
Need Reservations: Required

Accommodations for Children: Yes
Dining Style: Casual
Disabled Access: Yes
Restaurant Size: Small to Average
Accommodate Groups: Yes
Private Dining Room: Yes, available
Tables with Scenic Views: Yes
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Entertainment: Yes, almost every night