Restaurants: Making friends at Amici
Although Amici Pizza and Bistro is so new that its liquor license has yet to arrive, it seems likely the restaurant will, as its name suggests, become fast friends with its Audubon neighborhood, if not the city at large.
Tucked into the old Snap Pizza in a strip of shops, Amici has a cozy neighborhood vibe. The walls are the color of red clay and textured, bringing warmth to a row of comfortable maple booths that run the length of the dining room. Clanking dish sounds mingle pleasantly with crooners like Frank Sinatra and Willie Nelson, and the place smells like bread and warm tomatoes.
A suggestible diner dreaming of pizza possibly imagined that last bit, but you get the picture. Speaking of which, we could not embrace the two giant HDTV screens that perched over diners at either end of the hall, silently broadcasting what must be the single most inappropriate program for an Italian restaurant: "The Biggest Loser." According to the Twin Cities Daily Planet, owner Greg Pratt hopes the TVs will bring folks in during sports events, but for us they were just a distraction.
But not so much that we didn't enjoy the hell out of the mixed green salad ($8), which combined apple, hazelnuts, prosciutto and a sweet pomegranate vinaigrette to wonderful effect. There was a mild Grana Padano in the salad, too, but while it was delicious to nibble, it got a bit lost in the mix.
Our group fought over the steamed mussels ($8), elbowing each other away from the bowl so that we could dunk our bread in the broth -- we tasted wine, butter, garlic, tomato, sweet red pepper and possibly fennel -- and grab the mussels, which were sweet, plump and tender. The only misstep here was that there were no spoons, so we were forced to slurp the remaining broth out of our shells.
We enjoyed the briny tenderness of the oven-roasted chicken ($16), but even more so the sweet parsnip puree that accompanied it -- a nice juxtaposition with a pile of rather strong, roasted Brussels sprouts and pancetta.
The restaurant space came with a $13,000 pizza oven, and chef Cam Adair, formerly of Prima, has put it to good use. Of note is a specialty pizza ($10-$19) that included oven-dried tomatoes, spinach, toasted garlic and fresh mozzarella. The thin crust was lovely: Slightly crisp, slightly chewy, it fell somewhere between Lucé and Punch. The fresh mozzarella was tasty, but we appreciated that it was sprinkled in little daubs over the pizza, so it didn't overwhelm the super-sweet roasted tomatoes.
Overall, we favored the tomato and red-wine braised beef ($16), primarily for the beautiful meat, which fell apart on the plate and melted in our mouths. It was served with a creamy polenta and slightly charred -- in a good way -- escarole, which once again added a nice bitter note to the plate.
Oh boy, we didn't need it, for the portions at Amici are generous, but the vanilla bean crème brûlée ($5) provided a velvety finish to a very pleasant meal.
The Churn
- The Minnesota History Center will present a DIY workshop on cheese, with a hands-on demo by Jeff Jirik of Faribault Dairy. (3-5 p.m. Sat 3/13. Fabulous Catering, 2900 13th Av. S., Mpls. $20. 651-259-3015.)
- Local chefs will rock Gastro Non Grata's Eggs for Africa event. Each chef will receive 100 eggs and 5 pounds of butter, turn an ear to his roguish inner voices and follow blindly. The event features a slew of bands and supports children in Mozambique.
The Heavy Table team writes about food and drink in the Upper Midwest five days a week, twice a day, at www.heavytable.com.
