Amici Bistro

09/18/05

Disappointing to be sure

by lvsmwine at Citysearch

After a strong recommendation from our local grocery wine steward, we dropped in without a reservation on a Saturday night at 6:00. The restaurant was slow at that time and we were seated immediately. We ordered a Calamari appetizer, which would feed four, but was chewey and disappointingly bland. Given the size of the appetizer we decided to share the Cannaloni which was a good call, again large portion size. The food was without spice or flavor, just very agerage. It took 45 minutes, with a 3/4 empty restuarant to get our entree. The price, without dessert and only one glass of wine each was $65.00

• Pros: Parking, Portion Size, Friendly
• Cons: Bland, Lots of children, Time to be served

06/18/09

Great Food, Boutique Romance

by KnowingWhen at Citysearch

Dining rooms normally open 4:30 to 5. Knowing when to dine is important.

Professional diners, the outgoing accepting, smiling, laughing, enjoying great food, extremely polite, and always know what to order - crowd, always have a great time and leave with a smile. The 4:30-5:00ers want a respectable meal and not much more, they aren’t looking for the Amici “boutique” experience.. The closing server arrives at 6:00PM (last section seated) all dining room sections will then be open. Gregarious bistro's are best suited for visits after 6:00. The crowd and staff are setting the pace and enjoying their evening now. Amici Bistro is a big favorite and knowing is key. .. Advice: go with a smile and companions to have a fun evening.. We know some of the servers and will ask to sit in their section at times. We typically converse with other patrons, laugh lots, say hi and greet our servers. It’s as if we were all at home eating a very fine meal together. Cheers!

• Pros: Have Fun! You'll like Amici Bistro!!
• Cons: 4:30 Crowd just want a meal!

05/19/08

Good food, high prices

by bam79 at Citysearch

We have eaten at Amici Bistro several times. The food is good but the service can be spotty and the prices are just to high for the quality. We lived in San Francisco for years and the prices at Amici Bistro rival some of our favorite Italian restaurants in the expensive neighborhoods. The portions are much larger at Amici, which may justify the price to some, but they are really too large for one person. We often split entrees to offset the cost and avoid overeating. The Ravioli Fritti appetizer is one of our favorites.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Prices

03/31/08

Drive on by

by bonapatite at Citysearch

We had dinner here on a mid week with out of town friends. the service was "horrible", the stakes were terrible. i don't mind paying $38.00 for a good stake but when ordered med. rare and it comes out cold and well done all i got was attitude from the waiter. speaking of him he surely did not want to be there. i would highly recommend anywhere else besides this want to be bistro. and i am easy to please 5 thumbs down

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Price does not come close to the Value

09/23/07

Better for simple dishes; spotty service; expensive.

by juandelegator at Citysearch

We've visited this local restaurant several time and we've had mixed experiences. The food is generally good but I recommend sticking to the basics: The simple pasta dishes, eggplant parmesan, and mussel appetizer are consistently well-prepared. Unfortunately, the service is not quite as consistent. On one occasion we entered a nearly empty restaurant on a weeknight at 5pm but hostess would not seat us in the dining room. She offered us a small table among some rowdy happy-hour regulars. Not romantic and not relaxing. We've seen this problem noted on other reviews and can't explain the behavior. On another occasion we witnessed a loud argument between the bartender and one of the waitresses. We've also experienced some attitude and impatience from the wait staff when we've asked clarifying questions as though they were annoyed that we didn't know every detail of the dishes we'd never ordered. I can't say that we've ever had a really positive experience at Amici due to the service. We still occasionally visit Amici Bistro due to the close proximity to our home but I think there's ample room for improvement. If you need to wait out the ferry line, the place is a good spot for respite and a bite if your'e patient and forgiving.

• Pros: Convienent to ferry commuters
• Cons: Service, value

09/25/06

A Fabulous dining experience!

by erbear98 at Citysearch

We really have enjoyed our experiences at the Amici Bistro. My now husband took me there when we were dating as he had been there before. I loved the ambiance as it is very warm and inviting. When we got engaged we decided it would be the perfect place to have our rehearsal dinner. We reserved the room with the fireplace and all our guests had a great time. We now go here on our anniversary and the food is always great! Last year was a little disappointing as we went specifically for the eggplant parm but it was out. They did however make it up to us by giving us free dessert. I highly recommend this cute little bistro for a date or even a family dinner!

• Pros: Ambience, Good food!
• Cons: none!

05/02/06

disappointed

by berniesno at Citysearch

carparcio prior frozen with tainted flavor-Madiera sauce on steak way to sweet. Lobster ravioli fishy and grainy with random other shellfish bits in white sauce. Veal piccata thickened with corn starch cruises ship style. stir fried vegetables with a chinese flare? Pasta side lacked flavor. seated in bar not main floor for unknow random reason-not offered better seating when place was empty.

01/31/06

Amazing service! Amazing food

by computertech at Citysearch

From being able to see into the kitchen to the face that you will have when you see how much food that you will try to eat, this resteraunt has everything. It has a nice ambience for couples and has excellent food. It can suit to kids because they can color on the paper on the table which is nice for kids. Also they can accomidate to big parties with reservations. The food presentation is excellent and the menu appeals to everyone. Their wine list which I like to call more of a wine "book" has many choices and our server helped us pick out a perfect wine with our dinner. Made a very good experience and we will definitly be back. My reccomendation to anyone on a date is that this is the place to go for a romantic dinner for anyone, familys included.

• Pros: Food is excellent, Nice ambience, Excellent Service
• Cons: none really

05/18/05

User review by vallarta101

by vallarta101 at Citysearch

This true Italian trattoria is an experience in itself. Nestled in a stripmall that you wouldn't think anything of, I was delightfully surprised. It was a Saturday night and my first visit to Amici. We were seated promptly in the Fireside room. Romantic, Intimate and dimly lit this room is fabulous. It draws you in after passing by the open kitchen and provides you with a comfortable feeling as if you were in your own living room. Saturday night Amici entertains you with the soft vocals of a local female singer who is thoroughly enjoyable. Chef/owner Giovanni prepares everything "pan to pan" and it was AWESOME! The wine list (which reads like a love letter) was the best I've seen in Washington. This best kept secret north of Seattle is no Macaroni Grill folks...CHECK IT OUT!!

• Pros: True Italian, Wine list, Ambiance/Service
• Cons: Parking

04/28/05

User review by kcdee

by kcdee at Citysearch

Super place. The food is great & staff is wonderful.