LOVE AT FIRST BITE? THAT'S AMORE.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic If you're not disenchanted dis·en·chant tr.v. dis·en·chant·ed, dis·en·chant·ing, dis·en·chants To free from illusion or false belief; undeceive. [Obsolete French desenchanter, from Old French, with the never-ending epidemic of new Italian restaurants, you're probably aware they're still sprouting up, even in failed spots. You'd think there would be some hesitancy hes·i·tan·cy n. An involuntary delay or inability in starting the urinary stream. to follow a failed Italian restaurant with another, especially on Ventura Boulevard's crammed cucina Italiano row. But the undaunted owners of the new That's Amore stepped into the Tarzana space where Costa Smeralda The Costa Smeralda (English: “Emerald Coast”) is a coastal area in northern Sardinia, 55 km long and covering more than 30 km², with enchanting beaches and a system of villages built according to an extremely detailed urban plan. previously pursued success in pizza, pasta and pomodoro. And right across the street, where Il Salotto recently expired, yet another Italian name Names in Italian are often directly derived from Latin ones. While in Latin there were nomen, prænomen, and cognomen, in Italian there are nome and cognome, the prænomen having been absorbed by the nome. has appeared on a sign. That's Amore, which has no connection with the restaurant in Encino called Amore, is the attractive and comfortable facility once known as Cafe de la Paix. It has soothing, sweeping pastel murals of Italy's coastline on its walls and nicely upholstered chairs around its neatly set tables. There's friendly, attentive service and a clientele of mature locals who look like they appreciate the food. On Friday and Saturday nights, a trio of musicians entertain, specializing in romantic Italian tunes and producing true spirit in the dining room. The kitchen appears to excel in mixtures, dishes where a number of equally important ingredients are cooked together to form a welcome combination of harmonious tastes. No clashes, just melds. Like its pollo Venezia ($12.95), where chicken tenders are cut in strips and joined with mushrooms, sausage, black olives and pepperoncini in a light tomato-tinged pink sauce. And bistecca That's Amore ($15.95) which offers red wine-marinated slices of sirloin flavored with herbs and sauteed with mushrooms, tomatoes and onions. Veal is thin and passable pass·a·ble adj. 1. That can be passed, traversed, or crossed; navigable: a passable road. 2. Acceptable for general circulation: passable currency. 3. , shrimp are nicely crunchy. But five of the shrimp are really overwhelmed in a thin noodle pasta dish (gamberi Abbruzzese, $12.95) drenched drench tr.v. drenched, drench·ing, drench·es 1. To wet through and through; soak. 2. To administer a large oral dose of liquid medicine to (an animal). 3. with a cream-laden sauce, studded with bits of bacon and sun-dried tomatoes. (Incidentally, the listing on the menu doesn't describe it as a pasta dish.) Minestrone soup (cup $2.25, bowl $2.95) has a slight institutional quality that is redeemed by an abundance of chunky, fresh vegetables. Pastas are generally handled well, with ravioli and manicotti man·i·cot·ti n. 1. Pasta in large-sized tubes. 2. A dish consisting of such tubes stuffed with meat or cheese, usually served hot with a tomato sauce. [Italian, pl. being of fair softness and sauces not overly heavy. There could be more attention to detail. Cannoli shells ($3.95) have fresh ricotta ri·cot·ta n. 1. A soft Italian cheese that resembles cottage cheese. 2. A similar soft cheese made in the United States. stuffing, but the pastry could be flakier. The house salad had a foreign object in it one time, and texture-wise, the house-baked focaccia doesn't always taste like it was baked from scratch a few hours earlier. But most of the time the food, if it doesn't excite, will satisfy. And the tiramisu tir·a·mi·su n. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. ($3.95) here is as good as anybody's. THE FACTS The restaurant: That's Amore. Where: 19598 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: House antipasto plate, calamari fritti, penne with eggplant, assorted pasta plate, pollo Venezia, chicken breast with prosciutto pro·sciut·to n. pl. pro·sciut·ti or pro·sciut·tos An aged, dry-cured, spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served without cooking. , sliced beef in red wine with mushrooms and tomatoes, tiramisu. How much: Starters from $2.25 to $9, pastas and entrees from $8 to $16, desserts $2.95 and $3.95. Beers and wines. AE, MC, V, Discover. Wine list: Small, but with inexpensive varietal bottlings as low as $12. Bottles, though, should be kept in a cooler place. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere $5 to $7. Reservations: Helpful. Call(818) 881-2297. Our rating: Two and One Half Stars for food; Three Stars for service; Two and One Half Stars for wine. MEMO: Larry Lipson's restaurant news reports and reviews are broadcast at 3:47 p.m. each Monday through Friday and 11:47 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays on K-NEWS (KNNS-AM 1260 and KNNZ-AM 540). CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Owner Noha Jadeed and chef Ray Safi present an array of menu offerings at That's Amore. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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