AMIS. Because it’s one of the best places for pasta in the nation.
If you’ve finally come to the realization that it’s finally time to move on from Spaghetti-Os, then you should read this. Let me introduce you and yourself to the great spot that is known as Amis. It’s one of the best places for pasta in the nation, according to a writer from Bon Appetit - so I trust it. Not only that, but it’s from local Philly big name chef Marc Vetri.
I been feinding to come here for a while now. Matter fact, I been wanting to come here since it opened in the beginning of the year. Then I came across that article which became the straw that broke my back (in a good way , and I’m not a camel).
One of the best places in the nation for pasta eh? Let’s elaborate.
First off, this is not Olive Garden - or anything close to it. This is legit shit I’m talking about. Secondly, I have no idea about what authentic Italian cuisine is but I know damn right Amis is good. I looked at the menu and felt like I was illiterate. I had no idea what most of the menu items were or consisted of.
(above) mortadella with hazelnut honey
We started with the mortadella and vegetable fritto misto. The mortadella was finely sliced and tasted awesome. I know it sort of tasted like just regular deli meat but the hazelnut honey and some of the flavors on the mortadella was quite nice.
(above) vegetable fritto misto
No that’s not fried shrimp like you hoped it be. The above image is vegetable fritto misto which was really good too. I don’t know what the hell fritto misto is but upon searching, it’s fried foods in olive oil. This could be anything from meats to veggies to seafood. Ours had squash, scallion, cauliflower (which she don’t like usually but this time she did), and I think asparagus (which is an aphrodisiac if you didn’t know). You definitely know a place is good when they can make you eat a food that you usually don’t like.
tonnarelli “cacio e pepe” with pecorino and black pepper
She had the tonnarelli. The flavor is light but full. You can really taste the pecorino cheese and black pepper. I had the gnocchi alla romana with oxtail ragu. It came out scorching hot which I loved because it was quite cold on this autumn evening. Something cozy and hearthy was something I really needed. The beef on the ragu was really tender and the entire dish was quite nice.
(above) gnocchi alla romana with oxtail ragu
With 4 dishes in front of us, it was more than enough to fill our gluttony void. However, the kitchen guys really made our night better with a complimentary dish. One of the guys nicely gave us my favorite dish of the night:
(above) pappardelle with veal breast ragu
I ain’t ever had pappardelle before so this could just be my virgin excitement but it was really good - becoming my favorite dish we had. The pasta was fine and very smooth. The veal was very tender. You could easily section off bite size portions and slowly enjoy it. I highly recommend the pappardelle.
Everything we had was good. This is easily another one of our can’t-go-wrong spots - along with Tria, Oyster House, and Village Whiskey to name a few. Even though I had no clue of how to pronounce any item on the menu, I doubt you can go wrong with anything you choose.
If you wanna get a table, make sure to reserve. They’re quite the popular place, and I can see taste why. There’s a wide selection of items to satisfy your Italian craving self. We did not get any drinks so I can’t tell you what’s available for you to get your buzz on.
