From innovative appetizers to the hands-down best desserts in Vero, no restaurant does it better than the Amalfi Grille.
You know you are going to be in for a great culinary experience when you make a reservation at this white-tablecloth-yet-intimate Italian restaurant on Miracle Mile.
On our most recent visit two weeks ago, proprietor Bob Rose ushered us to a comfortable booth along the west wall, and veteran server Dana quickly took our drink order.
In addition to some very expensive (and very good) bottles of wine, Amalfi has an excellent selection of modestly priced offerings. On this evening, we decided to start with the Colin Barollet chardonnay, an elegant little white Burgundy.
For appetizers, we decided to order two to share. Needless to say, one had to be our favorite, the calamaretti Amalfi ($14) – calamari very lightly fried with cannelloni beans and cherry peppers in a lemon and white wine sauce.
For the second, Rose persuaded us to try Amalfi’s escargot special ($14). Oh, my! The snails, sautéed in white wine and garlic, were served with braised buttered leeks in a flaky homemade puff pastry. The dish was topped by a hollandaise sauce, with a lemon white wine sauce around that.
If you are thinking that this might all be too much – too many things going on – you’d be wrong. It not only works, but is sinfully delicious. French purists might be pained to hear this, but my husband said he would take the Amalfi’s version over escargots in their classic form.
Next, we shared two salads – the Amalfi’s pear, pecan and gorgonzola salad ($12), and the evening’s special spinach salad ($12). The pear salad here is always excellent, but the spinach salad was its equal – fresh spinach served with slices of baby Portobellos, gorgonzola cheese and toasted pine nuts with a warm Applewood smoked bacon dressing.
Then for entrées, I had the vitello pizzaiola ($26), my husband had the 14-ounce prime New York strip steak ($45), and our companion had the cavatelli Bolognese ($22).
Vitello pizzaiola and the cavatelli Bolognese are both relatively simple Italian dishes, but made as they are at the Amalfi from the freshest and finest ingredients, these dishes are consistently wonderful.
The thin slices of veal scaloppini in my dish were fork-tender. As for my husband’s steak, it was perfectly prepared Pittsburgh style, and was accompanied by green beans and truffle mashed potatoes. An excellent steak.
Finally, it came time for dessert. We were anxious to see what Chef Dan, who invents the amazing pastries served at the Amalfi, was featuring this time.
While it was simply called caramel brownie cake ($10.50), there was nothing simple about it. It consisted of three tiers of orange cake layered with caramel, coconut and fudge cookie mouse, with pieces of chocolate and bursts of mandarin orange, finished with a chocolate glaze and shredded coconut. One of Dan’s best creations yet.
Dinner for two with a couple of glasses of wine can run anywhere from $120 to $180 before tip. With a great bottle of wine, it can come to considerably more.
But the Amalfi Grille, currently open seven nights a week, has put together that winning combination of great food expertly prepared, fabulous service and a proprietor who cares.
When the evening starts great, and then just keeps getting better, it is difficult to wish for more.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
