Well Fed On the Town

Amici’s Restaurant is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it place in Madison, New Jersey. A small place (only 10-12 tables), my parents go there often enough that the waitress knows them. I hadn’t been there before, not since it took over for Dee’s Hot Dogs, a very casual place that The Husband and I used to frequent years ago when we were dating.  

While we were checking out the menu, the waitress brought over plates of hot, crusty bread for dipping in olive oil (similar to Macaroni Grill), and chunked Parmigianno cheese. Not having had lunch, the cheese was a welcome sight.

Being part pizzeria, I knew finding Nicholas something to eat wouldn’t be difficult, given his penchant for black olive pizza. They don’t have a specific Children’s Menu, but have a very cute and accommodating notation that “our Children’s Menu is anything that will make them happy, in smaller portion and price.” How’s that for a smart move? Doubly smart … the waitress brought Nicholas a plate with a hunk of pizza dough to play with while waiting for his food to come. Needless to say, he loved that, especially since I’m not big on having playdoh in the house.

We ended up starting with Cold Antipasto (marinated artichokes, prosciutto, mozzarella and roasted red peppers on a plate of greens), and The Brother-in-Law ordered a small plate of meatballs. Interestingly, they were served on pieces of white bread, and then covered with homemade tomato sauce. The sauce was exceptionally fresh and delicious.

The menu is not very large, but everything sounds good enough to make the entree decision difficult. I ended up ordering the Amici Buccatini, thick tubular pasta with a saffron cream sauce, mussels, and shrimp, and then topped with fried calamari. I almost didn’t order it, because their description sounded a little heavy, but it turns out it’s one of Mom’s favorites. I would definitely get it again … the sauce is fragrant and creamy, without being too overbearing. I would swap out the buccatini for a different pasta next time though — buccatini is a pain to twirl and not as malleable as its counterparts. We also got a few orders of Calamari, and I was happily surprised with their version. Calamari is one of those things that is hard to get done right. It seems restaurants either turn it into tough, rubbery rings, or they serve up to perfection where the buttery morsels just melt in your mouth. Unfortunately, it seems that the later happens on few and far between occations. So far, the one to beat is Mama’s in Hackettstown.

Amici’s Restaurant
90 Park Avenue #B
Madison, NJ
(973) 360-9100