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Amici’s makes changes for the better

E.L. Hubbard/Staff photo Tuna Nicoise Salad is one of the dishes served at the revamped Amici's in Hamilton.

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By Teri Horsley, Contributing Writer 6:55 PM Thursday, April 21, 2011

HAMILTON— If it has been awhile since you’ve dined at Amici’s, it’s time for another visit. The restaurant, housed inside Hamilton’s Courtyard by Marriott hotel, has a new menu, lower prices, and a new creative focus,

“We’ve made a lot of changes over the past two years. Amici’s is more intimate now and we’ve become more of a bistro, yet you can still have a very nice upscale or even a casual dinner,” said Shawn Stidham, director of sales.

Once known for a menu steeped in Italian cuisine, Amici’s now offers a menu with a Fusion flavor, featuring French, American, Asian and Mediterranean. Prices have dropped by about 10 percent, and while there are still plenty of meat and potato dishes, lighter fare such as sandwiches and salads are now a big part of the menu.

“We had customers come in and say that we were a little too expensive or a little too fancy, so we reworked the menu to meet their preference,” said Executive Chef Jan (Yahn) Grimm.

In the past, lunch for two averaged about $40, now, two of us dined for approximately $30 and that included an entree, beverage and dessert.

As for the entrees, I absolutely loved mine, choosing the Tuna Nicoise Salad from the lunch menu. The salad, which is made like a full meal, featured a fresh spring mix topped with a large tuna steak, red potatoes, kalamato olives, green beans and a home made, fresh oregano vinaigrette dressing.

First of all, this French delight is one of my all-time favorites and since it’s hard to find it on most area menus, the chef had my taste buds from the beginning. The tuna steak was cooked well done, and although my preference is for it to be a bit more rare, it was tasty without being fishy, which is often difficult to achieve with tuna. The salad dressing was light and delicious and the potatoes and steamed green beans offered the perfect crunch that a well prepared Salad Nicoise is known for.

I finished my meal with a huge serving of lemon sorbet, providing that cool Mediterranean kick that’s both tart and sweet at the same time.

Other lunch menu items include a variety of sandwiches like the Amici’s Club with your choice of grilled chicken, turkey or tuna steak, and entrees like whole wheat linguini, grilled salmon, and chicken scampi. My friend said her Amici’s club was excellent and the grilled chicken was moist.

The dinner menu at Amici’s features various pastas, poultry, pork and beef dishes, with two of the customer favorites being Asian spiced baby back ribs and citrus spiced pork chops with red potatoes.

Amici’s will host an Easter dinner with a family style menu this Sunday with seatings at 11 a.m., 1p.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations are also being accepted for Mother’s Day on May 8 with seatings at 11a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.

Contact this writer at tlhrsly@cinci.rr.com

Amici’s Bistro

When: Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no lunch menu on weekends. Dinner: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There is no dinner menu on Sundays.

Where: Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 1 Riverfront Plaza, Hamilton

Cost: Lunch salads are $4 to $9; Sandwiches average $8 - $10, and luncheon entrees run $8 to $13. Dinner pastas are $12 to $15, seafood and dinner entrees range from $20 to $26. Most desserts are $4.

More info: (513) 896-6200 or Amicis Hamilton.com

Food: A+

Service: A

Atmosphere: A+

Price: A-

Overall Experience: A

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