Imagine for a moment that you could disconnect from the daily grind and hop over to Italy for a few hours – walk through picturesque towns, take in the view, sit in a small home-style restaurant for lunch, and enjoy the authentic country-kitchen tastes of the boot-shaped nation. Now stop imagining.
Somehow, it appears that the term “Italian-restaurant” took on an expanded meaning over recent years from something describing a quality restaurant, the menu of which is based on traditional ingredients and recipes from Italy, to any place in which the chef knows how to throw spaghetti into boiling water and prepare sauce based on tomato-paste.
This, of course, does a disservice to authentic Italian restaurants and leads innocent people like yours truly to treat the term “Italian-restaurant” with apprehension. Is it referring to an authentic quality restaurant, or perhaps to a cheap imitation which probably causes the inventor of the pasta to turn constantly in his grave?
Amore Mio belongs to the former breed of restaurants mentioned above. Susannah, the owner of the establishment, is a native of Rome and so the Italian kitchen is a part of her life. Many years ago, she and her husband, Shlomi, traveled to Italy to study the secrets of the Italian cuisine, while specializing in pizzas and in preparation of dough. Upon returning to Israel, they opened the Tel Aviv restaurant Pizza Pazza restaurant on Ibn Gvirol Street. Later on, right next door, they opened Amore Mio, a home-style Italian restaurant, and together they form a defined space dedicated to the cuisine of the boot-shaped land.
Amore Mio offers authentic Italian food, such as focaccia and pastries prepared in a stone oven, pastas, pizzas, fine meat dishes, and more. The d?cor is of warm and inviting colors, wooden tables and chairs, and walls adorned with pictures of different Italian regions. In the evenings the lights dim and the atmosphere turns to the romantic and tender side. The service is warm, generous, and attentive, with an emphasis placed on a personal understanding of the customers needs.
On every Sunday – Thursday, between the hours of 12:00 noon and 6:00 PM, Amore Mio offers 3 different business specials – at 53 NIS, 63 NIS, and 73 NIS. Each business special includes a first course of green salad, soup or antipasti, an entr?e of choice from a varied selection, and a beverage which may be either a soft drink, a glass of wine, or a martini.
The choices of entr?es:
53 NIS business special:
• Pomodoro – penne/spaghetti in tomato sauce.
• Burina – penne in tomato sauce, eggplant, clemente olives, and parsley (spicy).
• Spiritosa – penne in tomato sauce, cream, vodka, and parmesan.
• Zio Giovanni – strozzapreti (choke priest) pasta in tomato sauce, smoked duck breast, sausage, a nit of pesto and seasoning-herbs (spicy).
• Pizza Margarita – Mozzarella and tomato sauce.
63 NIS business special:
• Zio Sabatino - strozzapreti (choke priest) pasta in tomato sauce, cubes of pullet, slices of zucchini, red pepper, and tomatoes.
• Zia Giulia – penne in cream, breast of duck, saffron, and parmesan.
• Carbonara – spaghetti in cream, smoked duck breast, fresh egg-yolk, and parmesan.
• Zia Rosetta – gnocchi in cream, tomatoes, and parmesan.
• Zio Anselmo – salmon ravioli in cream, a little tomato sauce, smoked salmon, and parmesan.
• Pizza Pranzo – mozzarella and tomato sauce + 2 toppings of choice
73 NIS business special:
• Pollo alla Grilla – marinated chunks of pullet on the grill and served with baked potatoes and a green salad.
• Drunken liver – chicken liver in red wine, red vermouth, brandy, a bit of butter, onion, and served with baked potatoes and a green salad (sweetish).
• Tagliata di Manzo – slices of beef sirloin, roquette leaves, olive-oil, and lemon. Served medium-rare.
The business specials are not offered on the weekends, holiday-eves or holidays. Those who are interested can, for 5 NIS more, receive an additional hot and crispy focaccia, baked in a stone oven and served with olive-oil, rosemary, and garlic.
Amore Mio
100 Ibn Gvirol St., Tel Aviv.
03-5244040
