D'Amico Kitchen

While I rarely need an excuse to try out a new restaurant, this last week was Restaurant Week in the twin cities and so it was a great excuse to grab some friends and head out to a new place.

The hubby, RFO, and I decided to try out D'Amico Kitchen.  The restaurant is a reinvention/ reincarnation of the old D'Amico Cucina that served Minneapolis for a number of years, albeit in a new location at the Chambers Hotel in the former Chamber's Kitchen spot. 

RFO and I arrived about 20 minutes before our reservation and so we took a seat at the bar for a pre-dinner drink.  Unfortunately the bartender seemed less interested in taking our order and more interested in washing glasses and talking to wait staff.  He finally made his way down to us after about 10 minutes and we caught his attention.  Uh oh...not off to a good start! 

I went with a Malbec, Weinert “Carrascal”, 2004.  When RFO asked the bartender his opinion between two different glasses, he of course suggested a totally different one that was higher in price than the other two - precisely the reason I tend to avoid asking for opinions.  He also disparaged the Malbec - guess in his attempt to upsell to RFO he neglected to think about the fact that I had just ordered the Malbec.  RFO took his suggestion and went with the Prugnolo Gentile, La Braccesca "Sabazio" 2006. 

Not long after getting the drinks settled, the hubby arrived and we were seated at our table.  We sat in the basement of the restaurant which was a much nicer option than the upstairs tables.  The upstairs section was nice, but being close to the bar it would have been a much noisier affair than the dinner downstairs.  The only downside is that we had to carry our glasses of red wine down a flight of stairs.  Thankfully we both made it safely down without a spill.

The downstairs section of the restaurant is adorned with various white chairs, benches, and sofas.  The lighting was primarily candle votives which made for a romantic atmosphere.  We were told a 3-piece jazz group would be playing in about an hour.  They were underneath the stairs and the music was a nice soft background to our meal.  It wasn't until they started playing that I realized that the evening was missing exactly that - music.  Before they played it was pretty quiet.  They also weren't very full when we first got there, which made us question why we couldn't have gotten an earlier reservation. 

During Restaurant Week you can order from the regular menu or the special priced prix-fixe menu.  All three of us chose the special 3-course menu.  After hearing about the options, we all ordered the same starter, different entrees, and two different types of desserts.  While we waited for the first course, the waitress brought us a basket of warm bread that was very good.  The crust was crunchy and the bread was chewy. 

All three of us ordered the Puree of cauliflower soup, Brussel sprouts, and truffle.  We knew the hubby would go for that starter if for no other reason than the truffle.  The soup came and was a delicious puree topped off with the truffle oil which gave it a signature smell.  The hubby liked the brussel sprout topping which was basically crisp "leaves" of brussel sprouts.  RFO and I thought they were a little awkward with the soup.  They just didn't seem to blend in well with the soup.  Although the hubby always likes crunch with his meal, and the brussel sprouts did provide that for him.  I quickly ate the sprouts so I could concentrate on the soup.  Definitely a good start to the meal.

Next up were the entrees.  I went with what I can only surmise was the best option at the table.  Butternut squash cappaletti, pistachio, with pumpkin seed oil.  The cappaletti provided a nice pasta wrap for the butternut squash puree.  It was both savory and sweet all at once.  The pistachios were a great addition for the "crunch."  The portion size was just right in my opinion - about 5 cappalettis.  RFO went with a different pasta option and had the Orecchietti, spicy lamb sausage, chickpea, olive.  She seemed to enjoy her dish and I'm sure will be reviewing it soon over at Reservations for One.  The hubby went with Onion braised beef short ribs, buckwheat polenta, roasted carrots, horseradish gremolata.  Again, it was a given that he'd order this with polenta in the description.  Polenta and truffles - a definite for him.  The waitress said the beef short ribs would be taken off the bone before serving, unfortunately the fatty part of the meat was still there.  Once he worked around the fat, he enjoyed the meal.  He did complain that there wasn't enough of the polenta.  One thing that he noted a couple of days after the meal was that not one of us shared our meal with each other.  I think that was a sign that we all were happy with what we ordered and didn't find the other options all that interesting.

We finished off the meal with dessert.  RFO and I both ordered the Steamed Chocolate Spice Cake, Amarene Cherries, Olive Oil Gelato.  It wasn't until writing this that I remembered the gelato was olive oil.  The only real thing I remember about it was that it was very hard and difficult to eat with a spoon.  The cake was delicious though and was a great ending to a very good meal.  The hubby went with the Yogurt Panna Cotta Parfait, citrus almond sponge cake, blood orange gelee, Pomegranate Foam and enjoyed the freshness of the dessert. 

The downside of the night was the fact that we had to wait 20 minutes or so to get our bill from the waitress.  They had gotten busy by that point, but I always think the end is where waitstaff either make or break their tip.  I wasn't too put off by it this time given I was enjoying the conversation with my dinner partners, but she was on the ropes. 

The evening was good - even with the odd bartender and the waitress delaying our bill at the end of the evening.  The food, drink, and conversation were great.  While I doubt I will run back to D'Amico Kitchen anytime soon, it will not be due to the food.  There are just so many other options to explore! 

Happy Eating!