Almost Amys
Etto had opened before I even realized it was coming, but Anne and I nonetheless managed to get there on its week anniversary. Given how much I love 2 Amys, I was excited for a much more conveniently located restaurant that could potentially offer a similiar delicious-small-plates-and-pizza destination. So far, sooo good.
The space itself is lovely, airy, with an inviting bar wrapping around one side of the space, antipasti temptingly displayed on the counter. We managed to grab two bar stools pretty quickly, but were offered a table before we even had a chance to order drinks. (Unfortunately, I suspect that the waits will only get worse the longer Etto's open, especially on weekends. But this is a better neighborhood to wait it out than 2 Amys'.)
The burrata matched 2 Amys' version -- and wasn't sold out, which has been the bane of my last few visits up there -- but really, how can you screw up creamy burrata, olive oil, and seasoning? (I didn't love the somewhat hard, brownish bread that came with it. It was fine, but I prefer the 2 Amys bread.) We also ordered one of the specials, a shaved raw mushroom (porcini? can't recall) and parmesan salad dressed with olive oil and sprinked with chive blossoms. Simple, but delicious, and a great idea for use of chive blossoms, of which I had just gotten an inordinate amount in my CSA delivery the day before. (La Giostra's salad first taught me the joys of simply dressed shaved raw mushrooms and parmesan, although this truffle-free version was obviously lighter and less decadent.) The Alla Romana pizza was a salt bomb -- in the best way -- with its triple threat of anchovies, olives, and capers. The crust had a great texture, and didn't suffer from the slight sogginess that can sometimes afflict 2 Amys' tomato-sauced pizzas. A bottle of not-too-sweet rose Lambrusco perfectly matched my summer drinking mood.
One of my favorite things about 2 Amys is how consistently good everything I've tried on their menu has always been, so I'll have to do a lot more eating through Etto's menu to know how it stacks up long-term. But given this initial visit, I'm extremely excited to tackle that task.
The space itself is lovely, airy, with an inviting bar wrapping around one side of the space, antipasti temptingly displayed on the counter. We managed to grab two bar stools pretty quickly, but were offered a table before we even had a chance to order drinks. (Unfortunately, I suspect that the waits will only get worse the longer Etto's open, especially on weekends. But this is a better neighborhood to wait it out than 2 Amys'.)
The burrata matched 2 Amys' version -- and wasn't sold out, which has been the bane of my last few visits up there -- but really, how can you screw up creamy burrata, olive oil, and seasoning? (I didn't love the somewhat hard, brownish bread that came with it. It was fine, but I prefer the 2 Amys bread.) We also ordered one of the specials, a shaved raw mushroom (porcini? can't recall) and parmesan salad dressed with olive oil and sprinked with chive blossoms. Simple, but delicious, and a great idea for use of chive blossoms, of which I had just gotten an inordinate amount in my CSA delivery the day before. (La Giostra's salad first taught me the joys of simply dressed shaved raw mushrooms and parmesan, although this truffle-free version was obviously lighter and less decadent.) The Alla Romana pizza was a salt bomb -- in the best way -- with its triple threat of anchovies, olives, and capers. The crust had a great texture, and didn't suffer from the slight sogginess that can sometimes afflict 2 Amys' tomato-sauced pizzas. A bottle of not-too-sweet rose Lambrusco perfectly matched my summer drinking mood.
One of my favorite things about 2 Amys is how consistently good everything I've tried on their menu has always been, so I'll have to do a lot more eating through Etto's menu to know how it stacks up long-term. But given this initial visit, I'm extremely excited to tackle that task.
posted by JCA at 1:29 PM
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