Bday Dinners and some awards

Before we start, after you read today's post, head on over to my other blog The Misadventures of Little J to see a little animation I did a few years back. (here)

Now I rarely do restaurant reviews of any type because well I suck at it. But last weekend, I had a birthday dinner for my cousin at Amici Trattoria at the Americana on Brand in Glendale, Ca. I think it just opened several weeks ago. Every time I pass by, the place is always full of customers. Inside and out. There were 5 of us. My mom, my two cousins, one of which was the birthday celebrant and my cousin's friend. I apologize for the color of some of the pictures as some are a bit blurry. I didn't use a flash. My point and shoot is really a piece of crap at the moment. I've put it through so much. I think it's time for it to retire.

Anyway, the place was pretty packed when we got there, but we were lucky to have been seated right away. The prized spots were in the patio, but a party had reserved it at the time. I was fine with eating inside. It's a decent sized space. The tables were placed a bit close to one another, so there were a lot of "excuse me" going around. Decor looked modern. Lighting was on the slightly dimmed side. Our host and waiter were two burly men with what I think were Italian accents. They may have looked intimidating, but were really friendly.

Someone from the waitstaff brings out the traditional bread basket with some rosemary foccacia and slices of french bread. Accompanied with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We wanted to order some wine, but the wine menu was several pages long. Literally. It was a book! I didn't want to spend too much looking at it as I was really hungry. It took me forever just to think of what I wanted to eat, let alone choosing a wine was something that would take me another hundred years to decide. I'm not picky, I just can't choose from all the delectable selections. I was saving up my appetite for this meal.

The waiter takes our order without writing down our choices as I request for another round of bread. You know I love bread, right? From the anti pasti selection, we ordered Frittura di Calamari e Zucchini. Calamari and fried zucchini with a side of marinara. Both of which were nice and crispy when brought to our table. That was gone in a few minutes.

We didn't have to wait long for the main course. With the place being so busy, waiting wasn't much of an option. There were a bunch of other people waiting to have a seat. It was really packed. Our entrées arrived nearly one after another as another person from the waitstaff comes around carrying a big bowl, with spoon in hand, of freshly pre-grated parmegiano reggiano. Offering us if we'd like to add extra cheese to our dish. I opted not too. my dish was already packed with cheese. The portions were large, but really good.

My mom had the Linguine Alle Vongole Veraci. Linguine with manila clams in light olive oil and white wine sauce. Here we go with the white wine sauce again. I'm telling you, I got her hooked!


My cousin ordered the Risotto ala Catalana. Italian Arborio rice with shrimp and baby asparagus with saffron. I had a taste of this and the risotto was nice and creamy. It was really good also.


I had the Milanese di Pollo. Or Chicken Parmigiana. It was nearly the size of my head. Yes, it was that big. Made from breaded organic chicken served with sautéed arugula and roasted garlic potatoes. The chicken was nice and tender. Cooked just right. The mozzarella perfectly melted with just the right amount of sauce. I'd pick up a piece and that lovely string of melted cheese would tag along for the ride into my mouth. I finished the whole thing. I was hungry, remember? But I enjoyed it.

I didn't take a picture of the other two dishes, but one was a Capellini Alla Checca, angel hair pasta with a chopped tomato and basil. The other was Penne Arabiat, penne with a spicy marinara sauce. I think there was chicken in there, too. I can't remember.

With our stomachs full, we couldn't end the meal with just our entrées. No, no, no. I say desserts are an essential for occasions such as this. So we ordered a nice slice of tiramisu to close the meal. We all shared and loved it. A lot of Italian places I've been tend to go overboard on the rum and/or espresso and that can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. This tiramisu was just right. There was barely a hint of it. Did you know that tiramisu originally never had alcohol in it? The mascarpone cheese filling was so smooth, it was soothing to the palate. Slight touch of espresso, soaked just enough into the sponge cake. There were a couple fresh raspberries and blueberries on the plate as well and the familiar dusting of cocoa powder. It was so good and I wanted more, but I didn't want to force my stomach. I wonder if you can order a slice to go. I must find out. Tiramisu is one of the desserts I love and will soon make on this blog. Stay tuned.

Overall for 5 people it was a decent price for an upscale like restaurant. I'd definitely try this place again. Maybe next time, I'll try one of their pizza, pasta or seafood dishes

Trattoria Amici at the Americana at Brand (across from Barnes and Noble)
889 Americana Way
Glendale, CA 91210
818.502.1220


Next, a couple weeks ago, I received a few awards. For the first three, I'd like to give a special shoutout to Finsmom from Latest Addiction for passing them along to me.





This last one I'd like to also give a special shoutout to Heather from Girlichef and Kim from The Ungourmet for passing this to me this very brand new award.

Please visit these lovely ladies blogs. They've got some awesome drool worthy recipes, and deserve this tasty award as well as the many food blogs I read everyday. I share this with all of you.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow. The picture below isn't your average pasta dish. A new day, a new recipe. Ciao!!