Giving Dues to Due Amici

I have driven by this unassuming restaurant many times and I have always wondered what it was like behind the very European-looking lace curtains. I made reservations for 8 o'clock Saturday night and walked in with a bottle of red wine. I had noticed the detailed menu on their website was without any prices so I had no idea what to expect. It had some usual Italian dishes and a few very interesting ones, as well as a kid's menu.

It was a bit of a chilly evening — perfect for a large bowl of pasta and some red wine. As we entered, I noticed a very plain-looking interior as a friendly waiter guided us to a table. I was surprised to see most of the tables unoccupied.

As we sat down, I remembered "Due Amici" means two friends in Italian and wondered what significance it had to the restaurant. A very friendly woman came to give us our menu and open our wine. She also placed a plate of warm and crusty bread in front of us. The bread of amazing, tasting freshly baked with a crispy exterior. It was accompanied by olive oil, which was not very impressive. It tasted like any other vegetable oil and lacked the color and fruitiness of an extra virgin variety. While devouring the bread, my daughter found the kids menu and picked baked ziti ($6.95) for dinner and settled down with her book.

We looked at the appetizers ($4.95 to $12.95) and ordered one of the specials — sautéed baby artichoke hearts with garlic, herbs, homemade mozzarella and roasted peppers ($8.95) and we also ordered the mussels all fra diavolo, which is a spicy tomato-based sauce for seafood. The artichokes were tender, cooked in onions. They were accompanied by mozzarella cheese, which was a bit bland and the roasted peppers were OK. The dish could have used a bit more of the vinaigrette drizzled on top. The mussels were tender, but lacking in flavor. The sauce, on the other hand, was phenomenal. It was tangy, spicy and had the right flavor.

There are numerous choices in the pasta section ($11.95 to $16.95). I ordered the rigatoni zingara, which was a spicy pink sauce with gaeta olives, hot peppers, anchovy and plum tomatoes. This dish was delicious. The sauce was salty with the olives and had a zing with the hot peppers. I wanted more of them in the pasta to make things interesting. The mushrooms made it substantial and the plum tomatoes brought a yummy tang to the dish. My only complaint — I didn't taste the anchovies. I realize they have a subtle underlying salty, nutty taste, but I missed it.

Shrimp primavera was the next pasta dish. Jumbo shrimp with imported pasta and fresh mixed vegetables in creamy vodka sauce was placed in front of us. We love ordering pasta primavera at restaurants and always are curious to know what vegetables we will get to eat. There was chunky broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and carrots. It didn't taste like a vodka sauce to me — more like a regular tomato sauce with seafood flavor. The dish needed some serious salt, but the shrimp was tender and sweet.

In spite of the large portions, the baked ziti and the rigatoni zingara were polished off.

Usually after a big meal, I don't crave dessert, but the homemade tiramisu looked delicious — and it was. It was soft, gooey, creamy and full of espresso. I could have ordered another helping — just for myself — but I instead had a sip of wine and asked for the check.

The food was good, but I was disappointed to see the place empty. There is a coupon on their website for lunch and dinner (too bad I noticed it after I came back).

Rating: OOC (two-and-a-half oranges)