Amicci's (Little Italy) -- Great (Last reviewed 5/7/09)

Really. Who doesn't love Amicci's? I've been going to Amicci's when it was a one dining room campy, hard-to-get-a-seat place. Now that it's grown up with a cool bar area and multiple dining rooms, it still has a hon feel and great, reasonably priced food. It's hard to go there without recognizing a good deal of the lunch crowd, so the conversation has to be low. I like the lunch menu where you make your own pasta/sauce combo. Throw in a Caeser and an iced tea, ahhhh. Their special is always shrimp served in a bread bowl filled with a scampi sauce. Is it really a special, if it is something you serve everyday? In previous visits during crowded lunch hours, the host parked us in the back dining room that was like eating in a storage closet. It was so bad that we (me) requested a move to a high table in the bar area with the big screens. Can I just say that male hosts really don't belong in a restaurant as they routinely use bad judgment?
Depending on who you are dining with, the bread can present a big problem. It's freshly baked but it's not cut all the way through and requires a good amount of manhandling to separate the slices. If you are dining with Mr. Swiney, you may want to take the first piece or insist that they cover the bread with a napkin first.
DB

Lemongrass -- Great (Last reviewed May 1,2009)

Lemongrass is like an oasis in this part of the city -- a hip, Thai restaurant in what can only be an up and coming part of extended Harbor East. The larger than life Indian goddess greets you upon entry and makes you feel like just a little feller in downtown Bangkok. So being a huge Thai food fan, this place was destined for a good review. There was a steady lunch time crowd, an encouraging sign. The menu is very diverse, reasonably priced and Thai funky. I was probably blabbering too much and not focused on the menu so I defaulted to Chicken Pad Thai. I know this is like ordering a burger and fries in a diner but look people, I was under a lot of pressure. The earthy watress was growing understandably impatient after the third pass. They did a very nice job with this staple dish -- good size portion, a little on the sweet side, fresh and yummy. Ok, so a few digs. I was hoping for a little something over the top like hot tea but maybe I am confusing Chinese with Thai. Why would you build such a huge bar in the entryway? It kind of messes up my Thai karma ... why not a fountain or a Buddha dude, straw mats or something along those lines instead of a really long saloon style bar.

I was so intrigued by this place that I went back three days later for dinner. Equally good but I felt as if I was leaving my loyal followers a little short on jabs, so here's a few. I tried to go for the tea thing again and struck out. I got a beer glass with hot water and grocery store looking tea bag. Boo. Our server, more Pigtown than Thai, chose to wear a nasty kitchen towel around his waist. Hey buddy, good look if you are actually in the kitchen, not so much if you are serving. He seemed more familiar with the menu from KFC than Lemongrass. I had Red Curry which was awesome and unusual. I also sampled a little Drunken Noodle which was really tasty. As with lunch, I again had kalamari as an appetizer which was good but a little too rubbery for this world renowned critic.