Sherman's Food Adventures: Amorosa

Amorosa

Much like other foodies such as Mijune, Victoria, Joyce and Elaine, I have been suffering through a bought of the stomach flu. It's nasty business I tell you... Whatever you eat, it is bound to come out one way or another. Furthermore, the desire to eat is greatly diminished. Imagine the horror! It's akin to a Tiger Woods or David Duchovny not being allowed to have sex! Wait... bad analogy... Anyways, you get the idea. So upon my recovery, which took way longer than expected, you can only imagine my desire to eat. In fact, I think I'm trying to make it all up by eating more! Thus, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pay Amorosa a visit. No no no, not the psychotic b**ch from The Apprentice. Heck, I wouldn't want to visit with her even if she were holding onto 2 Banh Mis in each hand with a plate of lobster sitting in front. Well... possibly... WTH? No, of course not! The place I'm talking about is Amorosa Pasta House out on Edmonds and 6th. Yah, that corner. The last time I tried eating here, it was packed... on a Monday night! This place is indeed popular. Hey, big portions and reasonable prices, sounds like a good combination.

It was also convenient for us since my son has his skating lessons at Moody Park, which is nearby. Knowing how Rich Guy only eats out and never cooks, I invited him to tag along. I learned my lesson from last time and made a reservation. As there are no real tables big enough to accommodate 5+ people, it was a tight squeeze for us (even though they added a small table to the end of a large one). Since Rich Guy doesn't eat vegetables because he claims, "real men don't eat greens", I pestered him into sharing a Spinach Salad with us. Hey, the salad was pretty good, even he concurred. With fresh green leaves and large slices of button mushrooms, the salad was lightly dressed with a herb raspberry vinaigrette. Although we had complimentary bread, we went ahead and got the Garlic Cheese Toast. It was partially a backup plan in case my son didn't eat the pasta... Turns out it was a good choice, not only did he eat it, we enjoyed it too! The toast was really soft and there was a good amount of melted mozzarella on top. Although, Viv thought it would've been even better with more garlic.

Our server was quite astute and made sure that the kid's pasta came out first. They ended up sharing the Penne Alfredo. Creamy while not being too creamy (I know that is a lame description...), the sauce was not over seasoned. The penne was on the softer side of al dente. Viv went for the special of the day which was Rotini with sausage, sun-dried tomato and zucchini in a rose sauce. This was the large portion size and it was quite a bit of pasta. Moreover, as you can see, there are ingredients throughout, so they didn't skimp there. Although I thought the pasta was pretty solid, there was a bit too much sauce for my liking. Of course it provides flavour and moisture; but it softens the pasta a bit too much in my opinion.

Rich Guy decided to be a bit healthier and settled on the Penne Genovese which consists of chicken, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in a rose sauce. I'm not so sure on the "healthier" part; but I guess there are worse dishes he could've ordered. Another large plate of pasta with a bit too much sauce. Don't get me wrong here. It tasted pretty good with a nice balance of tomato and cream sauces without being salty or too sweet. He proudly declared he was only going to eat half and almost ended up finishing the whole thing. For myself, I went with the Linguine alla Vongole, which is a favourite of mine. Unlike the one I had at Jimoco, this pasta was thoroughly "clammy". I thought the sauce was decent with hints of oregano and some tomato zing. Once again, there was a lot of sauce here. The pasta had a "fresh" quality to it and although that is a good attribute; it is not my personal preference. Despite this, I did finish the whole plate of pasta. Probably not the best idea; but I did anyways. If you're expecting "trendy" pasta like you'd find at some downtown eateries, you won't find it here at Amorosa. But for the prices they charge coupled with large portion sizes, it will remain as a popular destination.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Inexpensive
- Personable service

The Bad:
- A bit too much sauce
- Tight seating arrangements

Amorosa Pasta House on Urbanspoon

9 comments:

EnbM said...

Those were generous portions, reminding me of Anton's @Hastings. Durum, wheat & lycopene are healthy for your system. :) Italian cuisine is the healthiest in the world equal that of her Mediterranean neighbors.
Before Catherine Medici of Florence married Henri II of France, the French covered up their bad cooking with heavy sauces. She brought her team of chefs, fresh produces from Italy and the Mediterranean, and voila, the birth of French cuisine that we know today. That's my late bed-time story. :D

For some reason, I thought that Amorosa and Cafe Amore @Dawson are related or connected.

Anonymous said...

Those servings look huge! Are they Anton's-sized, or is this just a trick of the camera? :)

Sherman Chan said...

Although not Anton's portion sizes, the portions here are quite large. Probably 3/4 the size approximately.

holly said...

Too much sauce? In my opinion, you can never have too much sauce Isn't that what the bread is for, to soak up the sauce?

This is the go-to place for my sister and her family when they're in the mood for italian, as they live in New West. The food is consistently good.

Sherman Chan said...

Well Holly, I guess chalk that up to personal preference. Although Viv and Rich Guy concurred with the too much sauce comment. I think in this case and also with Anton's it does tend to soften up the pasta too much especially since it's fresh pasta, not dried. We like our pastas really al dente and with the nature of their pastas, I guess it would be tough to execute it that way. I know it's a completely different class of restaurant, but I really like the way Cioppino's does their pasta (very al dente and just enough sauce to coat the pasta). With a closer comparison, Marcello is similar in that there is just enough sauce (albeit a bit oily) to coat the pasta. I guess that's why I mentioned that the pasta at Amorosa is not "trendy" whereas the pasta is more the oiler, less sauce type. But again, food is very personal and everyone has different preferences.

EnbM said...

You're both right. Sherman has acquired the perfect taste found in high-end Italian restaurants. holly is knowledgeable that the ordinary folks soak up the sauce with bread to feel full. :)
Let's hope no frenchies came to this page accidentally and shoot me down for a bad joke. :(

trisha said...

i agree with holly, more sauce makes for more happiness. i like to soak up the leftover sauce with bread. mmm....

Sherman Chan said...

Yup Trisha, I hear ya. Otherwise places like Amorosa and Anton's would not be so popular. Everyone has different tastes. Don't get me wrong about the pasta here. I still liked it. Just not my favourite.

F. said...

worked there for 2 and a half years i must say im so hungry after reading that. definitly one of my favorite jobs and restaurants. i might of been working that day as well haha

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