Amici Italian Eatery

Where: 9807 224th St. E., Suite 100, Graham, 253.847.1500, www.iloveamici.com
Hours: Lunch and dinner — Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cuisine: Italian American — pasta, fish and chips, wood fired pizza, salads, seafood and steaks. Kids menu available.
Scene: Relaxed, casual family dining with lounge
Drinkies: Moderately-priced wines and beers, creative Amici’tini cocktails
Damage:  $2.25-$23.95

ANNOUNCER: Being familiar with South Sound geography, I’m well aware that Graham is not in Idaho. However, driving along infamous South Meridian from the Tacoma area on a Friday evening can make it feel as though it is. As one patron familiar with the Graham area cautioned humorously about the drive, “If you hear banjos you’ve gone too far.” Located in the hub of Graham’s main shopping center, the popularity of Amici Italian Eatery has been going strong since opening in 2005. On a recent road trip the boys saw this evidenced by full dining room, full waiting area and quickly filling adjacent lounge. Owners Pat and Kim Nicholl pay attention to detail, customer service and quality. What appears to be the most happening place in Graham co-caters to families looking for a fairly priced tasty dinner in the restaurant and those wanting to sip creative martini cocktails and relax in the lounge.

JAKE: It’s been a while since we’ve been anywhere that had a wait-list. Passing the time with the menu, I was pleased that this casual dining Italian restaurant went beyond the norm. The twisted Caesar is one. It’s a regular Caesar salad with cold rotini pasta tossed in. You receive a choice of vegetarian or adding grilled chicken or salmon. The addition of strawberries, candied walnuts and Craisins made Amici’s spinach salad seem almost exotic. Steaming bread acted as surfboard for delicious house-made garlic pesto butter to ride the gastro pleasure wave straight into my belly. And that’s delicious with a capital D.

JASON: The garlic turnover appetizer is on that list, too. What an ingenious idea; taking pizza dough, cheese, marinara sauce, and garlic and rolling it up into a 3-inch diameter log. After a short stint in the oven, it gets sliced into manageable handheld servings, the cross section showing dough and filling layers oozing a gooey, hot mess of melted mozzarella. The use of fresh garlic provides a substantially different taste than pre-chopped, jar-packaged kinds. At first bite, I knew without looking that there’d be fresh chopped chunks. I was impressed with the flavor of the creamy, hot alfredo dipping sauce riding shotgun on the plate. The very center bit of dough was a bit raw yet.

JAKE: Did you see the big brick oven was of the wood fueled variety? That makes all the difference, though the temperature must be difficult to control versus a conventional oven with a dial. I’m sure that’s the reason your appetizer had raw dough. Instead of a semi-clear broth, my minestrone soup was rich and thick and sprinkled with grated parmesan. The salt gauge was right on. Personally, I wanted more pepper. Good soup just no wow factor.

JASON: I’m always so hesitant to order veal Marsala. What looked to be an 8-ounce cut of tender veal lay to one side while multi-colored rotini pasta covered 75 percent of the plate. Why the pasta overkill? Cracked black pepper gave a sharp, hotness to the dish providing pleasant contrast to the sweetness of onions and mushrooms sautéed in Marsala wine. Where the onion and mushroom compote did not cover the pasta, it was completely bereft of seasoning. My wife could have cooked this. When I go out to eat I want something I can’t get at home. Same reason guys hit strip clubs, for Pete’s sake. Uh, or so I’ve heard.

JAKE: What? This review isn’t making their wall.

The baked cannelloni was done right. Perfect pasta, spiced ricotta cheese, and Italian sausage came smothered in mozzarella and parmesan; easily saved the day or … er, night. When my fork pierced the top blanket of cheese and basil the heady steamy scent of meat and marinara wafted into the air. I love Italian sausage for the distinctive flavor of fennel.

JASON: The dessert menu was not endless or particularly inventive though it did cover basics: cheesecake, a chocolate death type cake, predictable tiramisu, ice cream and a fruit dessert. After such heavy entrees, we opted for what we thought would be a fairly harmless lemon creme cake to split. A 3-inch high tower of the moistest lemon meringue-esque cake ever imaginable was further improved by real whip cream. My oh my, a true treat.