THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Amori

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Amori Restaurant Review:

Prominent San Gabriel Valley chef Pedro Simental, who used to cook at Restaurant Devon across the street, returns to Monrovia with this cozy California-French eatery with an ambitious menu. The restaurant features a Van Gogh yellow dining room with eclectic art and candlelit tables dressed in white linen, and two al fresco options: sidewalk seating out front and a more private patio in the rear. Starters include ostrich carpaccio in ginger-soy dressing, shrimp and salmon mousse ravioli with shiitake mushroom sauce, and hamachi sashimi with citrus vinaigrette. Simental has always been a master saucier, and his entrées play to that strength with dishes such as New York steak in a light cherry-wine reduction and chicken in white port-vanilla sauce. There's also a whole deep-fried catfish in ponzu sauce, reminiscent of the signature dish he previously cooked at Shiro, and sautéed sea scallops garnished with uni in a velvety lemon-garlic-butter sauce. Although it doesn't rival neighboring Devon, Amori makes another good excuse to visit downtown Monrovia, which has become quite charming in its own right.