Trattoria Amici Restaurant Review: Occupying a prime location in the elaborate Americana at Brand shopping-entertainment complex, this smart-looking trattoria features limestone accents, linen-draped tables and an exhibition kitchen. A communal table sits beside a glass-ensconced wine cellar, and sidewalk tables are shaded by a broad awning. Service is crisp, but there is a feeling that guests are being hustled out to do more shopping, and the pace never seems totally relaxed. To start, small beef meatballs are served in a tomato and green pea sauce, while grilled eggplant is rolled and filled with ricotta and pine nuts, but few appetizers pop with flavor the way good Italian cuisine should. Several pastas are respectable, like pappardelle with peas, fava beans and asparagus in pesto, and risotto cooked with shrimp and mushrooms. A classic cioppino is available, as well as beef tenderloin with a wild mushroom sauce. To finish, desserts such as semifreddo, tiramisu and cheesecake are on order. The wine list strikes us as rather pricey for a shopping center trattoria, especially at a time when many other restaurants are providing considerable value.
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