|
|
|
 |
Central Newsmagazine is Central St. Louis County's
exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper. |
 |
Dining Spotlight |
|
|
A’mis Italian RestaurantBy Betsy Zatkulak
A’mis Italian Restaurant of Rock Hill has been a neighborhood staple for 20 years that features four time-honored pizza styles baked on brick; hand-picked, Black Angus steaks, delectable pastas, seafood, sandwiches and salads—all made to order with the finest ingredients on the market. The secret to this restaurant’s success, according to owner A’mi Damti, is: Excellence. “Made from scratch, baked-on-brick, these are the keys to our success,” Damti said. “Big portions, reasonable prices, and top quality—you give people those three things and you’re in. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” Open for lunch and dinner, A’mis dining space is modest in size and is the perfect match for the restaurant’s relaxed and cozy atmosphere. While the space might be small, don’t be fooled. The restaurant thrives with in-house dining, carry-out, delivery and catering. Daily specials and coupons are an added bonus. “Ninety-five percent of our customers are regulars—families, friends, couples, young, old—all mixed together,” Damti said. “It’s great: everyone kind of becomes friends here.” A’mis boasts four different pizza styles: New-York-style, Chicago-style, Manhattan-style and St. Louis-style. From thin crust to thick and something in between, every pizza is made from scratch in A’mis kitchen, and will certainly have pizza aficionados nodding and smiling perfecto. “We mix our dough balls, we grind our own cheeses, and (make our own) sauces. We put it all together and then we bake it on brick, and that makes a huge difference in the quality of our pizzas,” Damti said. “…I’ll never forget the guy who drove all the way from Columbia, Mo., just to try our pizzas.” There is more: Black Angus steaks hand-picked, seasoned and grilled to perfection. The Steak Fixman, a house favorite, is a 16-oz. sirloin strip topped with big cuts of sautéed onion, green and red peppers, mushrooms served with a salad (be sure to try A’mis legendary Creamy Italian dressing) and a side order. Rigatoni con pesce celebrates pasta, crab, shrimp, mushrooms, and cheeses folded into a rich cream sauce seasoned with curry. Choosing from A’mis crave-worthy menu is challenging, but it is safe to say everything on the menu is prepared and cooked with a passion and dedication that keeps customers coming back for more. “I want (our guests) to leave here with a smile that says, ‘Oh, that was great,’” Damti said. “That’s the kind of experience I want our guests to have.” With plans for a complete remodel, and possible expansion on the way, a sister restaurant in O’Fallon, and plans to open another restaurant in 2008, A’mis is looking good, really good.
A’mis Italian Restaurant 9824 Manchester Road (314) 963-1822 Open Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. www.amispizza.com |
|
||||||
When people come across a family-run restaurant that captures the heart of the community with excellent food at reasonable prices, endearing service, and portions that are out-of-this-world good, then life is good: really good, and that kind of good can be summed up in one word—A’mis.