Cafe Amore, Huntington Plaza, Martindale Rd, St Catharines
Last night I had dinner at the Cafe Amore with a group of friends. Price was reasonable, and portions plentiful.
I started with their Calamari appy. A large plate of fried calamari served with their own flavourful Taziki sauce. The Calamari was tender on the inside and the batter was crisp and light. A perfect start to the meal.
For my main I had the chicken parma. It was served with a ceasar salad. Salad was big, with their own version of a ceasar dressing (I have issues with adding mustard, etc. to a ceasar dressing, but that is just me). The Chicken Parma is not breaded, making it lighter. They pan cook the fillets of the chicken breast with spices before baking in loaded with cheese. The chicken is served on bed of pasta, I had the linguine (the other choice was Penne pasta) loaded with their own sauce. Sauce was flavourful but a tad sweet.
I did not order my own dessert but was able to have a taste of a few from the table, including a very very decadent "Death by Chocolate" cake, a bailey's cheesecake and a chocolate mouse cake. Each were rich but not overwhelming.
All in all, it was a good meal, I had coffee, so I cannot tell you about the wine list, I was driving from Hamilton and back. Total with tax (before tip) was under 25 for a very enjoyable evening and I am looking forward to going back next month when my group meets.
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I've found Cafe Amore VERY inconsistent. When the owners are there, they are on top of things. When they're not, its just OK. I had the chicken parm sandwich on ciabatta for lunch recently.
The individual elements were good: the sauce was good, the chicken was cooked properly and the ciabatta was fresh. However, the plate had been sitting for a while before service: it was warm, not hot. The sauce had thoroughly soaked through the bread and the cheese had congealed. The potato chips and the aioli served with the sandwich were freshly made.
When the food is as it should be, the prices are reasonable.
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