I had high expectations for Amalfi Italian Restaurant & Pizza because I had been to the location they had over in the Publix shopping center at Chicasaw and Lake Underhill a number of years ago. Where that was delightfully tasty Italian cuisine, this was at best mediocre.
The atmosphere was very nice with Italian music that softly plays and red gingham table cloths that are associated with this type of food. This like the location before it was much the same.
I decided to go for lunch and had Lasagna for $7.95. Noodles layered with a mixture of meat and cheese. The description sounded appetizing but it was very disappointing in that there were very small amounts of meat and overwhelming portions of cheese and a tomato sauce that didn’t taste like any Italian flavor I ever experienced. Its appearance was that of a cheese pizza and not Lasagna. The food also cooled down a little too quickly. I know about the meat because I pulled apart some of the noodles to find only one or two pieces of it. It is served with a salad and bread that were very tasty. The service was unusually slow with only 3 or 4 diners in the place around 1 in the afternoon.
To be fair I decided to try the Amalfi a second time hoping it would be better at the dinner hour and different day. This time I drove by around 6 and saw only two cars in the parking lot. So I decided to come back a little after 6:30 where there were now 7 vehicles in the lot. This I thought was more promising.
My meal began on a higher note with a salad and a blue cheese dressing that was very tasty with generous portions of blue cheese pieces. The bread had an added bonus of a garlic thing I couldn’t understand even when the server told me its name several times. At any rate it was delicious with a delightful mix of pepper, garlic, olive oil and several other ingredients. But the main course of Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana for $13.95 was very surprising. From its description of tender boneless chicken breast in tomato sauce with melted cheese served with a side of ziti or your choice of several different pastas. Based on what I had so far I was ready for something that would be very pleasant but was again disappointed by the overwhelming tomato and cheese blend while the chicken had a very flat taste. I am no great fan of the Olive Garden’s pasta but for the same items they really do a much better job on both Lasagna and Chicken Parmigiana in the taste department. Both of the dishes here had a very plain taste. For a locally family owned Italian restaurant I was very disappointed. I decided to drive past two other Italian eateries within walking distance and found their parking lots filled with many more cars. That to me speaks volumes about this location that has been here for over four and a half years. I also know it has been through several different owners. The service like lunch, was also very slow with several tables not bussed in a proper amount of time. Again I had high hopes for Amalfi and was totally disappointed with both visits.
In the future I will explore the other two Italian places in the same vicinity and let’s hope they are better experiences.
Amalfi Italian Restaurant & Pizza
2901 Curry Ford Rd
Orlando Fl 32806
497 898 4277 or 407 282 6283
Hours
11-9 Monday -Thursday
11-10 Friday
4- 10 Saturday
Never on Sunday
