Amici Miei Ristorante
©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood
Rockville’s Restaurant Week kicks off next week (September 10-18) and the list seems to have grown from the previous year. Last year I ventured all the way down I-270 for an “ok” experience, this year I decided to keep it closer to the District border. Rockville’s Restaurant Week always gets me excited because it gives me a good reason to step outside my boundaries and try something new. Since Italian is in my top three favorite foods, I decided on Amici Miei Ristorante located off of Seven Locks Road in Potomac.
Tucked neatly in a small strip mall/shopping center, Amici Miei offers a dim, casual ambiance with a semi-open kitchen and spacious dining room. Though I visited during the lunch hour, both the dinner and lunch menus contain similar pasta dining options. The lunch menu, however, does not offer pizza. What a bummer?? I was actually looking forward to stuffing my face with pizza and then pasta…lucky for my waistline. I decided to try the Piatto Unico Vegetariano, which is basically the equivalent of the bento box concept (*four small portions served on one tray). The tray was filled with a caprese salad, buffalo ricotta and spinach ravioli, eggplant parmesan and panna cotta.
I took a chance at trying two things I had never tried before: the eggplant parmesan and the panna cotta.
Eggplant Parmesan
The eggplant parmesan tasted like yesterdays leftovers with little heat and a lack of fresh flavors.
Caprese Salad
The caprese salad was a caprese salad, simply what it suggests: mozzarella, basil and tomato.
Buffalo Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli
The buffalo ricotta and spinach ricotta was paired with a butter and sage sauce making the perfect combination. The restaurant had upgraded the dish with raisins and topped off with a nutty flavor. I could have taken a plate of this home, but I decided to resist my temptation of ordering a dinner size portion of the ravioli to go.
Panna Cotta
The panna cotta was the perfect ending and a pleasant surprise: thick vanilla cream in the form of gelatin with a chocolate coating. Since I’m not a sweets fan, I would have never tried this dessert under normal circumstances but it came with the lunch deal.
The prices are extremely reasonable for this Potomac restaurant ranging from $9-$15 for lunch and $6.50-$26 for dinner. The upcoming restaurant week, however, offers an even better deal with $8/$15 (2-course) and $15/$30 (3-course) lunches/dinners. Besides providing discount dining, restaurant week is an excellent reason to step out of your comfort zone…who knew Panna Cotta would have been such a sweet deal??
Category: restaurant reviews, Washington D.C.
About the Author (Author Profile)
Johnna French is a Harlem NY native with deep roots in Panama, Washington, DC and North Carolina. All four places have heavily influenced her life and the foods she loves today. After graduating Howard University School of Law and beginning her life as a young professional in the city she was led to start Johnna Knows Good Food in November 2007 to keep family, friends and colleagues updated on where to go and what to eat while dining in the nation’s capitol. French, who still practices law, leads a team of three writers to cover the ever expanding Washington, DC food scene. French has been featured in print and television, appearing in Washingtonian Magazine and is a regular contributor to various local TV affiliates including WUSA 9, FOX 5 DC and WJLA (ABC Affiliate) News Channel 8. During the 2016-2017 football season, Johnna aired on Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic (CSN) show, Redskins Life, as the weekly tailgate host. Johnna is currently a regular contributor to the FOX Baltimore Weekend morning show.Subscribe
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Johnna! You were 1 block from my office. I pass Amici Miei everyday to get coffee. It’s a shame I didn’t know you were coming out here. We could have met up! See you tonight at the HH!