Amiccis   

Lunch prices were a real tease. Dinner was maybe three times higher, for what seemed like formula food vs authentic Italian. Decor was comfortable. But the price, for mainly pasta, was shocking. NOT A CHEAP EATS PLACE, how did it get on this list? That makes me not trust the place or these ratings.....

Amicci's was a great disappointment. If you want to pay inflated prices to eat tastless food off of uneven tables with vinyl tableclothes using tin cutlery in a dingy back room, this is the place for you. Maybe our expectations were raised too high by reader reviews. But after our highly unsatisfying experience, I wonder if the "reader" reviews weren't actually submitted by the restaurant. The front room is attractive, but the rest of the dining rooms are dark, unpleasant, and have greasy floors. The worst part of the experience was the food. We ordered two appetizers and three pasta entrees (this is not an "Italian" restaurant; the limited menu makes this no more than a pasta joint) and they all tasted the same -- that's to say, they had no taste. The calamari were a congealed mass of tasteless fried dough; the red sauce with which it was served had no bite at all. The mussels were passable but rather small and tough and the garlic broth very thin. Our three pasta dishes -- a red sauce, an alfredo sauce, and a garlic pesto -- truly tasted alike. Everyone in our party of five reached for the salt shaker after the first bite -- a first for me in any restaurant! Let's face it, Baltimore's Little Italy is a pale imitation of a real ethic enclave. There's no restaurant there that can rival any authentic Italian restaurant in Washington or New York. Whatever language they speak, the words "al dente" are clearly nor understood. If you must eat there, though, pay one or two dollars more per item and eat at Sabatino's -- at least you get a little atmosphere with yourr overcooked noodles. (11/04/07)

i just found amicci's listed under "best cheap eats of baltimore". seriously? they charge 13 bucks for chicken strips. but they do have the best happy hour prices i've ever seen in my life. the pane rotundo is to die for, and the salads and pasta dishes are always very tasty. and i love the new bar. best of all, the bartenders are super nice.