By Chris Schirm, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us

Amarone Ristorante Italiano‎, located at 91st St and Via Linda, has been open for about a year and is named after Amarone della Valpolicella. According to owner Henry Benjamin, Amarone is one the most expensive and full bodied Italian wines on the market. The rich blend of full-bodied Italian flavors was something that I hoped would soon grace my palate, not just from the wine but the food as well.

I was joined by two of my favorite people in all of Arizona, Kelle and Aunt Louanne. As we walked into Amarone, the first thing we saw was a beautiful 360 degree bar made of white onyx, carefully backlit with a shining subtle white light. The dining room is completely open save the wine library, (used for parties of 10 or more) and the cabanas that decorate a complete side of the restaurant.

A beautiful and inviting bar!

We were greeted by one of the owners Henry Benjamin, who showed us to one of the cabana tables and brought us a plate of fresh bread and butter with mint. The bread was incredibly fresh and flaky and the freshness of the mint was a unique and delicious start to the meal. Coupled with a splendid 2002m Brunello Di Montelcino Col D’orica wine that had the entire flavor I was hoping when I walked in the door.

The first dish was an antipasti medley presented on a white dish. Our antipasti dish included a salt grilled bruschetta with roma tomatoes, garlic, and fresh mozzarella cheese; a mozzarella caprese salad with basil; fresh honeydew melon wrapped in perfectly sliced prosciutto, and pickled escabeche and mushrooms. The Caprese salad had sand dollar sized slices of mozzarella with fresh Roma tomatoes and delightful basil pesto. The prosciutto was the freshest that I have seen in any Italian restaurant in Scottsdale, no fat and thinly sliced to perfection. If Henry hasn’t hugged his butcher recently, he certainly should now. The mushrooms, olives and brushcetta were fresh but nothing to write home to mom about.

Prized Prosciutto!

For entrees we were presented with a Shrimp Pasta, Pork Chop Millanese with Roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and dusted with basil, and a Halibut Amarone which is a fresh fillet of halibut, sautéed with bell peppers, sliced potatoes, onion in a garlic white wine lemon butter sauce topped with caramelized onions.

The shrimp pasta with a light tomato sauce reminded me of that one beautiful dinner by Lake Yerevan in Armenia four years ago. There was the delicate touch of the waves, a cloudy sunset and two great traveling partners. We had just finished 14 days straight of almost straight travel through busses, rusted out ferries, rickshaws, and hell bent taxis. The dust, exhaustion and perils of our journey seemed to melt away into that beautifully simple tomato sauce and shrimp just grabbed from the Mediterranean the day before. There were no premonitions, no lagging doubts or worries, just simple culinary enjoyment. Amarone Shrimp Pasta brought back that same feeling of nirvana.

Shrimp pasta take me away!

On the other hand, the Pork Chop Millanese did little more than satiate my hunger. The pork chop was a tad overcooked and tried to compensate by more sauce and fresh mozzarella with roasted rosemary potatoes. The halibut, which a recent press release calls their staple of the new lunch menu, was perfectly cooked, but I think had a bit of an identity crisis. The caramelized onions slathered on top had no flavor and the thinly sliced potatoes and peppers seemed to take away flavor rather than add it to the fish. While many may appreciate the creativity of this new lunch item, I was far from blown away.

A creative take on halibut

For dessert, we were presented with chocolate filled cannelloni, a chocolate fudge cake, and tiramisu coupled with espresso. The cannelloni had a good balance of a crunch and chocolate, the tiramisu was fresh and a good balance of flavors, but the chocolate cake was definitely a favorite around our table.

Delizioso chocolate cake!

As we sipped on our espressos we had a chance to sit down and talk more to Benjamin. “Throughout my childhood, growing up in West London, I always was told follow your heart,” said Benjamin. “This is where all of my success has come from….following my heart.” Hearing of his success, even in this economy, is definitely refreshing to hear. So perhaps when we begin to choose our destinations for lunch, dinner, or even dessert we look for those places with heart, not just our hunger…I certainly hope that many find their hearts at Amarone.

Amarone is now open for lunch with a menu. Their happy hour includes a multitude of wines by the glass and food offered for $5 each, plus 50 percent off bottles over $150. Their new location in Gilbert, located just off Main St. is scheduled to open the first half of June.