Ellington

Description

Amalfi's decor and menu lean more toward Tuscany than Campania. Just inside the entryway you get a good view of the large convex bar with copper-tiled walls suggesting a Tuscan villa. A hand-painted fresco above the bar adds to the mosaic mood with a pair of Roman Republiclooking faces, male and female (spoiled a bit by a large pipe prominently emerging from the woman's forehead). Beyond the bar are large wall wine racks and a flat rock wall fountain. Near the entrance hangs a huge quasi-coral chandelier that doesn't quite match anything else in the restaurant but is impressive nonetheless. Seating is at granite-topped tables, some free-standing, some as banquette-style booths, with cross-table runners rather than tablecloths. The high-end decor is designed to match the high-end, mostly northern Italian menu. Amalfi's eschews heavy southern Italian red sauces in favor of bechamel, olive oil and cream. And almost everything that comes out of the kitchen features Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and/or grape tomatoes either as a component or a garnish.