My expectations were too high.
Don’t get me wrong. Amuse American Bistro on Main Street in downtown Annville is a fine restaurant.
It’s located in what used to be The Batdorf Restaurant, a quaint little joint reviewed in this spot in September of 2006, which moved a few blocks west on Main Street to its new location in what used to be The Washington House, which was reviewed in this spot February of 2003 after it was converted from a seedy little bar to a pretty cool place.
I don’t know where it is now (the seedy bar or The Washington House). Or why Annville seems intent on playing musical restaurants.
But back to Amuse. It’s owned and operated by Chef Larry Nauman, formerly chef at Trattoria Fratelli in Lebanon, so I had very high expectations going there, because for years I’ve raved that Trattoria Fratelli is the best Italian eatery anywhere between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Amuse, which is more eclectic seasonal bistro food than Italian, isn’t the best eclectic seasonal bistro food between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. But, as I say, it’s a fine restaurant, and he’s a great chef.
The only difference is, it doesn’t rise to the level of being among my top three favorite places to eat in Central PA the way Trattoria Fratelli does—or did before he left.
But Amuse is a comfy (if a tad stark) place that feels a bit more formal than the former Batdorf, but not so formal one couldn’t show up in jeans—nice jeans; with a nice top.
The outer room has hardwood floors, deep windowsills and a fireplace. The larger inner room is a bit more sterile.
Dress here could be just about anything, but casual dressy seems about right.
It’s BYOB, and those bringing white wine get chilling sleeves (a plus here, and a gripe of mine at places offering nothing of the sort) and glasses, which promptly are brought to table.
Small cuts of three varieties of fresh-baked bread are offered and served with olive oil. Don’t be shy: Try all three.
A couple can eat well for $70 before tax and tip, a price that’s fair given the fare.
I like the menu—a lot. It’s tight, without too many offerings, but enough range to please most diners. Selections are imaginative and beautifully presented. The quality of food and friendliness of service is top rate.
One major beef (aside from the $17 Kobe burger) is pacing, at least on my visit.
My table of four, obviously engaged in relaxed conversation, in no hurry whatsoever (a condition actually pointed out to our server), was nonetheless rushed through appetizers, entrees and dessert as if we were late for a Broadway show—this despite the fact that the dining crowd was sparse.
Anyway. The menu is broken into starters, pastas and “mains.” There are half a dozen starters priced $7 to $12, including wonderful lobster bisque with lump crabmeat, crispy calamari with wasabi aioli and tomato chutney, steamed mussels, an excellent endive, escarole and frisée salad and a simply delicious ($12) appetizer of sautéed shrimp served with applewood smoked bacon and yummy cheddar green onion grits. A reminder: The menu is seasonal.
Pastas, thankfully, can be ordered in full or half sizes and range from $8 for a half-order of fettuccine with butternut squash, baby spinach and goat cheese, to $19 for a full order of pappardelle with roasted mushrooms and braised veal shank sauce. One of my company ordered orrechiette with sweet sausage and ricotta and was glad to have placed the order.
“Mains” range from the aforementioned $17 Kobe beef burger, served with Parmesan fries (for the uninitiated, this is from cattle massaged with sake and fed with beer), to $31 for a “barrel cut” rib-eye steak with fried oysters, chive gnocchi, baby spinach and béarnaise sauce, a meal fit for someone with very low cholesterol.
There’s also bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with yams, plantain chips and black-bean sauce, a very creative dish ($23); grilled Scottish salmon with lentils and Brussels sprouts ($25); pan-roasted chicken with wild-mushroom risotto ($21); and sea bass with sesame udon noodles and grilled shiitake mushrooms ($27).
I had rosemary-grilled venison served with apple sausage and exquisite sweet-potato gratin ($29). The venison was lean and flavorful, the sausage very good.
The dessert menu includes (whimsically, in my view) a root-beer float with chocolate-chip cookies. There’s also bananas-Foster cheesecake, a chocolate brownie sundae, a caramel apple tart (which would be better if served warmed) and citrus custard that looks better than it tastes but is saved by a sidekick: coconut macaroons. All desserts are $7, and all (save the float) are pretty ordinary.
A nice touch at Amuse is a children’s menu. You can bring the tyke, and for just $6 he or she (or they) can get a junior Kobe burger, cheese tortellini with meatballs or, for the fussy, a grilled PB&J sandwich with apple wedges.
The service and food here should bring folks in and then bring them back again. I’ll go back myself, just with lowered expectations.