Amore Fine Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in New Albany

Disappointing. We sure expected it to be much better, based on the glowing reviews.

The hostess was not friendly or welcoming.

Carson, the server was great and very attentive.

Tha place was super loud, even on a Wednesday night. I assume because of people trying to talk over the TVs in the bar and the music on the loudspeakers. It was as loud as a bar on Saturday night. The whole vibe was more like a bar than a restaurant. It is certainly no place that I'd recommend for a romantic evening.

There are no prices on the cocktail menu, which is pretty shifty. Are we expected to order something and let them randomly choose whatever price they want to charge us? If so, why not do the same thing on the food menu? Let us all just be surprised at the end at what the whole meal costs!

The food overall was pretty bland and disappointing. The presentation wasn't bad, and it seemed like they at least spent some time putting together the eggplant Parmesan and making it look pretty (though some of the cheese on top was burned to crispy charcoal.)

The bread for the table was also pretty flavorless. It had some weird oily herbed whipped margarine spread on it. Good quality butter would have been much better.

The other pasta dishes were - meh. We were all looking at each other reading each other's faces and it was obvious that nobody thought their entrees were very good. Afterwards, we talked about it and all agreed that the entrees were pretty bland. The sauce didn't seem to have any salt, pepper, spice, herbs, olive oil, or any flavor except tomato. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was not much better than the flavor at Fazoli's.

Portion sizes were way too large. I could only eat 1/3 of my entree at the restaurant and I ate the rest of it for two separate dinners at home. It'd be better to serve portions half as large, and at half the price, which would be more in line with the quality of the food.

The cannolis were a mixed bag. I thought the filling was pretty good but everybody else thought it was just okay and that they had had better at other places. The crust though was hard like a rock. They should have served it with a hammer and chisel. I literally had to put the fork onto the cannoli and pound it with the palm of my hand to break the crust. That was really bad.

Everyone agreed that the chopped salad was the best part of the meal.

None of us plan to ever come back to this place. It's just way overpriced for the quality and has a bar vibe. I don't mind paying for a good meal but this was not a good meal.

It's really difficult to believe all of the five-star reviews. I can only say that their client base must have never actually eaten at good restaurants to know what good food really is. Perhaps it's the best restaurant in Highlander Point so that's why they give it five stars. Though Sam's has some good tasting food from...

They're headed down a bad road and I hope the chef reads this. Over the past 6 months there have been 2-3 menu changes and price increases. While we can all understand the effects of inflation the restaurant has done a few things that likely will turn me off for going there more often.

First and foremost the food is delicious, it's really really good Italian and the portions are decent. A year ago I would have said the potions are generous, but those have been cut back in the world of rising costs.

There's a couple things here that really annoy me though, and I hope they change their ways...

I'm a man of principle, automatic tips for parties of "x" or more annoy me. The latest land grab by restaurants is the new "if it's over $100 we automatically charge 20%". This is rude, unprofessional, and just not right. The tip is based on SERVICE, not the amount of money I spend, or how many people come to dinner with me. Nothing annoys me more than an establishment telling me that just because I spend $100 dollars they get to automatically charge me more money.

So you know what I did tonight? I made sure I didn't got over $100....Thats right Chef, I made sure I spent less money at your restaurant, and I'll keep doing so if/when we come in.

The new menu lacks prices for the cocktails., another mistake. For sure I am not ordering a cocktail if I don't know the price. Add to it, they took one of the best cocktails they had (Sinatra Smash) off the menu. When I asked the server about it he just shrugged.

This is great food, the music selection goes from good to terrible fairly quickly (depending on who's manning the Pandora account) but the new menu and pricing strategy is out of line and will undoubtedly cost them business.

Inflation is up, things are ore expensive, I get it. but don't TELL me what I'm going to tip, show me the prices of your drinks, and keep the food, service, and music...

This is my go-to place for a night out. I've brought several guests here recently. I can go a lot farther from home without finding something this nice. And by "nice" I primarily mean the emphasis on food quality, with a small and fantastic menu. Flavor to spare!

I had some crab cakes offered as a special, and though I don't know much about seafood, the crab surprised me. There was a lot of it, and it was tender, white, and fresh tasting. Similarly, the Caprese salad was bountiful in fresh mozzarella, and the balsamic vinegar was thick, sweet, and dark. Since then I've had the lobster Mac and Cheese, which I now crave from time to time, and the beef medallions, which were a shock of tenderness and flavor. The ziti sauce had a wonderful sweetness, and was plentiful in the mixed beef and pork. I took some home to my children, and they begged me to make more. I had to tell them I don't know how! The Amaretto flavored Italian margarita was... indescribable.

I've also met the chef a few times. He's intelligent, attractive, fit, clean, and easy-mannered. The waiters seem to share those attributes. I love the music here. Lots of Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, etc. Good atmosphere.

I deleted my previous criticism about too much salt in the food because I haven't had that experience again. They don't put salt and pepper shakers in the tables, which is actually a good thing because it means the food is carefully seasoned.

The stars are shining on this place. I don't mind paying a bit extra for an experience like this. However, I think their prices are reasonable for the quality you get. This is far and away my favorite restaurant in the area. For those who want to sit at a bar and watch tv, they have a quiet little version of that experience in the back section of the restaurant. They also sell bottles of wine, but I haven't...