Giancarlo’s Sicilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Town of Amherst

My first visit to Giancarlo's was with my girlfriend and my 2 daughters. The restaurant wasn't very crowded and we sat down for an early dinner. I did what I always do when I try a new place and order something from each sector of the menu. Each dish was solid but it wasn't knock your socks off good...but absolutely acceptable. I felt like they shined with their home made pasta. My kids were acting like kids and running all around making it hard to enjoy my food. So it was a quick try everything while it was hot and get the rest to go. The pizza was good, my girlfriend liked her fish dish, and everything was proper temp.

Now I went yesterday and we got there on a football playoffs game. When I walked in the place looked busy but it wasn't overly loud. They had the room with th bar that featured a few enormous super crisp TVs with the Game on which was Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans.....since the Bills lost the week prior in our first playoff game that we actually had a chance to move forward and advance in the playoffs, I didn't want to see another young quarterback (Lamar Jackson) win everything....go Josh Allen and the Bills...sorry off topic back to the food and restaurant. The bar area was full and the dining area didn't have TVs. The hostess made it clear that I could wait for something at the bar or she could give me an estimated time that she thought a table would open.....but we were hungry so my friend and I say down right away in the Dining area.

I noticed a table of empty plates with large bones on them from either steak or the pork chop special. I love steak but since the prepared dishes were so spot on I wanted to give one of those a go. I picked chicken wings which were labeled as Sicilian Wings. I was warned they would take 20 minutes to come out but I just said bring everything out when it was ready. I ordered the "Espresso" Pork Chop that came with a tasty smashed bean dish with chunks of thick Bacon not cured smokey pork and a looser polenta. I told the waitress to have the chef cook it at his preferred temperature level...meaning what he things it should be finished as medium, medium rare, etc. It ended up coming out medium rare.

The Pork chop which was large and bone in and looked exactly like the photo which is cool that they take a different photo of each featured special. Unfortunately the Pork Chop was really tough to cut and chew. Temp was there and flavor profile. But I found myself feeling like I was eating brisket or something...the fatty parts were flavorful and tender...but I didn't spend $30 bucks to have flavourful fat. I wasn't dissapointed...I chalked it up to a bad menu choice. The Dijon mustard spread out to the side went well with the pork and like I said the sides we're good but what should a 3" think pork chop actually be like? I have had em in the past and they were always juicy and tender but I wasn't quite sure. Not looking for anything but an explanation of how the meat should be, I asked the waitress. She immediately asked if I wanted another one but I had filled myself on those yummy wings....oh the wings...sorry I forgot to tell you about those.

The wings were baked, super tender and not that weird chewy wing that you get when some wings are not fried. You can tell they really put their heart and soul into them. A perfect combinations of drums and flats they were super flavorful, tender with the right little kick of spice. Came sprinkled with some parm and possibly some other cheese on top line asiago...that reminds me their bread they served while we waited for our food was outstanding. Crunchy, salty crust with some herb flavors with delicious butter and some cheesy backed crackers with a side of roasted red pepper/pesto/tomatoes in it...which also probably had some parm or another cheese just a pinch. Nice level of garlic to set it off ..just like the wings. You can tell these people love what they do and the food shows. The waitress comped my desert which was the best part of the meal. Chocolate moose cake was fire, one of the best tiramisu and...

My experience at this amazing restaurant is very mixed. My first impression was a little iffy, we had to wait 45 minutes to be seated. We scheduled a reservation for 8, ended up being seated around 8:45. Although when we were welcomed in, it all suddenly became worth it. Beautiful scenery, amazing atmosphere and don’t get me started on how big the restaurant is. You could easily get lost in there, believe me I did. The seats are comfortable and everything feels nice. When our server came to our table I was surprised on how charming his service was, cracked jokes worked with us figuring out the menu but more on the server later. We ordered an appetizer I was planning on sharing with my sister. We just wanted to taste it, so we got the Prosciutto wrapped mozzarella. When we received our first appetizer we had a bite and neither of us were really a fan. Not that it was bad for say but it wasn’t for us. Something about the texture of unmelted cheese just did not sit right with us. After we tasted it we gave the rest to a different member of our party. After that hiccup our server came back to take our orders, again some of the best customer service I’ve ever had in my life. No exaggeration, but moving forward from that I ordered “The god father” a bone in rib-eye with truffle frites and a cream corn. Now my thoughts on the food… everything and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING is sweet, it worked with some dishes but with others not so much. The truffle frites are hands down some of the best fries I’ve ever tasted but the corn wasn’t as shocking. A little to sweet on the corn… lastly the bone-In ribeye, I’m very strict on the temperature or should I say doneness of my steaks. And… they NAILED the temperature completely pink no red no grey truly remarkable but could’ve used a little more salt. Now on the salt factor with the meat not being as salty or acidic the sauces they provided could not shine threw. Every sauce I received was extremely sweet even when I asked the server for a more salty acidic sauce he recommended some sort of mushroom sauce excuse me for not knowing the name, but it was sweet as well. With a steak that was a little bit on the bland side (just a little) sweetness did not mix well and I couldn’t finish the steak. I took it home and made my own sauce to eat with it and I enjoyed it a lot more. In conclusion I had a really good experience at this restaurant mind the hiccups and I would definitely return. Service is a 10/10 he really worked with me to find a sauce that I liked even tho we never found it, I respect that he didn’t just drop it. The food was a solid 7 out of 10 all together. And the visuals were breath taking. If your looking for a good fine dining experience I will...

An oddly awesome anniversary dinner. We arrived a bit early for our reservation and we're still sat immediately. Everyone was so nice and attentive. The atmosphere was quite busy for a Wednesday evening.

This was our 1st visit but I'm confident in saying, it WILL NOT be our last! We started our meal with a couple cocktails; Coconut Mojito for the lady and a Moscow Mule for me. Both were delicious and refreshing with just the right amount of spirits 😃. A fresh bread basket greated us as well. The whipped butter was fresh and tasty. But, the star of the basket was their special red chili agrodolce sauce. What a flavor party that sauce was.

Our appetizer was the Balsamic Chicken Pizzetta. Advised by our server Shawn, that this item was making a special limited time guest appearance on the menu. Boy was it delicious. The fresh mozzarella combined with bruscetta and balsamic glaze was a perfect combination. 🤔 💭 not sure why this isn't a full Brick Oven Pizza option. I'd order a large at least twice a month.

Next was our entrees. My Wife had the 8oz Filet Mignon medium well with mushroom ravioli. This might be one of the 1st times I've ever seen her eat a steak without requesting steak sauce. "It's was cooked perfect, very flavor full, tied for best Steak I've ever had," she exclaimed. I was a bit concerned for her because the plate wasn't dressed as i expected it would be. It was pretty much just a hunk of meat on a plate. But, she thoroughly enjoyed it. Even pouring some of the mushroom ravioli sauce over the last bite of steak. We also shared a side of cream corn which was simply magnificent. The flavor profile resembled our favorite Aunt's Thanksgiving dressing recipe which made us feel so at home. I ordered the Crab crusted salmon. What an amazing dish. Each bite gave a different tasting experience. The crispy parsnips added sweetness to the rustic flavor of the salmon. The crab meat crust of the salmon was another wonderful bite. This dish was spectacular.

Lastly, we shared the Tiramisu for dessert. A hearty portion, deliciously crafted. The fresh whipped cream, blueberries and raspberry sauce were delightful compliments.

Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences we've had all year. A HUGE THANK YOU TO SHAWN our server. He was so pleasant, timely, helpful, and knowledgeable. See you soon Giancarlo's .... REAL...