As of 1/7/08 I can no longer recommend this restaurant. Saturday’s dinner was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. The food was fine, but the service was awful. I should have turned around and walked out when there were only five tables sat at 7pm. Dine at your own risk!
Located in Rogers Park at 7547 N Clark this new Mediterranean Restaurant is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The building is located in the Northwest corner of the Dominick’s parking lot, providing plenty of parking for those of you that drive. Don’t fret if you don’t drive, the Howard stop for the Red Line is one block to the east.
Overall I am very pleased with Amphora. The decor is warm and inviting, the service is very good, and the food is somewhere between good and great.
Dark wood and dim lighting set the tone for a great dinner environment. We chose on our visit to sit on their spacious outdoor patio. The owner did a great job of helping diners forget they are sitting next to a parking lot by surrounding the patio with a privacy fence covered in what appear to be grape vines. There are two arbors with 6 or so tables under each and a space in the middle offering 6 more tables. The patio furniture is cheap and there is a waterfall that looks like it was set up by a do-it-yourselfer, but what can you expect? The owner is taking a big chance on the neighborhood by putting something so nice at Rogers Park’s northern edge. Finally, there were speakers cleverly hidden outside playing good background music and an appropriate volume.
The food itself was inventive and of good quality. The chef is clearly very forward thinking in that the menu offers not only salads, soups, and entree’s, but also a nice size small plates section with great variety for diners like my wife and I who like to try several different things in one meal. We started with the Cod Cakes which is Amphora’s version of a crab cake, but guess what, made with Cod. They texture was perfect and the aioli had a subtle yet apparant flavor. We also had the saganaki. I would probably skip this dish unless you really get excited over fried cheese. I am sure it sells like crazy. For out “main course” we had the risotto made with an array of vegetables. It was prepared flawlessly with a slightly al dente texture. The owner then sent us a sample of their carrot cake, which I will definitely be ordering on my next visit. We washed all of this down with a bottle of wine from Lyeth Cab Sauv.
The service was fantastic. Our server was attentive and was eager to please us despite his limited knowledge of food and wine. I will say, he tried hard and had obviously taken the time to memorize the chef’s description of the plates.
It is hard for me to say what our dinner cost because the owner stopped by a couple of times to check on us and ended up buying our bottle of wine. I am quite certain our bill before tip would have been under $50.
Being that I live a few blocks from Amphora, my wife and I will make a conscious effort to stop in a couple times a month. We are hoping that others in Rogers Park will visit frequently so not only will Amphora be around for years to come, but also so other establishments of similar quality will pop up.
Amphora, Gruppo di Amicci, Charmers, and Grande Noodle are all business that continue to draw residents to what I believe is the best bargain in Chicago. The median price of a two bed / two bath condo w/ parking falling around $270k. On this search I am referring to Rogers Park, not West Rogers Park which is actually the neighborhood of West Ridge. West Ridge is no more Rogers Park than Humbolt Park is Bucktown. Some of the advantages of living in Rogers Park are that there is a variety of public transportation options, you are alway 10 minutes, walking, from the beach, and very nice, updated/rehabbed/new housing is readily available at a competitive price. The obvious disadvantages are it proximity to downtown and lack of retail. Don’t worry though, retail is popping up monthly and the purple line will get you to the loop in 25-30 minutes durring rush hour.
Give Amphora and Rogers Park a visit and you will see just how far a dollar can go in Chicago.
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I have to agree, having dropped by Amphora this very night, it’s wonderful as a local spot for a drink and a light plate, but also as a place to have a lovely dinner. I had a tasty plate of scallops complemented by a lovely red pepper remoulade, preceded by an excellent plate of grilled calamari–one of the best I’ve had anywhere, here, NYC, or the Bay Area. The menu was interesting in its blend of standards, specials, and things that simply looked interesting. Maybe it’s that I just bought a condo five blocks away, but I think I’ve found my neighborhood joint, and I’m ecstatic to have this so nearby. Considering that the alcohol choices and wines are priced reasonably, and that the Amphora’s open until 2 AM, I have to think it’ll also make a perfect neighborhood post-event nightspot.
If you’re on the North End of Rogers Park, this is definitely a place to go, and if you’re just on your way between Evanston and points south, or have time to kill before catching the El at Howard, it’s a great place to drop by and pass the time. And no, I don’t own a piece of the place. Just try it, Mikey, and believe me, you’ll like it.