Alici, an Amalfi Coast-inspired oyster bar, is the newest addition to Midtown Promenade. Alici adds to the growing list of restaurants by chef Pat Pascarella and the Atlanta-based Porchetta Group, which include fan favorites Grana, White Bull, and Bastone.
The shopping center where Alici is housed is adjacent to the Beltline and across from Piedmont Park. The location is frequented by Trader Joe's regulars, Mellow Mushroom fans, and Snooze brunch goers.
Last week, my friends and I decided to stop into Alici and put the new restaurant to the test! Off the bat, we were welcomed by a friendly waitstaff and Amalfi Coast-inspired interiors.
The menu loosely follows the traditional Italian dinner course structure with appetizers and small plates listed at the top, pasta and risotto in the middle, and fish and meat dishes listed as the mains.
Alici’s starters are broken into three categories: crudo, socca, and antipasti. The crudo menu includes small plates of mostly raw fish dishes, while the antipasti are salads and cooked meats.
My friends and I opted to try the socca, a traditional Italian chickpea pancake. We ordered the tuna tartare socca, topped with raw tuna, stracciatella, pistachio, sesame seeds, and lemon.
The pancake was thin yet dense and mild in flavor. The stracciatella and salmon were both high quality and fresh. If you are looking to try something new but not too adventurous, I would recommend this dish!
Next, we ordered a round of oysters, which are listed on a separate menu. This was definitely the highlight of our dining experience!
Alici boasts eight varieties of oysters from five states across the country. I tried four of the eight — the Boomamoto, the French Hermit, the Hammerhead, and the Saucey Lady. The oysters, served over ice with the traditional dressings, were fresh, flavorful, and true to their descriptions.
Finally, we ordered two pasta dishes and a fish dish. For the fish, Alici offers four varieties (redfish, tilefish, striped bass, and sockfish) and four sauces from which patrons can choose.
We opted for the striped bass with the cucumber olive sauce. The fish was fresh and the sauce was mild with a chutney-like texture and olive oil base. This was the favorite of the mains we ordered!
We also ordered the scialatelli — short, thick noodles topped with a lemony sauce, crab, and peas. While the pasta was fresh and cooked well, the sauce lacked lemony flavor, and there was only a very small portion of crab.
We also tried the Risotto al Pomodoro, a risotto dish with stracciatella, shrimp, and crispy garlic. The texture of the risotto was great, and the sauce was creamy yet delicate. The flavor of this dish, however, was overpowered by its saltiness, which made it less enjoyable. As a salt lover, it takes a lot to deter me, but this dish was too salty, even for me.
Overall, I would recommend trying Alici if you are looking for a conveniently located spot to get oysters and seafood. The drinks were tasty, all the fish we ate was very fresh, and the oyster selection was great. The pasta menu, on the other hand, was not as expertly executed, although this may be attributable to the restaurant's recent opening. Next time I am in the mood for oysters, I will be heading back to Alici!