Amore Bistrot
145 East D Street, Benicia, CA 94510
(On Kuhland Alley behind The Inn at Benicia Bay)
707.752.4300 | Info@AmoreBistrot.com | www.amorebistro.com
Gracie is so excited about this one! The elegant, picturesque and historic Inn at Benicia Bay is now also the home of the lovely Amore Bistrot, opened in December, 2020, after the owners immigrated from Milan earlier in the year. Amore is an authentic Italian Bistrot and Market tucked away in a downtown alley — you will be amazed and delighted! Delicious breakfast items: Think, cream filled cornetto/croissants or bomboloni alla crema. And, of course, a variety of espresso drinks. Fresh burrata and mozzarella salads, daily dinner specials, family meals and a wide array of imported Italian wines and ales are also offered. The charcuterie plate with Italian cheeses, meats and olives is a delicious standout — all proudly Italian. Cannoli Siciliani, a typical Sicilian dessert, is something to celebrate. Ricotta cheese cream piped into a cannoli tube, filled with fine chocolate chips, pistachio and sweet, refreshing Amarena di Vignola black cherries — a mouth watering treat individually made to order. Housemade sauces and toppings are also available.
Amore is the real Italian deal with emphasis on seasonal and non-GMO ingredients. The charming market has a broad range of food products and gifts, including Dolce & Gabbana Panettone, Felicetti Pasta, Caputo Semolina/Pasta Flour, Partanna Olive Oil and coffee beans, all directly from Italy. Gift baskets are available to order. Amore, indeed! Ti amo!
Inside dining and outdoor patio seating will be available pending pandemic restrictions. Order takeout online, stop by, or call for menu availability.
Groundhog Day
Our 2-minute movie review: Groundhog Day, 1993, rated PG, directed by Harold Ramis.
Not trying to top the Inn at Benicia Bay, but the Cherry Street Inn, a strong, if fictitious, supporting character in this month’s movie is a B&B, ostensibly in Punxsutawney, PA. It is where a self-absorbed weatherman, Phil Connors — played adroitly by Bill Murray — stays during his assignment to cover the small town’s Groundhog Day celebration. But then a funny thing happens, an odd sensation, kind of like déjà vu` — Phil wakes up every morning in his cozy room only to find it’s Groundhog Day all over again.
Punxsutawney is chock-full of quirky and loveable residents who make perfect, innocent foils to Murray’s condescending caught-in-a-loop self. Stephen Tobolowsky, as Needle Nose Ned Ryerson, gives a comedic performance that lives in one-liners quoted even today. Chris Elliott plays Murray’s cameraman, a character almost as shallow as his subject.
What makes the film, and ultimately Phil, endearing is that he begins to benefit from all those do-overs. He chips away at his old, egotistical persona, and lo and behold! A human being emerges. It is only then that he gets the girl, played, sweetly, by Andie MacDowell.
Groundhog Day is among the rarest of movie delights, a laugh-out-loud comedy with deep insights about the human experience and some warm fuzzies to boot. Just deep enough to make it memorable after the laughter fades.
9 out of 10 Whiskers http://cinemacat-tdp.blogspot.com
