Town Brookhaven, the massive mixed-use complex near Brookhaven’s MARTA station, is fairly close to us but we don’t go very often. On a cold, rainy day when the only thing we wanted for dinner was comfort food, we found AMORE Cucina & Bar online and decided to try it out. We were glad we did!

Not only were we warmly welcomed by the staff and given our choice of where to sit, but the first foods brought out were a beautiful side salad, and their housemade bread and ricotta cheese, topped with tomatoes. It was lovely. The restaurant is incredibly family-friendly, which was perfect for us. 

Sean had the Pork Saltimbocca – pork loin, fontina cheese, proscuitto, sage, mashed potatoes and organic sauteed spinach. This was a generous portion and very tasty dish.

Sean’s stepmom, Barb, has the Gnocchi Bolognese. It seemed like while the sauce was likely house-made, the gnocchi’s probably weren’t. It was still very tasty and satisfying.

I had the Penne Alla Vodka with Pancetta. I’ve long-loved Alla Vodka sauce. We would often have it with linguine pasta, a salad, and garlic bread when I was growing up. So whenever someone suggests Italian comfort food, this is a go-to choice for me.

After all of that yumminess, we decided to split 3 desserts. Because why not? A random, rainy, cold, and dark Tuesday in February calls for sweets, right? 😉Our first dessert was espresso-covered gelato with a hefty pour of Frangelica. Ohhhh my, so good. Warm, silky, bitter, creamy – all-around delicious.

The tiramisu was great. Light and balanced – not an overwhelming espresso flavor. It was there, but the soft flavors of the cream could still be enjoyed.

Vanilla and chocolate cannolis with raspberry sauce. These were also good. 

Was AMORE the most spectacular Italian food I’ve had? Or even the best in the area? No. But for a family-friendly spot that has a more diverse menu than Fellini’s and the like, this place hits the spot.