Why I’m Hooked on Amante

Editor’s Note: Originally Published March 7, 2017. Republished November 10, 2022.

I will get to the beautiful wine, but first, a pop quiz.

Where in Everett can you get shopska salad, homemade baklava, and a ricotta-packed calzone the size of a deflated beach ball?

If you answered Amante Pizza and Pasta on Hewitt, you win.

You don’t have to dine in at Amante. You can place a to-go order, request delivery, or even commission a catered meal at a party. Weather permitting, you can also dine al fresco, as the restaurant has an open-air back patio.

My money is on an in-person visit for date night. It’s a cozy cloth napkin and candlelight place with brick walls.

Chicken avocado salad is a customer favorite. Balsamic dressing is made in house.

The customer experience is second to none—service with a smile and genuine consideration of the diner is something that can be surprisingly difficult to find.

Part of the warmth at Amante is cultural. The owners of this family restaurant are Bulgarian and prize hospitality. It’s not uncommon to find proprietress Mariela lingering near a table of regulars, regaling them with tales of life in Eastern Europe.

Down to earth hospitality is half the equation. The other half is Mediterranean comfort food laden with fifteen varieties of cheese.

There are many options on the menu (over fifteen dessert items alone), making it easy for diners with dietary restrictions. I’ve sampled probably a dozen offerings and have yet to be disappointed by the quality of the food or the flavors.

During a recent date my wife and I split four courses. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Panko-breaded coconut shrimp with sweet chili pineapple sauce. Bruschetta with thick ribbons of fresh basil on handmade dough. Salmon Caesar salad. Baklava oozing simple syrup from layers of flaky pastry dough.

And wine. Oh, the wine. According to Wikipedia, “Wine production [has] a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians.”

Who are the Thracians? Exactly.

Whether the wine you order comes from the Danubian Plain region or the Sub-Balkan Rose Valley one thing is clear: Bulgarians aren’t messing around when it comes to the grape.

In fact, food aside, it’s plausible that you could take a snooty out-of-towner to Amante just for the wine. They will be expecting a tall boy of PBR, but you can drop an unexpected EVT culture bomb on them.

Wine. Credit: Christa Porter — Wine // Christa Porter

There was a late morning in 2013 that I remember clearly. My wife and I were sitting on the back patio of Amante, eating salads and drinking lemon water. The sky above was powder blue, and seagulls sailed overhead.

I recently read that there are places in Greece where people regularly live past 100. There are many possible factors for this, but some locals and anthropologists speculate that the longevity of these cultures can be attributed to eating together.

Yes, there is something to eating a communal meal at a leisurely pace with good company.

So have a course or two. Take your time, and don’t forget the wine.