Café Amici

Description:

• Many times when shopping in Charlotte Amalie, we stop for lunch in this alley with its buildings of old stone and its cascading tropical plants. Select a seat at this open-air cafe and dig into the day's offerings. There's always a delightful variety of antipasti, salads, and a soup du jour. Pastas are also menu standards, including the famous "rasta pasta," with grilled vegetables, olive oil, garlic, and the chef's "secret" spices. The pizzas and sandwiches are the best in the center of town. We always gravitate to the clams casino pizza, which has added flavorings of bacon, mozzarella, and garlic. A rarer pizza is called tropical, and it's served with a hot, spicy tamarind sauce, grilled cheese, and both feta and mozzarella cheese. Vegetarians will be glad to see the grilled portobello mushroom served with roasted red pepper and smothered in melted provolone cheese and offered on homemade bread with pesto mayonnaise.

• © Frommer's 2012