The Main course 8-30
From the Boot
Rating: 
The month-old From the Boot occupies the space that used to house Agave Grill. It is hard to prognosticate the restaurant business, but I will go out on a limb and predict that From the Boot will have a successful, long future here.
Owners Nick, Marc and Nicole Ciaffone, and Bob Devine opened their first, much smaller From the Boot in Lafayette Hill, which is still going strong after almost 10 years, with an almost cult-like following.
Yet, I was amazed at the large mid-August, full-house turnout at their new Ambler restaurant all evening. Of course, it could, just be the usual “let’s-see-the-new-place” curiosity visit, but I think this one has staying power.
They performed a major refurbishing of the building and used soothing earthtones and attractive lighting. The rear wall is covered by a huge mural map of the so-called “boot” of the Italian mainland, and of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. My L.D.C. (Lovely Dining Companion) thinks “it has a Center City feel.”
Our attentive server came over promptly after we were seated at one of the comfortable booths with large menus that revealed a panoply of Italian cuisine’s perennial favorites.
Earlier, we had been sipping from glasses of a good complimentary Tuscan white wine that had been poured at the bar while waiting for a table to open up. A small order of bruschetta ($5), which a couple seated at the bar were sharing, looked so good we had to order one.
It was a deep bowl filled with coarse chopped Roma tomatoes marinated in vinaigrette, garlic and basil. Toasted Italian slices were standing around the sides, and the dish proved to be quite excellent.
The house salad ($9) we shared next had very fresh romaine, tomato, red onion and pitted olives (too few), and the highlight, a generous amount of an exceptionally mild gorgonzola with a good, creamy vinaigrette.
One of my favorite Italian entrées is pasta and calamari in tomato sauce. I chose it for my main course ($14). I have had better.
The squid rings were not as plump nor tender as they could be. The marinara sauce was boringly bland until I grabbed a shaker of red pepper flakes already resident on the table, gave a vigorous few shakes, and voila, the dish came to life.
Bill Devine, on hearing this, said next time I should specify “fra diavolo,” though it’s not listed on the menu.
My L.D.C. hit the taste jackpot by going for the special, red snapper and clams on linguini ($23). The fish was simply delicious. The clams were briny, good and plentiful. The sauce was way superior to the marinara on my dish — a light white wine sauce loaded with tomato chunks.
For dessert, we eschewed the homemade cheesecake and instead went with the light-as-air tiramisu from nearby Toto’s Café and Gelateria.
From the Boot’s wide-ranging, neighborhood-friendly menu also offers all the favorites of a local pizza and steak shop, so two can have a casual dinner like a pizza and soft drinks for under $20, and in a much nicer ambiance.
The attractively refurbished ambiance and solid Italian food earn it a well-deserved Overall Rating of mmmm (out of 5 m’s)
To contact Mitch Davis, you can e-mail him at: MdavisMainCourse@aol.com
From the Boot
Location: 110 E. Butler Ave., Ambler Phone Number: 215-646-0123 Web site: www.fromtheboot.com Cuisine: Italian comfort food Ambience: Attractively refurbished in soothing earthtones Hours: Lafayette Hill location: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 4 to 10 p.m.; Sunday 5 to 9 p.m. Prices: Appetizers, soups: $5 to $13; Entrées, pasta and pizza: $9 to $20; sandwiches: $6 to $8 Alcoholic Beverages: B.Y.O.B. Reservations: Strongly advised
