Known for a topography of rolling hills, abundant fairways and nearby lakes, Cafe Amici is helping put Bella Vista Country Club on the map as a destination for dining as well.
Cafe Amici serves breakfast and brunch on Sundays, with lunch and dinner served daily. The menu features Italian, Mediterranean and American fare.
"It is a country club setting, so the menu is diversified," said owner and chef Nik Paunov.
Breakfast consists of omelets, fried eggs, eggs Benedict, Monte Cristo, chicken-fried steak, breakfast biscuits, biscuits and gravy, skillet potatoes, pancakes and French toast.
The familiar plates are sauced up with freshly chopped vegetables, house-made hollandaise or rich fruit toppings such as bananas Foster or blueberry or strawberry compote.
Lunch and dinner feature appetizers such as chicken wings, breaded chicken Parmigiana strips, mozzarella sticks, loaded fries and catfish nuggets.
The catfish platter is served with house-made onion rings, hush puppies, fries, coleslaw and AJ's sauce dipping for $10.95.
"One guy said it is the best catfish he had in 30 years. He told me to put it on the menu," Paunov said.
Although Paunov hasn't always been a chef, he has always had a knack for cooking. His discerning palate allows him to recreate recipes just from tasting them and practicing them until they taste just how he wants.
"I can go out and taste something and come back here and make it the same. I love to cook, you know, I just love it," he said.
Cafe Amici was voted as the Favorite Burger and Fry combination in a 2015 competition hosted by NWA Deal Piggy.
The signature burger is a ½-lb. burger made with 100 percent Angus beef that is hand-pattied daily, in-house. The burger is topped with cheese and served with a choice of salad, soup or fries. Leaf lettuce, pickles and slices of tomato and onion finish the platter.
The menu has a range of dishes, including sandwiches, pasta dishes, entrees, organic salads and house-made desserts.
For lunch, sandwiches include an Italian meatball, BBQ pork, chicken Cacciatore and veal, chicken or eggplant Parmigiana. Pastas include baked ziti, shrimp scampi, chicken alfredo and spicy fra diablo ravioli with sliced meatball.
Dinner entrees include chicken marsala, ghost chicken, salmon alfredo and pasta primavera. Specials often incorporate the official barbecue sauce of the Razorbacks, Sooie Sauce, for which Paunov is executive chef as well as the television persona in its advertising.
Weekly specials include Taco Tuesdays from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. The $1 tacos offer a choice of beef or chipotle chicken and soft or crunchy shells. The tacos are topped with shredded lettuce, queso, pico de gallo, beans and sour cream, and $2 margaritas are also featured.
Wing Wednesday provides 75-cent boneless or bone-in wings with sauce selections of buffalo, barbecue or Asian. There are also wine specials, with $2 specials on the house wine.
Cafe Amici is open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. The restaurant, bar and event center are open to the public, and walk-ins are welcome, but it's best to make reservations by calling (479) 270-5040, especially on the weekends.
NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 04/22/2016