HAMPTON -- There's something good cookin' in downtown Hampton and Amelia's Bistro owner Erin Bertini wants you to know about it.

Originally opening in November of last year, Bertini bought the restaurant in late-May from a friend. The business was named for the friend's grandmother and when Bertini took over she decided it would stay.

"I like the name," she said.

Bertini now operates the restaurant with long-time friend and Restaurant Manager Renee Schumacher. The two offer a wide variety of great specialty and grilled sandwiches with equally great names. There's the "Green Apple," a roasted turkey with sliced green apple, sharp cheddar and dill mayo on your choice of bread, or the "Bada-Bing," which consists of ham, salami, turkey, mortadella, provolone, roasted red pepper, hot peppers, red onions, lettuce, tomato, basil and extra virgin olive oil.

The restaurant also offers a variety of burritos, quesadillas, Italian entrees and more traditional deli subs. There is a menu for the kids, and beer and wine is available as well as a daily desert selection.

For Bertini the purchase of the little eatery was the fulfillment of a life-long desire.

"It's always been a dream of mine to own my own restaurant," she said. "There's something about working for yourself. It still hasn't sunk in to me that it's mine, but I'm extremely happy."

For those on the go Amelia's Bistro also offers homemade dinners to go.

"Anything we have here you can have within five minutes," said Bertini. "We put the raw product together and they can cook it at home."

No matter what you order at Amelia's Bistro one thing is guaranteed: It's going to be homemade and fresh to order.

"Everything here is homemade," said Bertini. "No cheating."

Amelia's Bistro is also available to cater your next function.

Now with a few months of ownership under her belt, Bertini said the little 25-seat restaurant will begin to introduce some new things to the mix. She said a month from now she would like to be serving a breakfast buffet from Thursday through Saturday. Televisions for the bar and an entertainment night are also in the works.

Amelia's Bistro is located at 471 Lafayette Road in Hampton. The restaurant can be reached at (603) 929-7873 and is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.