As the chill of winter sets upon us, there is no better time to get reacquainted with fine Italian cuisine. Avalon, 312 S. High St. in West Chester, delivers that rustic comfort with a menu that excites and surprises.
Things got off to a great start on a recent visit with a cocktail of vodka and pomegranate and orange juices, followed by an amuse-boûche of Parmesan gelato. The gelato was pleasantly creamy and rich, with a thin layer of honey on top, giving it just enough sweetness to counteract the slight sharpness of the cheese.
As we settled into the restaurant’s comfortable but modern décor, the meal continued in fine fashion with Avalon’s artisan cheese and charcuterie table, a platter consisting of three ($17), five ($25) or seven ($35) choices from a menu of more than a dozen cheeses and meats. Even if you know squat about fine cheeses, Avalon’s attentive waitstaff can guide you through the selection process or select a tasty assortment for you.
Ours consisted of Testun Al Barolo, an aged sheep’s-milk cheese, whose strong flavor was balanced with a sweet strawberry-vinaigrette jam alongside it. Pieces of fruit were a nice complement to the Minuet cheese, a smooth, subtle selection that isn’t on the menu, as it isn’t always available. Finocchiona, a tasty fennel salami, served with spicy mustard, rounded out the platter nicely.
Next up was the insalata mixed with poached pear ($9). The quality of the components — local field greens, a whole pear poached in red wine, candied pecans, balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese — was excellent, though the abundant helping of goat cheese muscled out the delicate flavors of everything except the pecans. The flavor combinations, while satisfactory with the goat cheese, worked much better without it.
With chef John Brandt-Lee at the helm, Avalon’s rustic charm really came through with bold main entrées, which are separated into two categories: homemade pastas and meat and fish. If you have trouble deciding between the two, don’t fret. Diners have the option of choosing the giro del menue (a tasting tour of the menu, $31 mid-week, $40 Friday and Saturday) that includes a choice of antipasti, a pasta dish, a meat or fish dish and a dessert.
(Now would be a good time to tell you that Avalon is a cash-only restaurant.)
The biggest surprise was the chicken-liver soffritto ($19). Even those who usually run screaming from liver will delight in this savory dish of pappardelle pasta, vegetable soffritto and cognac-soaked chicken livers, as the combination of the soffritto and the cognac went a long, long way in making the livers delectable.
Avalon’s hand-rolled manicotti was also a treat, especially when ordered with the lamb Bolognese sauce ($19). This dish is also available with San Marzano tomatoes ($17) or porcini mushroom cream ($19). To our surprise, the cheese didn’t dominate the dish, nor did the lamb take a back seat in the flavor department: The restraint of the cheese and the pasta struck an impressive balance with the lamb and vegetables in the sauce, giving the dish a welcome meaty texture most manicotti just can’t muster.
Avalon worked culinary magic again with a surf-and-turf chef’s special, comprised of sea scallops and braised veal on top of risotto-style toasted orzo and red-wine reduction. Both the scallops and the veal were flavorful and so perfectly cooked and tender that our forks sliced through them as if they were butter. Both the veal and the scallops are available individually on Avalon’s carne and pesci classics menu ($34 and $25, respectively).
Avalon Restaurant makes us envy — just a little — West Chester residents.
For more information, visit www.avalonrestaurant.net.
Larry Colletta can be reached at [email protected].