Anyone who can make us enjoy cauliflower, is working magic. Many have tried, but only Avalon Pasta Bistro succeeded.
We never really got into the vegetable but felt like, if a restaurant pushed it enough, we should give it a try. So in our adventures around town, we’ve had everything from whipped and mashed cauliflower (meh!) to deep-fried cauliflower (ugh—Never again!). But Avalon, 78 W. Lancaster Lane, in Downingtown, finally cracked the code for us.
Avalon’s escabeche ($8), made of roasted marinated autumn vegetables, made believers out of us. Sure enough, the dish included cauliflower and we gave it a shot, with the slim hope that this time we’d like the dreaded vegetable and we did! The marinade and steaming gave it both the texture and flavor that made all the difference.
Now that we have that out of the way, Avalon Pasta Bistro is quite the quaint suburban restaurant and easily worth the haul to Downingtown. The aforementioned dish that blew our socks off wasn’t even the best thing we had when we visited. We’ll get to those dishes later.
Oh, did we mention the complimentary glass of sangria? Was it tasty because it was free? Maybe, but we really don’t care to think too hard about it.
Mussels have quickly become the dish that many venues say is among the best on their menu, and we have just as quickly become very bored and unimpressed with the mollusks. That is, until now. Avalon’s mussels ($11) were pleasantly plump and swimming in a tasty broth of pancetta, white wine and Gorgonzola. The tripe and trotter bruschetta ($9) were especially good too.
While not essential, the buffalo-style cracklings ($9) were a crunchy, guilty pleasure. The caramelized brussels sprouts ($8) were decent enough but fell short of converting anyone who isn’t already a fan of the veggie.
But the small plate that was head and shoulders above the others was the mortadella mousse ($8), a pleasantly rich and decadent taste experience on toast with red-onion marmalade.
As expected, Avalon Pasta Bistro offered a decent range of pasta dishes. But the one we had to try before anything else was the “Effin’ Hot Filet Tips” ($20). In our experience, when the menu says something is spicy, we usually feel as though the chef is still babying us in the spice department. So we asked the server to tell the chef not to hold back. The result was perfection. The combination of kale, pepper relish, orecchiette, poached egg and crispy shallots was just the right level of spicy, with a plethora of rustic Italian goodness.
The dessert menu varies, but the night we were there, we had the excellent pear gelato with marinated pears ($6).
If you are looking for an excellent dinner in a cozy setting for a night away from the city, Avalon Pasta Bistro is definitely the place to go.