Tonight I had dinner with two of my favorite girls at Avila in the theater district. We get together every 4-6 weeks to catch up and we always try to pick a place none of us have tried before.
We arrived at Avila just before 7:00pm and were seated right in the window overlooking the hustle and bustle of the theater district. We were immediately impressed by the lengthy wine and cocktail list. I decided on the "Grandma's Pumpkin Pie" martini which had Stoli Vanilla, Baileys and pumpkin liqueur. When our waiter brought the drink to the table, he put down the glass which had a dollop of whipped cream in the bottom and a graham cracker dusted rim. He shook up the cocktail and poured it right over the whipped cream. It was spectacularly delicious. And strong.
The ladies ordered the red sangria and the sauvignon blanc. The sangria came garnished with a cornucopia of citrus!
After placing our dinner orders, our waiter brought over a basket of bread which included: foccacia, a warm crusty bread and pizza crisps. The basket was accompanied by hummus, greek olives and a roasted eggplant spread. The best combination was absolutely the pizza crisps topped with the eggplant!
We were also delivered an amuse bouche, compliments of the chef. It was a crab cake over a spicy aioli. Since I am a vegetarian, the girls lucked out and got to have one and a half crab cakes each. You're welcome.
For our first course we shared the wild arugula salad which came topped with shaved parmesan and lemon olive oil. The dressing had a bold lemon flavor which combined with the fresh, crisp arugula was divine.
For entrees, one of the girls ordered the scallops and a side of french fries which came with a gorgonzola fondue. The scallops were cooked beautifully, the french fries tasted like McDonalds heaven, and the cheese dipping sauce put the plate over the top.
Next to her, my other dining companion ordered the salmon which came over a bed of quinoa and topped with spinach and marscapone cheese. She said the fish was fantastic and the cheese on top made it extra decadent.
I ordered the gnocchi which came with mushrooms, shaved parmesan (yes, more parmesan) and truffle oil. I love mushrooms so I was enjoying the dish, but I had to tap out half way through because it was so heavy! Also because I knew I wanted to leave room for dessert.
After our dinner plates were cleared, our waiter rolled over the dessert cart. Yes, a cart. Before he could even get a word out we were already drooling. He described each of the six dessert options (which all looked incredible) and we ultimately selected two.
Our first dessert was churros con chocolate y dulce de leche. Having lived in Spain my junior year of college, this Spanish dessert recalls great memories. These churros were smaller and lighter than any I'd had before, but the sugary exterior dunked into the warm sauces was heavenly.
Our second dessert was the warm chocolate cake served with cappuccino ice cream and a raspberry sauce. I took one bite of the cake and said to the girls, "I want to take up residence inside this cake and live there forever." This was an exceptional chocolate cake and the garnishes were the perfect compliment.
Our experience at Avila was phenomenal. Though our waiter was arrogant (something I never appreciate), the restaurant was warm, inviting and had a great view of the neighborhood. The bread basket and the amuse bouche were unexpected delights, our food was delicious and the desserts were out of this world.
An A+ for Avila.
