On the Avenida

Mt Airy's newest restaurant, Avenida, opened December 17th in the home of the former Cresheim Cottage Cafe, right across the street from the Brewer's Outlet. Based on my two visits so far, I can make two overall comments:

1. The food is consistently good.

2. The service is not.

 My first outing was on the Saturday of their opening weekend. Yes, that Saturday night that dumped two feet of snow. Yes, they were still open (which was great).

Since they did not yet have their liquor license, the four of us who ventured out brought our own wine. And, since their were four of us, we could try a lot of the new menu. The service was great, especially for a new crew (perhaps since there were not many customers because of the blizzard and all). Our server even heated up some mulled wine with our desert course for us.

The second trip had equally good food, but revealed some cracks in service. There is some confusion about reservations - the website says you can email for one (which I did), but I was then told when we arrived that they did not take online reservations. After seating, and being left for awhile while craving cocktails (they now have said liquor license), our server was changed. Our new server did not know about the wines or cocktails, and did not check on us. This was disappointing. If you are not going to train your staff on your offerings, at least offer a terse description on the menu - I can't be expected to know where every winemaker in the world is located.

Still, the food is consistently good. Chefs Edgar (from Gautamala) and Kim Alvarez have been around Philly for years, and originally met at Striped Bass. The food is Latin American yet accessible. For the appetizers, get their homemade chips, guac, and salsas. The guac is surprisingly tart from an unusually strong hand with the citrus, but it works well. The salsas vary but are fresh and refreshing. Also, try the mole glazed ribs - if only for the accompanying magical corn fritters.

All the entrees were cooked nicely, including this Flat Iron Steak.

The winner for both outings was the Pork Pepil. The pork is gorgeously tender, and I could eat four of those cheese panacottas.

 

For desert, the Chocolate Dolce de Leche Tart with Mango Sorbet was a nice mix of rich, satisfying chocolate and cleansing mango.

The only food disappointment was the Cinnamon Crepes. Even with the promising-sounding rum syrup, the desert tasted very one dimensional. Perhaps a better quality cinnamon, with a touch of heat, could have saved it.

Overall, a great, relaxing place worth the trip from anywhere in the city. This will be especially true in the spring once the back patio opens (called one of the best outdoor patios in Philly). If you do go, park on Germantown Ave or take the R7 to Mt Airy. The Brewer's Outlet used to let Cresheim customers park in their lot across the street, but are now actively towing cars out of there. Its all about the Benjamins.

Say hello to Avenida, and Meat Mt Airy.