Inventive, unique, delicious food.
About once a month, my wife Paula and I have a dinner date with my wife's cousin Carol and her husband Roland. We take turns choosing the eating destination each month. This time it was our turn. I'm considerably a greater foodie than Paula. I love lots of flavor, and even a little zingy spice to my food, and she's almost always guaranteed to order chicken-something (it's sort of a running joke) though she'll pull a fast one on us every now and then and order a filet mignon, or fish.
I'd had my eye on Avenue N for quite a while, and had been trying to get Paula to go in on choosing it for our turn, but she was hesitant because of the inventiveness of the ingredients and the short menu (I LOVE a short, limited menu, and absolutely hate having to turn a page to see what else can confuse my mind as to what to eat). But long story short, this time she thought it sounded like something she'd try. And boy are we all glad she did!
All four of us got something that was eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head delicious! I got the Braised Hopkins Farm Lamb Shank (bacon-cauliflower grits, charred savoy, maple-sherry glace). I think I might've had a tear rolling down my cheek in sheer joy. The shank was so large that I was only able to eat half of it and brought the other half home for lunch the next day :) ... Paula and Carol got the Roasted Eggplant and Heirloom Carrot Bolognese (rigatoni, wild arugula, lemon marscapone, olive oil), and both of them kept saying how wonderful the flavors were, even though they'd both had the chef to exclude the wild arugula, because they were afraid that it might be too peppery for their rather dainty palates ;)
Roland got the Pan Seared New Bedford Sea Scallops (corn & uni risotto, organic spinach, preserved tomato beurre blanc), and he had that quasi-stoned look of happiness on his face as he consumed it.
The waitress (Audra) was very pleasant and helpful, and was able to give an instant response to Paula's and Carol's question concerning the nature of wild arugula. Who would think that the waitress would know that without having to run into the back and ask the chef? But she did, so that's an extra point for her. As well, I like the fact that she said "I'm Audra and I'll be serving you this evening", instead of the nonsensical "I'll be helping you" that seems to be what the kids are saying today.
I didn't spend a heck of a lot of time looking at the beer, wine, and drinks menu as I was simply geared up for eating what I was hoping and expecting to be something rather good, so I just got the same glass of wine that Roland ordered (a merlot).
Paula wants to go back to Avenue N this week, just she and I. She'll most likely order the same thing she ordered on that night, and I'll most likely order something different. For me variety is the spice of life, even if I know that something else is pretty much a guaranteed good deal.