Avenue Report for March

Well Avenue has still got it. We had a fabulous dinner there on Thursday. We shared the fois gras as a starter. They always have a fois on the menu. When it is a seared preparation, we love to order it with a glass of Sauternes, both to share now that we're watching our weight. A few bites is all you need and this month's fruity accompaniment made for a savory, sweet and rich sensation.
The owners know us by name now and Teddy was very sweet and gave the two of us the big booth in the corner with mirrors. We had never sat there and while that may not seem an interesting point about our evening... it is. The corner booth allows you to see the whole restaurant surreptitiously. Bruce was spying on everyone, people watching at will. Teddy pointed one of their investors eating in a booth by the front door...all very interesting.
Our waiter's doppelganger, the bus boy, served me the wrong entree and I tore into it before they could whisk it away to the other table. I didn't order the Elk, but wow, it was wonderfully tender and juicy. I had ordered the lamb loin, for the side dish (roasted eggplant and espelette{a small roasted red pepper}), but ended up with carrots and the elk. The staff were very kind and brought me a plate of the vegetables from the lamb dish and they were smokey-licious.
Bruce ordered the two way pork dish. The shoulder was fall-apart tender and the soubise was the star of the dish. Soubise is an onion enriched stock based sauce. The tiny diced onions were cooked down to tender sweetness. The only problem was that the sauce was a bit too sweet to match with the wine.
Yes, we're watching our weight (fluctuate wildly when we eat like this) but we didn't turn down the free dessert Teddy brought us. We had the chocolate cake with marshmallow spoon which is a lovely cup of moist cake and the perfect way to end the meal.
Once again, we are so thankful for the quality of food available at Avenue. Love it.

Where to eat next, that is the question.

Around this time each week my thoughts begin to wander to date-night and where we should eat this week. There is always a list in the back of my mind of places to try or revisit. In fact, there are many lists of places to eat based on subcategories like: go with the children sometime, or when we're in the neighborhood, or new place, need to try.

So, which will it be this week? I'm leaning heavily on a top contender in the local favorite as well as changing monthly menu categories: Avenue Restaurant here in Manhattan Beach. We are so thankful that Christian and his wife Teddy have chosen Manhattan Beach for their flagship fine dining restaurant. There truly is no one else creating an entirely new seasonal menu each month here in the South Bay. Served in a fine dining atmosphere that is both polished and casual, parents in flip flops rubbing elbows with lawyers in suits on the banquette, everyone enjoying the Shaffer hospitality.

I'm going to hit opentable and see if we can get in tomorrow night!