The Wallyhood’s made their way to Avila last night for their family-night dinner. We thought the whole meal was fantastic: the salad was fresh and crunchy with bean sprouts and other yummies, subtly dressed, the boneless fried chicken was tender and juicy, the kale stuffed cannelloni was the superb highlight of the meal, the brussel sprouts were so buttery delicate even a child would like them and the pineapple upside cake was simple and soothing. All courses were served family-style, allowing each diner to eat according to their appetite, and the waiter even offered second helpings for the hungry.
Our only kvetch would be the bread, which was buttered and garlicked store-bought white bread, but our disappointment here was probably driven by how blown away we were by the tasty and hearty fresh-baked breads we had last time we came. You may also want to check the reviews left by readers on our last post.
At $10 / adult and $6 / children, it’s the best bargain in town (and if “adding drinks” to you means washing it down with a PBR the way we did, your bill will barely budge). Word of warning though: it’s apparently popular (for which we will take at least a bit of credit), so call for reservation before you go. We managed to squeeze in at the bar, but saw a family turned away for lack of table.
I have yet to attend family night at Avila, but I did go for dinner this Friday and it was delicious. I shared two starters and a main course with a guest. This was plenty of food to fill two people… along with the warm house baked bread. Of the two starters I recommend the young radish soup with marrow beignets (the other was the gnocchi & dungenous crab which was tasty). The beignets are like biting into a savory pillow and not in a bad way. Chicken was a solid choice for our main course. Moist, flavorful chicken with delicious noodles and boudin blanc. I would highly recommend this dish… best chicken I’ve had in quite some time. I like the look of their brunch menu and think I will try that next.