VERO BEACH — When good food is being offered at a good price, an amazing number of people seem willing to have dinner at an hour I tend to associate with tapas time in Barcelona.
And last Wednesday, Avanzare, our favorite Tuscan trattoria in Vero’s old downtown, was filling up rapidly as the 5:30 cut-off time neared for its three-courses-for-$15.50 summer special.
At Avanzare, even summer menu diners begin with an amuse-bouche, a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre which on the evening we visited was a crostini topped by a dollop of fire grilled scallion, porcini mushroom and goat cheese.
Then comes warm bread with pesto and extra virgin olive oil dipping sauce. A very good start.
Next is the antipasti course. I opted for the steamed clams, my husband chose the sausage and mozzarella stuffed mushroom, and our companion went for the warm fresh olives.
While the assorted olives, served with cloves of roasted garlic and rosemary in olive oil, were a tad salty, the steamed clams in a white wine and garlic sauce were nice, and the stuffed mushrooms in a tomato sauce were probably the best of the three.
Nor were these the only antipasti choices. There also was a Bolognese crostini al forno – Bolognese sauce over a crostini topped with provolone – and either salmon tartare or steak tartare on a crostini.
For a second course, there is the choice of soup or salad. My husband and I chose the house salads, while our companion had the soup of the day – a light tomato and pancetta soup with vegetables and finished with garbanzos.
After spoonfuls of a refreshing intermezzo, a coconut and pineapple granita to clear the palate, we moved to the entrées.
It was here at the third course that Avanzare’s summer special morphs into two deals. From the seven entrées on Avanzare’s $15.50 summer menu, I chose the shrimp scampi and our companion picked the spinach ricotta cannelloni.
But at the bottom of the page, three entrée options – two veal dishes and a filet mignon – are listed as an upgrade option for a price of $22.50. Still pretty reasonable, so my husband decided to go with the veal Avanzare.
My shrimp scampi consisted of beautiful shrimp, just slightly overcooked, tossed with angel hair pasta.
Our companion’s cannelloni, fresh stuffed pasta topped with tomato sauce, was very light and extremely tasty.
And several other entrées on the $15.50 menu – the Bolognese Avanzare pappardella, the Italian sausage and mushroom penne, the chicken piccata and the rib-eye steak – sounded equally enticing.
While my husband enjoyed the parmesan crusted veal Avanzare, a large cutlet topped by arugula and diced fresh tomatoes, I personally would be inclined to exhaust the possibilities on the $15.50 menu before sampling the higher priced options.
Dinner for two on the basic summer menu, with a glass or two of reasonably priced wines, should run $50 to $60 before tax and tip (or in the $30s if you don’t imbibe).
Bottom line, Avanzare is one of the better Italian restaurants in a community with a lot of Italian choices.
If you dine late, you get – as always – a fine meal. And Avanzare is offering a grazing menu where you can sample three dishes from a variety of its regular menu items for $28. A lot of interesting choices here.
But if you dine before 5:30 (ugh), you get a good Avanzare meal at a very good price. And if a midsummer’s night midweek visit was any indication, a lot of locals are taking advantage of this deal.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.