While most restaurants with summer deals offer a limited selection of five to 10 special entrées at a fixed low price, Avanzare – like its sister restaurant Bijou – has taken a different approach.
The deal at our favorite Tuscan trattoria in Vero’s old downtown is that you choose any entrée off the regular dining menu, and the regular price of that entrée – combined with the regular price of your companion’s entrée – becomes the total cost of the summer special consisting of a soup or salad, entrée and a bottle of wine.
The tab generally winds up in the low to mid $40s – not the least expensive summer special this year, but a very good dining value that gives you an opportunity to enjoy some of Avanzare’s more-interesting-than-most entrées.
Where else, we would ask, are you likely to be able to enjoy wild boar sausage as part of a summer menu? Well, that’s what my husband ordered when we visited Avanzare last week.
But first things first. At Avanzare, even summer menu diners begin with an amuse-bouche, a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre. Then comes warm bread with pesto and extra virgin olive oil dipping sauce.
For our complementary bottle of wine, we chose what turned out to be a quite decent chardonnay.
Next came the soup-or-salad course. I opted for the featured soup, which on the night of our visit was Avanzare’s version of Manhattan clam chowder – a light creamy tomato rendition with a little bacon added to give it a nice smoky taste. My husband opted for the house salad.
Following the first course, we were served a refreshing pineapple granita to clear the palate.
When entrées arrived, my husband’s wild boar sausage ($22) was a big winner. Served over Tuscan white beans, it was accompanied by a very tasty broccoli rabe sautéed with olive oil and garlic.
For my entrée, I had chosen the shrimp puttanesca ($20). The shrimp were served with olives and capers in a San Marzano puttanesca sauce over angel hair pasta. A nice dish.
Dinner for two with wine at this point ran $42 before tax and tip. Not much higher than many of those summer prix fixe dinners at other restaurants. But we decided to finish our meal with a slice of Avanzare limoncello cake, running the total tab to $49. Still a good bargain.
By actual count, there are more than two dozen entrées to choose from as part of Avanzare’s summer dining deal – including veal chops, steaks, and sea scallops – with none priced at more than $28.
Avanzare has a more interesting menu than most of the Vero restaurants offering summer specials. If you can’t find an entrée that appeals to you from this range of choices, you’re not trying.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.