Avanzare, our favorite Tuscan trattoria in Vero’s old downtown, continues night after night to produce some of the most innovative – not to mention delectable – dishes found in this area.
While a number of specials we have marveled at on previous occasions have established themselves as hard-to-resist favorites, we try on our visits to sample the latest additions to a menu that changes frequently.
So when we stopped by on a recent Thursday, our attention was immediately captured by two of that evening’s appetizers.
I ordered the Indian River grapefruit and angry shrimp ($12.70), and my husband went for the parmesan soufflé over drunken mushrooms ($12). Angry shrimp? Drunken mushrooms? No wonder our companion opted for the soothing soup ($3.50), a creamy dill, potato and salmon chowder.
My angry shrimp were spicy, but not all that spicy – “we made them a little too angry at first,” the server confided – and the caramelized grapefruit slices, an excellent accompaniment to the shrimp, literally popped with flavor.
My husband’s light parmesan soufflé was served over mushrooms that had been braised in balsamic vinegar and beer. They may have had a slight buzz on, but were certainly not drunk! A very nice combination of tastes. Our companion’s chowder was absolutely delicious. Curiously, it tasted less of salmon and more like an excellent New England clam chowder.
All in all, a great start.
Then for entrees, I ordered the Sicilian zuppa di pesce ($28), my husband had the fire grilled salmon ($26) and our companion chose the always-wonderful short rib lasagna ($28).
My zuppa di pesce consisted of shrimp, sea scallops, mussels, clams, calamari, and on this evening chunks of trigger fish tossed with linguini in an extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic and oregano sauce. A wonderful dish.
My husband’s salmon was perfectly seared, and served over a sautee of roasted new potatoes, leeks, fresh tomatoes, and arugula. It was finished with a dill cream fraiche. Very nice.
As for our companion’s short rib lasagna, this was an off-menu special when we first encountered it some years ago, and it never disappoints. The wine braised short rib layered with pasta and parmesan cream is luscious.
For dessert on this evening, we shared a chocolate olive oil cake ($7) and a limoncello cake ($7). All I can say is there were two votes for the marvelously dense chocolate cake, while my husband held out for the limoncello.
On previous visits, we have enjoyed all of the house-made raviolis, which vary from night to night, and have been a distinguishing feature of Avanzare ever since it opened.
The local seafood Avanzare features – sometimes local hog snapper, on this evening trigger fish – is always excellent. The seared sea scallops are outstanding, and we have never gone wrong here ordering one of the veal dishes.
Dinner for two, with a modest bottle of wine, generally runs $90 to $100 before tax and tip.
For imagination in the kitchen – for creating dishes that on any given night, lead you to say ‘How did they do this?’ – Avanzare continues to offer some of the most interesting meals in Vero.
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.