Last night, my family, Mike and I all went out to dinner to celebrate my college graduation!
We went to Avalon, a rustic Italian BYOB nearby.
Though we opted to eat on their outdoor patio, the interior was really neat, too- check out the cheese and charcuterie table!
The restaurant offers two menu options: either a la carte ordering, or the “Giro Del Menue,” which includes four smaller courses. We ended up choosing the latter- guess we all had our eating game faces on.
Before we started the meal, champagne was popped…
And the waitress (who was really good and friendly) brought us complimentary Belgian white beers and a sample of one of their cheeses.
The first course was the “antipasti,” or appetizer. I went with the insalata verdura, or seasonal roasted vegetables.
It included eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, and I’m fairly certain mushrooms were involved as well…though I didn’t mind! My mom ordered my same thing, while Mike got the arancini, with fried risotto and short rib in pomodoro sauce.
He wasn’t expecting it to come out in ball form, but he said they were awesome. My dad, meanwhile, got the baby arugula salad, which included red grapes, toasted almonds, goat cheese.
And my brother Luke and his wife Cammy both got the bruschetta, topped with prosciutto, crab apple mostardo and ricotta.
Course number two was the “primi,” or pasta. I chose the angel hair pesto, made with basil and arugula pesto, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. (It’s here that the outdoor lighting turned to candlelight!)
The waitress had warned us that it’s easy to get too full on the pasta course, so I was glad I chose something light. The arugula added a really interesting flavor to the pesto, and the pasta was fresh and amazingly thin. My mom and dad both got the same thing, while Mike and Luke ordered the butcher’s bolognese, including lamb, pork, veal, beef and pappardella.
And Cammy got the truffled mushroom tortelli, with herbed mushroom brodo.
The last savory course was the “secondi,” or entree. I had trouble choosing between their salmon and special of pan-seared red snapper, but opted for the latter. It was served on a bed of orzo and topped with some sort of cherry chutney.
Wow. The snapper was absolutely buttery, with a delicate crispy sear on the outside. Amazing. Mike, my mom and Cammy all got this as well. My dad, meanwhile, got the Scottish salmon, which was flavored with white beans, shrimp, pancetta and spinach.
And Luke got the grilled hanger steak, finished with olive oil and red pepper caponata and served atop a bed of polenta. I didn’t get a picture of his- he was too far away in poor lighting!
One thing I was really surprised about was how perfectly each portion was sized. I left a few bites of each carb (pasta and orzo) on my plate, and I had just enough room left for dessert. Let’s be real, though- that dessert was happening no matter what.
When our waitress told us our options, I wanted pretty much all of them, so I made sure that someone else got my second choice! I got the hazelnut crepe, which was stuffed with Nutella.
It was about as good as it looks and sounds. I’m convinced you cannot make Nutella taste like anything less than heavenly, and the perfectly cooked crepe wasn’t so bad, either 
Mike and my dad both got the dark chocolate ganache, with a red wine reduction sauce and glazed cherries. My dad took a bite or two and said he was too full to finish it, so he passed it onto me…
I am never too full for chocolate ganache. I hate to say it, but I found it better than my own Nutella crepe. It was literally like eating a mug of truffle filling! I’m still thinking about it this morning. Obviously, both desserts were demolished.
Cammy and my mom both got the coffee panna cotta.
I was expecting a sugar coma, but it never came. Win.
This morning my dad and I were talking about how amazing this meal was…it was just as good as any of the fancy, trendy places I’ve been to in New York, for literally half the price. The fact that it was BYOB was convenient, too. We agreed that it got an “A” in our book…it definitely beat going to graduation any day 
Today I’m going to a baby shower for my cousin…hopefully the cloudy weather clears up! Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!
