Avenue

I finally had a good excuse to stay in Clayton for dinner  last week since I have signed up for a three-week beer class. Unfortunately, quite a few restaurants are not open for dinner or not open on Mondays so I had to hike a little bit to find a new place nearby.

I had heard a lot of good things about Avenue and it really lived up to the hype. Since I had gone so early on a Monday night, I had the bartender and servers complete attention, which really spoiled me. What's really nice is that Avenue seems to be open all the time since their menu covers breakfast, brunch, and lunch as well.

I didn't get too far down the dinner menu because everything on the starters list looked amazing. I really wanted one of everything. So I asked for advice and the server was dead on.

First, I had to start with a couple of oysters...they were a little small but delicious.

Oysters

Next up, I couldn't miss the gnocchi, which also came with burrata on top...double win!

Gnocchi with Basil, Roasted Tomato & Burrata

The server raved about the spinach ravioli with roasted shallot and goat cheese, and I could have eaten a lot more of them.

Spinach Ravioli with Roasted Shallot & Goat Cheese

I probably should have stopped there, but I had a little more room, and went with the next suggested starter, the wild mushrooms with burrata over a toasted baguette.

Wild mushrooms with Burrata over Toasted Baguette

The bartender was kind enough to give me a roll of bread as well to help mop up all the sauces, so by the time I got through the toasted baguette, I was completely full.

It was a  hot, slow walk back to my office since I was so stuffed, but it was definitely worth it. I really hope to go back again since I still would have loved to try the mussels, smoked salmon and tuna starters.

Their entrees list is quite lengthy as well, although I'm not sure how I could choose only one. Plus, they include Pomme Classics such as Eggplant Involtini and Duck Confit.

I hope I get to go again!

Resources:

Avenue = http://avestl.com/