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Avvino Rochester is a fine dining restaurant located on Monroe Avenue in Rochester, NY. If you are looking for the perfect place to take your sweetheart, Avvino is it. It’s exactly as every upscale, romantic restaurant should be – quiet and intimate.
As we entered Avvino, we were greeted by Janine, the owner and wine sommelier, herself. To our right was the beautiful bar where Ben the bartender was creating cocktails. She guided us to our left into the dining room to seat us. The ambiance of the dining room was warm and inviting. Music played softly in the background. Each table was lit with a candle and decorative ceiling lights were low to set the mood.
In the middle of the dining room was a magnificent, intergalactic centerpiece created by Stacy K Floral. Each season, Stacy stops in to adjust the centerpiece to fit the time of year. In the Spring, she may add some budding flowers and in the winter she may make it look more bare. It was the perfect addition to the room.
On the same table the centerpiece sits on were many unique plates. Upon receiving our small courses, we realized these plates aren’t only decoration, but for use as well. Servers pick an choose so each table may have a different set of plates and they restock them as the night progresses.
We were presented an extensive wine list, all handpicked by Janine who was one of the first female sommeliers in Rochester. We were told about their newest wine that isn’t on the menu yet called Bellone. Bellone is a grape that was recently rediscovered and is believed to have existed from the Roman times. It’s a smooth white wine that tasted somewhat of a blend of sauvignon and chardonnay.
Avvino Rochester opened in 2013 when Janine was presented with an opportunity that this particular space was available. She had always dreamed of owning her own place someday as she’s worked in the restaurant industry since she was 14 years old.
Now as the restaurant enters their fifth year of being opened, it’s been a wonderful addition to Monroe Avenue. Not only is it used for dining, but it’s also an event venue. We took a little tour downstairs below the restaurant and saw the event space used for small parties. For only $50, you can rent out the downstairs space fitting 20 people. It’s even equipped with a small bar. It’s perfect for private lunches and dinners or wedding festivities.
Now let’s take a look at their menu and our delicious 4 course meal!
Drinks:
We ordered cocktails for Ben to whip up. I ordered the East End ($10) signature cocktail. Which is a wonderful blend of gin, passion fruit, St. Germain, and bitters served in a glass with salt on the rim. Shane ordered his usual Captain and coke ($6).
Once we received our cocktails, fresh baked mini loaves of bread came to our table in a mini cast iron skillet. All the food here is made fresh from scratch. They’re menu is seasonal, so you can expect to have different and new exciting choices throughout the year. Not only is their food made from scratch, but it’s locally sourced as well. They have bonds with many local farmers and they’re purveyors. Something I wish more restaurants valued.
Appetizers:
To sample some appetizers we started out with the Charred Octopus ($12) and Roasted Peach ($8). This was my first time having Octopus and as many of you may know, I don’t do seafood! So, this was certainly an experience for me. The Octopus was surprisingly delicious and not rubbery at all which I’ve heard Octopus can be if not cooked correctly. Before cooking, the Octopus is soaked in white wine. It’s served on top of Greek yogurt polenta, artichoke, and lightly dusted with squid ink crumble. The Roasted Peach is the perfect summertime appetizer. The peaches for this appetizer were topped with Tellagio cheese, figs, Marcona almonds, and served on the side of house-made Focaccia. Some other appetizer options this season include farm fresh egg, ceviche, reuben sliders, and roasted bone marrow.
Salad:
Next we both had a small salad. By this point, I was already getting full as their portion sizes can be quite generous making the price very reasonable. Their Charred Hurricane Lettuse Salad ($10) is served delicately with a few large mixed green leaves, yellow beets, snap peas, pickled onion, rye crisps and dill-buttermilk dressing. It’s even on one of the plates from the centerpiece.
House-Made Pasta:
This season on their menu, they have a few pasta options. We both had the Ricotta Gnocchi ($17) which was probably one of the best pasta entrees I’ve ever tasted. The Gnocchi just melted in your mouth. I’m not sure if it’s because it was so good or because I haven’t had pasta in months, but I thought I was in heaven. The Ricotta Gnocchi was completed with an Oxtail Ragout sauce, fried artichokes, and celery leaves. Other pastas on the menu include Nettle Fazzoletti ($17) and Poppy Seed Pappardelle ($22).
Entrees:
If pasta wasn’t filling enough, we tried a few entrees on the menu as well. Shane had the Duck Breast ($34) and I had the Nine Gem Korma ($16). The Duck Breast was very tender and flavorful. It’s paired with braised leeks, rhubarb, heirloom potatoes, and compressed stone fruit. The Nine Gem Korma was a delicious Indian-inspired dish. It’s comprised of lentils and rice seasoned with curry and topped with tofu, chick peas, golden raisins, peppers, mustard greens, and beet chutney. Beef Pastrami Pho, Filet Mignon, and Branzini are just a few of their other entrees to mention.
Dessert:
A four course meal is never complete without dessert. We chose their flour-less, gluten free chocolate pecan cookies. Our server, Amy, suggested we could have them paired with ice cream or milk. Milk is for the people who love to dip their cookies. However, I couldn’t turn down some Pittsford Dairy Ice Cream – a popular choice here in Upstate New York. The cookies were warm and fresh out of the oven. Other desserts include Monkey Bread, Rhubarb Tart, and German Chocolate Cake.
We had such a wonderful date night at Avvino. The service was very personable and each employee was attentive to our needs. The chefs have amazing culinary experience creating a unique and phenomenal menu. If you are looking for the perfect restaurant to impress your date with – Avvino is an excellent choice. Thank you to Janine for giving us this opportunity to discover one of our new favorite Rochester restaurants. Writing this review has made me so hungry that I’m going to go and eat some leftovers now!
The decor is quite interesting inside and colorful and bright outside. How neat it is that Janine achieved her dream.