Bob Gordon, April 2014

DINING OUT

    When osso bucco is prepared to fall-off-the-bone perfection, there’s little space for improvement. But Avero’s version finds that space. Tender osso bucco lounges atop a vibrant mix of porcini mushrooms, escarole, white beans, and julienned baby carrots. As one whose guilty pleasure has been osso bucco for more than a few decades, I have to say Avero’s recipe ranks with the best I’ve ever had. It merits destination status.

    I confess I didn’t expect the level of cuisine I found here. Perhaps I should have. I had been hearing good things about how Chef Christopher DeFeo is transforming Avero, leapfrogging the eatery’s focus from pizzeria to trattoria. DeFeo is up to the task. His impressive CV boasts stints in topnotch kitchens like Savana and Blackfish. Still, on my first visit, the osso bucco, so deliciously conceived and perfectly executed, came as a pleasant surprise. Equally pleasant was its $19.50 price. Comparable dishes elsewhere generally run from the mid-twenties and up.

    Avero is situated along Lancaster Pike’s increasingly populated, somewhat erratic food corridor where uncommon eateries mix with some quite common ones. In this foodscape, Avero, at first blush, might be missed or dismissed as simply another pizza parlor, albeit an upscale one. Avero’s wood-fired pizza is good. In fact, it holds its own against some of the region’s better-known pizza kitchens. As an example, Avero’s spinach pizza would pass any pizza snob’s muster. Pine nuts, oven-roasted, sun-dried tomatoes, slices of sweet Roma tomatoes, and bell peppers cover crisp, smoke-infused dough layered with creamy Mozzarella and aged cheddar. Kudos need also go to Gorgonzola Pizza, which is loaded with caramelized onion and Mozzarella and scattered ubiquitously with crumbles of bacon.

Notwithstanding the pizza, the most interesting menu nuggets reside in the Primi Piatti, Pesce and Carne groupings. Diver Scallop Carpaccio is an attractively stacked, pristine confederation of raw, thin scallops, celeriac, and hearts of palm topped with micro-greens trickled with citrus vinaigrette. Two glistening grapefruit slices flanking the axis of the attractive arrangement bring a sweet-tart dynamic into play, which is at once palate-pleasing and palate-cleansing.

    House-made risotto, a vegetarian alternative, is packed with black trumpet and hedgehog mushrooms along with generous shavings of Burgundy truffles. Red Snapper Crudo with snappy horseradish crema is a winning recipe enlivened with watermelon radish, and crunchy shallots.

    Pasta selections cost $15 or $16. Tender pillows of Ricotta gnocchi, served with pancetta, butternut squash, spinach, and gremolata qualify as tasty Italian soul food. Ditto for saffron-coated Blue Crab Agnolotti with shrimp, ricotta, and Swiss chard.

    Dolces, priced from $5.75 to $6.50, include Crème Brûlée and Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. The latter is a rich confection charged with Nutella and bananas sautéed in butter that add sweetness to the bread pudding.

    As for drink selections, you’ll find a global selection of moderately priced wines served by the glass or bottle, as well as a rounded roster of beers including Lagunitas Sucks, which is gaining legendary status. There’s an interesting backstory on the origin of the seemingly unflattering moniker, which your server will be happy to share as you sip.

The interior of the dining area is pleasant and airy. A large overhead striped canvas supports strings of incandescent bulbs. The spacious, dimly-lit interior casts a casual, resort-like vibe over the pleasant, minimalist uncarpeted space. The bar is contemporary and attractive, and animated with a lively buzz—a buzz I anticipate will notch up substantially when locals and foodies start exploring the entirety of Avero’s improved menu.

Avero Bar Italiano, 821 W Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA (484) 580-6455 averoitaliano.com

Email comments and suggestions to r.gordon33@verizon.net

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