Deborah P.
Yelp
We wanted to try AV since it relocated from its original location in Moosic under new management. We did so at the Rally for Restaurants, promoted by Lackawanna Junior College. The event was a prixe fixed menu for $45. It consisted of a sweet potato fritter to start, followed by a mushroom bisque, sweet potato gnocchi, choice of pork tenderloin or braised short ribs, and completed with a fall desert. Let me say, everything was fabulous. Service was impeccable as there were many students involved and all food was served at the same time, which is huge!! The first course, the fritter, was very good, Kind of like sweet potato pureed, coated in panko, deep fried with a few pea shoots on the top and a drizzle of apple cider reduction. My only suggestion was that it was not served hot enough. The next soup, the mushroom bisque, was not pleasing to the eye as it looked like a small bowl of beef gravy. But the flavor was fabulous, rich and extreme mushroom flavor. Very thick and rich so you didn't want to eat too much, which was good because you only got a bowl of about 5 oz, served with a crustini the was very good. Again, for me, not served hot enough. My dad would always complain, hot food needs to be hot and cold food needs to be cold. I'll never forget that. The gnocchi, some sort of sweet potato gnocchi, they had a good flavor but in my opinion, were a bit on the mushy, squishy side, maybe overdone or maybe that was the intent of the recipe, but they were probably the least desirable part of the menu. My husband had the pork tenderloin. It was prepared expertly, being juicy, which is so often not the case for pork tenderloin. I had the short ribs and they were fantastic. One small piece of meat, but braised to perfection. Rich, meaty, tender, appropriate amount of fat, served over perfectly seasoned mashed potatoes and rich gravy. This was very well done. The desert was small, fit for the fall, a bit of carrot cake and a cookie with some mascarpone and cream. All in all, it was a wonderful time. The best dining, in my opinion is this type of event. It then becomes an experience. When there are several very small course, but enough time in between to really enjoy each one and let it digest before moving on. Well done AV!!!! Would like to see you sponsor event like the more often!! Perhaps wine tasting event like the Beaumont does - you would nail it!!