Houman Hemmati
Google
After a disappointing experience when they first opened, I posted an honest, but of course negative review of the restaurant, never expecting that they would fix any of this. After some friends had positive experiences more recently, I decided to go back with another group last night to give it another shot.
the restaurant managed to take the feedback from comments and has fixed basically everything that was wrong with the restaurant.
The location remains beautiful. They have placed a small lamp at each table that allows you to actually see your menu and the food. They reduced the volume of the music to a reasonable level and now you can enjoy your party and hear the person next to you or even across the table without having to scream. This has made it dramatically nicer.
The wait staff and managers are exceptionally attentive now going table to table. Props to manager Stefano who’s the best in the business.
The drinks and appetizers were magnificent. We tried numerous different cocktails, one of which was like an old-fashioned, all of which were superb and appropriately sized. They were spot on!
Moving onto appetizers, we had the avocado and basically anything that had tuna in it. From the carpaccio that comes on a gigantic plate to both tartares. All were fantastic and decently sized! The Duo Tartare was to die for. It’s not cheap but it’s large and has exceptionally high quality expensive cuts of tuna in it. Presentation is gorgeous as well.
The tomato tartare was the surprise hit of the dinner. Delicious with a slight kick. The babaganoush was beautiful, tasty and well portioned. Caesar salad was enough for 4 of us to each have a decent and delicious portion. So many apps came with their bread, which was toasted on a grill and perfectly accompanied the food.
We did not order the paella this time as we had had it last time. However, looking at other tables, it appears that the paella is now significantly more substantive in amount, and contains a lot more meat or fish on it than it did when we were there last. They also created a half portion of paella, which is enough for two people, rather than forcing you to buy a massive one that could serve four.
As for sides, the farmers market vegetables were very good and the creamy potato purée was out of this world. I could easily have ordered another one.
We are not big meat eaters so we went for two of the fish. We ordered the catch of the day times two. And unlike a few weeks ago when it was just a single option, they now have four different fish options, which you can see sitting on ice as you walk into the restaurant on your right hand side. We are regulars at Avra and love fresh Mediterranean fish. And what we had was nothing less than a work of arch. Perfectly salted, perfectly flavored, came with grilled lemon slices unlike last time, and the fish were each massive. Each order was literally enough for all four of us so we ended up having to take much of the second fish home. Nonetheless, having tried both, it is impossible to go wrong. When we asked to order two different fish, they suggested two fish. They had different types of texture and flavor so that we could have some diversity in our menu.
Finally, with the desserts, we had a flan, Keylime pie, Chocolate mousse, and rice pudding. The desserts were certainly the highlight of the evening after a magnificent meal! Every one of them was substantially portioned, absolutely delicious, and fresh, and very unique. I say that in a very good way.
Now after having gone to Casa Dani once they had figured out the kinks in their staffing, ambience, and food as well as their selections, I can strongly recommend it. It’s possible to go there and spend a very reasonable amount of money but based on what you order, you can also go in and spend a fortune. It’s entirely up to you and what you’d like to eat and how much of it. You may simply feel tempted to order a lot because it’s amazing.
