Comments on: Avalon, West Chester http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html Finally, a restaurant guide for Philadelphia's Main Line and suburbs Sat, 28 Apr 2012 05:09:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: JoAnna http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-23672 JoAnna Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:05:46 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-23672 My date and I had a wonderful experience at Avalon! The food was delicious, ambiance inviting, and the service friendly. It has become one of our favorite places to dine in West Chester! My date and I had a wonderful experience at Avalon! The food was delicious, ambiance inviting, and the service friendly. It has become one of our favorite places to dine in West Chester!

]]> By: Jen Calabro http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-23155 Jen Calabro Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:37:52 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-23155 My husband and I tried Avalon for the first time on Valentine's Day. The atmosphere was cozy with a woodburnig fireplace. Our waiter was great and took our compliments personally which makes me feel like he truly likes his job and takes pride in the restaurant. Our portion sizes were perfect and the food was excellent! We will definately be going back to Avalon! My husband and I tried Avalon for the first time on Valentine’s Day. The atmosphere was cozy with a woodburnig fireplace. Our waiter was great and took our compliments personally which makes me feel like he truly likes his job and takes pride in the restaurant. Our portion sizes were perfect and the food was excellent! We will definately be going back to Avalon!

]]> By: Jenna http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-19280 Jenna Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:45:15 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-19280 We live in West Chester and enjoy BYO’s --Avalon was great. The food was different and delightful. The service was great. We would recommend Avalon but, get there a few minutes early as parking was a challenge. We live in West Chester and enjoy BYO’s –Avalon was great. The food was different and delightful. The service was great. We would recommend Avalon but, get there a few minutes early as parking was a challenge.

]]> By: matt & erin http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-18809 matt & erin Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:32:11 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-18809 We live in West Chester and enjoy BYO's but they're difficult to find outside center city. We decided to try Avalon and were happy with our choice. The service was pleasant and it was a nice touch that the hostess came to our table to make sure we were enjoying our dinner. The food was very good and we were satisfied with our meals (the Braised Beef Agnoloti was interesting and very tasty, and the 7-cheese plate as an entree was plenty). We recommended Avalon to friends and were going to return for New Year's Eve but could not work out a time that worked for our entire party. Our only complaint was the corking fee. We live in West Chester and enjoy BYO’s but they’re difficult to find outside center city. We decided to try Avalon and were happy with our choice. The service was pleasant and it was a nice touch that the hostess came to our table to make sure we were enjoying our dinner. The food was very good and we were satisfied with our meals (the Braised Beef Agnoloti was interesting and very tasty, and the 7-cheese plate as an entree was plenty). We recommended Avalon to friends and were going to return for New Year’s Eve but could not work out a time that worked for our entire party. Our only complaint was the corking fee.

]]> By: Jeff http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-18558 Jeff Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:50:35 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-18558 Avalon is my favorite local restaurant. The food is always inventive, delicious and is fairly priced. The room is so warm, with it's fireplace and beautiful hardwood floors. The outdoor patio is secluded and can be extremely romantic, especially if seated near the little fountain as my wife and I were during lunch a month ago. The wait staff and host are top notch, paying attention to the small details (like the old fashion touch of folding your napkin while you visit the restroom). During our last visit for dinner, last Friday, the kitchen whipped up a brand new appetizer, had the wait staff sample it and then 5 minutes later we were being offered it. It was a potato pancake with pancetta and asiago cheese served along side plum mustardo. The sweetness of the plum worked perfectly with the bacon. On Jan 9th, I had the Braised Beef Agnoloti in a Cabernet Demi over top Broccoli Rabe Wow, it was incredible. The beef was so tender and succulent. My wife enjoyed the butternut squash ravioli in the most tasty brown butter sauce. I look forward to every visit, knowing I'm going to be treated to a great meal and taken care of with precision. You can often get a street parking spot right out front, but worst case there is a nice big lot a mere 3 blocks away on High street. Avalon is my favorite local restaurant. The food is always inventive, delicious and is fairly priced. The room is so warm, with it’s fireplace and beautiful hardwood floors. The outdoor patio is secluded and can be extremely romantic, especially if seated near the little fountain as my wife and I were during lunch a month ago. The wait staff and host are top notch, paying attention to the small details (like the old fashion touch of folding your napkin while you visit the restroom). During our last visit for dinner, last Friday, the kitchen whipped up a brand new appetizer, had the wait staff sample it and then 5 minutes later we were being offered it. It was a potato pancake with pancetta and asiago cheese served along side plum mustardo. The sweetness of the plum worked perfectly with the bacon.

On Jan 9th, I had the Braised Beef Agnoloti in a Cabernet Demi over top Broccoli Rabe Wow, it was incredible. The beef was so tender and succulent. My wife enjoyed the butternut squash ravioli in the most tasty brown butter sauce.

I look forward to every visit, knowing I’m going to be treated to a great meal and taken care of with precision.

You can often get a street parking spot right out front, but worst case there is a nice big lot a mere 3 blocks away on High street.

]]> By: Wine Pimp http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-16712 Wine Pimp Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:09:57 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-16712 My wife and I joined another couple at Avalon last weekend upon their invitation and had a great experience. Having just one, unremarkable experience there years ago, we were both skeptical. But we trusted our friends’ discerning taste (and their knowledge of ours), and wow, what a delicious surprise it turned out to be! We found the menu to have several intriguing options, and overall, the dishes were a touch creative and well executed. At our table, we started with the poached calamari (melt-in-your-mouth tender, served with kalamata olives as an inspired choice) and the grilled romaine hearts (an interesting preparation, flavored with crisp polenta croutons). Our entrée choices included the mushroom tortellini (tender and flavorful in an elegant truffled mushroom broth), the pork tenderloin (beautifully adorned with artichokes), the black pepper fettuccine carbanara (presented with an egg yolk on the top), and the braised beef agnoloti in a Cabernet demi-sauce (this dish alone is worth the trip). As a group of wine lovers, we brought along both lighter and heavier styles of white and red that paired well with all our choices. With respect to atmosphere, the space has an open, updated, contemporary feel to it (at least since we had been there), and the crowd was lively. Service was attentive, well paced, and even at the end of a busy Saturday shift, the servers were patient with us as we lingered over our last bottle. On the downside, while our table near the fireplace provided nice ambience, it became smoky at one point. Also, the noise level was on the high end, but as a lively party of four ourselves, this wasn’t too much of a problem. I will definitely return to Avalon, and encourage anyone to give it a try for the first time, or revisit it like we did. My wife and I joined another couple at Avalon last weekend upon their invitation and had a great experience. Having just one, unremarkable experience there years ago, we were both skeptical. But we trusted our friends’ discerning taste (and their knowledge of ours), and wow, what a delicious surprise it turned out to be!

We found the menu to have several intriguing options, and overall, the dishes were a touch creative and well executed. At our table, we started with the poached calamari (melt-in-your-mouth tender, served with kalamata olives as an inspired choice) and the grilled romaine hearts (an interesting preparation, flavored with crisp polenta croutons). Our entrée choices included the mushroom tortellini (tender and flavorful in an elegant truffled mushroom broth), the pork tenderloin (beautifully adorned with artichokes), the black pepper fettuccine carbanara (presented with an egg yolk on the top), and the braised beef agnoloti in a Cabernet demi-sauce (this dish alone is worth the trip).

As a group of wine lovers, we brought along both lighter and heavier styles of white and red that paired well with all our choices.

With respect to atmosphere, the space has an open, updated, contemporary feel to it (at least since we had been there), and the crowd was lively. Service was attentive, well paced, and even at the end of a busy Saturday shift, the servers were patient with us as we lingered over our last bottle.

On the downside, while our table near the fireplace provided nice ambience, it became smoky at one point. Also, the noise level was on the high end, but as a lively party of four ourselves, this wasn’t too much of a problem.

I will definitely return to Avalon, and encourage anyone to give it a try for the first time, or revisit it like we did.

]]> By: mike http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-16703 mike Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:31:39 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-16703 Excellent value for creative food in the suburbs. Excellent value for creative food in the suburbs.

]]> By: Doug W http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-16681 Doug W Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:20:08 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-16681 My wife and I have enjoyed many excellent meals at Avalon and have taken family and friends there as well. When you go, not only will you enjoy great food, but the service and ambiance are excellent as well. The menu changes based on what the can get and they try as much as possible to use local items in their menu. the result is food that is fresh and tasty! The Cheese plate is the best we have found in the area and we have tried them in lots of places. In short, if you want reliably good food at a fair price served up by friendly people, get a reservation at Avalon! Don't forget to bring a bottle or two of nice wine, and in good weather the Patio seating is delightful. My wife and I have enjoyed many excellent meals at Avalon and have taken family and friends there as well. When you go, not only will you enjoy great food, but the service and ambiance are excellent as well. The menu changes based on what the can get and they try as much as possible to use local items in their menu. the result is food that is fresh and tasty! The Cheese plate is the best we have found in the area and we have tried them in lots of places. In short, if you want reliably good food at a fair price served up by friendly people, get a reservation at Avalon! Don’t forget to bring a bottle or two of nice wine, and in good weather the Patio seating is delightful.

]]> By: Tessa http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-14969 Tessa Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:35:41 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-14969 We recently dined at Avalon on a Saturday evening. A most unusual experience. The food was good but not great. The service was just unique. Our waiter was attentive at times and then would disappear for periods. He gave odd suggestions about what to order and shared a bit too much about the owner and chef. Likening the owner's temper to Joe Pesci in mob movie and sharing that the chef becomes a crazy man if anyone complained is more than I want to know. Also, it took 3 hours to get thru the meal as each course took longer to receive. Though our waiter seemed to gain energy and became very chatty after each visit to the kitchen. Maybe it was just Red Bull night back there??? We recently dined at Avalon on a Saturday evening. A most unusual experience. The food was good but not great. The service was just unique. Our waiter was attentive at times and then would disappear for periods. He gave odd suggestions about what to order and shared a bit too much about the owner and chef. Likening the owner’s temper to Joe Pesci in mob movie and sharing that the chef becomes a crazy man if anyone complained is more than I want to know. Also, it took 3 hours to get thru the meal as each course took longer to receive. Though our waiter seemed to gain energy and became very chatty after each visit to the kitchen. Maybe it was just Red Bull night back there???

]]> By: brintonlakecherryst http://mainlinedine.com/rest/avalon.html#comment-9662 brintonlakecherryst Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:24:16 +0000 http://www.mainlinedine.com/rest1/avalon-west-chester.html#comment-9662 We used to go to the Avalon once a month and moved to Montgomery County. Just went back for a recent visit, and apparently the economy hit them hard as well. The appetizer was small, a cheese plate with barely any cheese on it for $15 and then the rest of our meals were forgettable. I usually leave there feeling wowed and I just left feeling ripped off. The chef needs to return to his roots We used to go to the Avalon once a month and moved to Montgomery County. Just went back for a recent visit, and apparently the economy hit them hard as well. The appetizer was small, a cheese plate with barely any cheese on it for $15 and then the rest of our meals were forgettable. I usually leave there feeling wowed and I just left feeling ripped off. The chef needs to return to his roots

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