I am a little particular when it comes to Italian food, and for good reason. I am half Italian (my mom’s side) and she raised me on old-school, homemade stuff. So I have pretty high standards.
Keeping this in mind, when I was invited to a blogger dinner at Avero, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I don’t dine out at Italian restaurants all that frequently only because when I go over to my parents, that’s what’s usually on the menu.
Well, I was beyond impressed. We were treated to a four-course dinner (with dessert, my fave) and each course was paired with a corresponding wine to compliment the food. The event started with a blogger mix and mingle with the most delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks all paired to complement one another.
The first course was charred baby octopus, I know, not something I would normally order off the menu but I am pretty open minded when it comes to trying new dishes, and it was really good! Second course was a rich ricotta gnocchi. If you don’t know what gnocchi are, they are little pasta dumplings with potato in them. I am pretty sure marathon runners carbo load the night before a race on this stuff! Absolutely amazing. Our main course was a Berkshire pork belly that was so tender it literally melted in my mouth. I am drooling just thinking about it. Dessert was a honey crisp apple crostada with vanilla gelato. It was just enough (not too heavy) to finish off such a decadent meal. I love that dessert was served with a hard cider, talk about a perfect pairing!
I definitely plan on going back to Avero for hopefully a romantic date with my hubby (hint hint)!
For more information on Avero, please visit: http://averoitaliano.com/
