Avo Kilicarslan and his wife Najda are well known to a loyal clientele who have enjoyed their food and restaurants for years.
And yet, there are those to whom their name or that of their 5-year-old Avo’s Bistro is mentioned and you get a questioning look in return.
For anyone who has not encountered the hospitality of this couple, it means that a most pleasant dining adventure awaits your discovery.
Avo’s is only steps away from the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Repertory. If you dine there, you can leave your car without charge while attending a performance. Saves $8 in the parking structure.
The parking amenities are nice, but what’s going on with the food is absolutely delightful. With prices way lower than some of the nearby dining establishments, this is a place where an array of Mediterranean fare is cooked as it is in its native lands.
We’ve traveled a lot and had this kind of food with locals overseas. This is a restaurant that delivers the deep authentic flavors of home-style dishes that are the cornerstone of the Mediterranean culture.
Forget wanting to sprinkle on a little salt or pepper to enliven anything. These dishes are so well balanced and cooked with such compassion that such thoughts never emerge.
Lunch entrees allow us to go in so many directions. No wonder the place is busy. It’s such a welcome change of pace.
Greek salad is full of crunch and interest. Shrimp a la Avo presents jumbo prawns flavored with fresh herbs, with julienne of fresh vegetables on the side.
|
|
||
|
Avo’s Bistro: views of the water, steps away from Performing Arts Center |
Moussaka at either lunch or dinner almost is mandatory for me. It’s a baked casserole dish of layered eggplant, potatoes and beef topped with b & #233;chamel sauce.
There’s also shish kabobs with a hint of oregano, crab cake, many of the appetizers on the dinner menu and rotisserie chicken breast with Avo’s secret spice mix dressing up the taste of the vegetables on the plate.
Fresh fish and falafel cakes add to the midday selections.
Sandwiches of both American and Mediterranean persuasion have a German style Black Forest ham on a Kaiser roll in the mix, just to make sure that everyone’s pleased.
Pasta has your choice of toppings: fresh fish, kabobs, gyros style lamb and beef among them. There are always two soups of the day,red lentil and a satisfying chicken-lemon soup.
I am stuck on the homemade hot pita bread triangles that come with every meal. A refreshing yogurt dip arrives as a complement. But, there’s a way to savor several inspiring tastes at one sitting.
Order the chilled appetizer array and scoop the goodies onto the hot bread triangles. The hummus on this four-flavor combination order is thick and rich and served with a dollop of hot chile paste in the center if you want to fire up the creamed garbanzos a bit.
The smoked eggplant is creamy and indulgent. Another bowl holds imported feta cheese in crumbles that are blended with hot chile peppers and extra virgin olive oil.
While I am well at home with these three, the truly defining moment for me is the Greek tarama on the pita bread. This is a delicacy in which red caviar is pureed with extra vigin olive oil and lemon juice. Few things in life are more satisfying on my plate. All of these appetizers also are available on their own.
This also is a restaurant where calamari is a nice advance for the palate. This is not rings of calamari, but rather tender triangles of calamari steak that are breaded and crisply fried, served with a fresh tomato sauce.
Mediterranean ideals encompass dolmades. Avo makes his with a delicately flavored mixture of meat, onions, rice and fresh dill tucked into tender grape leaves.
Spinach pie finds feathery layers of crispy filo dough encasing a mix of spinach and feta cheese. These three hot appetizers can be ordered as a hot appetizer combo plate too.
If you enjoy lamb, Avo brings a nirvana of flavor in several preparations.
There’s the seven-hour lamb shoulder roast that is so slowly cooked in the oven with some fresh herbs and Mediterranean spices. The natural lamb jus that renders itself from the meat is combined with cabernet wine to make an elegant reduction sauce. It is indeed a star entree.
Lamb chops are rubbed with rosemary and charbroiled. There’s the shish kabob combo that has skewers of chicken, beef and lamb, each marinated in Avo’s blend of spices. Lamb shank is slowly braised in a hearty sauce.
Wild salmon is topped deliciously with caramelized onions and halibut has a crunchy exterior and a nice mix of spicy saut & #233;ed vegetables on the side. A lemon-mushroom sauce enrobes a tender broiled chicken breast.
It’s a menu that goes to a few Mediterranean countries and does them justice.
There are homemade desserts to end a meal. The definitive one is the baklava that is not overly sweet.
A wine list has some good labels from America, Italy, Spain and South America.
A mix of blond and dark woods, slate floors, a comfortable corner bar and broad-leafed trees reaching the ceiling give the space an upscale trattoria look.
A wall of floor to ceiling glass allows lovely views of the lake and meadowland of lawn that adjoin the patio. Avo’s Bistro is a friendly setting for us as individual diners,completely comfortable,and a great place for special occasions such as family gatherings, wedding parties and business functions.
Avo has been cooking his authentic food and doing what he loves in the kitchen since 1979. All the while, Najda has been seeing to our dining room orders and our happiness at the table as meals progress.
Their friendliness and passion for serving customers memorable meals is always part of the commentary when talking with those who know the restaurant.
I first met them years ago when they had a restaurant in Laguna Hills and I am so happy to have them at the South Coast Metro area.
I feel confident that you will be thrilled with the tremendously tasty food and I know that you will leave the restaurant having new friends in Avo and Najda.
Bourbon Bash
Partners Bistro & The Saloon is hosting “Bourbon Street Bash,” an event to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina relief.
The event is set for Sept. 29, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. A minimum donation of $100 for the American Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity is required.
Guests will receive wine, cocktails and “French Quarter” cuisine. Dessert will be provided by Gelato Paradiso and La Rue du Chocolat.
Gary Hogan will play Dixieland jazz.
Partners Bistro: 448 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.
AT A GLANCE: Avo’s Bistro
Authentic Mediterranean Food
Address: 580 Anton Blvd.
Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 556-6555
Prices:
Lunch: Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., $5.99-$13.99; dinner nightly from 5 p.m., $6.99-$22.99; dinner and theater package $99
