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closeFriday, Oct. 23, 2009
Aventino offers more affordable options
June Naylor
Aventino's puttanesca is going on the lunch buffet.
Aventino's is adding a salumeria.
Chef Derrick Paez, who owns the lovely Aventino with his family, is taking a page from the John Lennon-Paul McCartney songbook these days. He’s getting by with a little help from his friends, as a groundswell of support from the local community kept him from shutting the doors at his restaurant this week.
The gorgeous Italian restaurant on the west side drew praise for its impressive renovation early this year, inspired by Paez’s time spent working in New York after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. But since day one, there’s been criticism that the food was too fancy, the prices too high and the attitude about all that a bit aloof.
Business has suffered. But the chef and his family have a small, loyal base of fans who put out the word that the place would close soon. Paez put some more moderately priced items on the menu and offered a special brunch last Sunday; friends brought friends, and the response was encouraging, he says.
So here’s the new plan: More approachable food, more palatable prices, more listening to what the clientele wants. Among reasons you should give the friendlier Aventino a try:
- Sunday brunch includes eggs three ways, including eggs Florentine and frittata with spicy sausage; pastas and soup; and sweets, from 11 am until 3 pm. There’s also a bloody mary, a la Italiano, to die for, and it’s bottomless, as are bellinis and mimosas, for $5 per person. Brunch is $10 for kids, $14 for adults.
- Gourmet lunch buffet, 11 am-2:30 pm, Tuesday through Friday, for $12. The lineup includes Italian comfort dishes, meats and seafood’s, salads, antipasti, soup and the divine panna cotta for dessert.
- Next Thursday, Aventino will open its salumeria, sort of like an Italian deli. This will be the casual dining and take-out experience, starring wild boar proscuitto, venison salami, Italian pates, spicy coppa and more. The kick-off event in the salumeria will feature beers paired with these Italian cured meats; our buddy J.R. Clark from Central Market will do the pairing honors. It’s $10 per person.
Oh, and Paez will offer Thanksgiving dishes to go, too. Check out the new Aventino.
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