Robin Garr's Review of Avalon:

Avalon ... in Celtic mythology, it is the Island of the Blessed Souls, the home and last resting place of King Arthur. It's also the name of a quaint village on Catalina Island, a relaxing getaway off the Southern California shore.

Both these images inspired restaurateur Steve Clements' choice of names for this fine new Bardstown Road establishment. And I'm pleased to report that the paradisical metaphor is well chosen: Within weeks of its pre-Derby opening, Avalon earns my four-star rating as one of the city's top spots.

Students of local-restaurant genealogy will want to follow closely to keep the bloodlines straight: Avalon occupies the space formerly filled by Bobby J's, but the eponymous Robert "Bobby J" Johnson is no longer involved; he sold the premises to Clements last autumn, then moved a few blocks out Bardstown Road to open Steam-Fire & Ice last month.

The spacious facilities sprawl across several levels, with a cozy bar placed discreetly off to one side on the ground level, a large dining area up a half-level via a broad staircase, and private rooms farther upstairs. The walls are several shades of mustard - Coney Island in the front, Dusseldorf in the back - and a spectacular sculpted aluminum art object highlights a soaring wall space that rises high above the upper level.

Hard edges, undraped black tables and simple black chairs contribute to a happily noisy atmosphere. A lot of effort has gone into the small touches: Brushed stainless flatware is exceptionally fine, and bright rectangular ceramic bread dishes add more spots of eye-catching color and shine. Napkins fall down just a bit - made of shiny black polyester, they're surprisingly slick, the unabsorbent kind that insist on sliding off your lap onto the floor. This may seem like a nitpicky point, but it stands out in a place that comes so close to perfection in so many ways.

The menu is billed as "fresh American cuisine," and our exceptionally polite and helpful server added that it is American with a discreet Southern accent. I would have called it international, although you could argue that risotto, ragout, rosti and wasabi all manage to fit into an all-American melting pot.

About 18 appetizers, soups and salads range from $5 (for soups or a classic Caesar salad with "Lincoln Log" croutons) to $9 (for a tempura tuna nori roll, just one of the many tempting options that push the limits of the "Fresh American" concept). Other intriguing starters include fried risotto and Gouda cheese spheres ($6), a mushroom Napoleon with goat cheese ($6), an Asian BBQ duck salad ($8), and my appetizer choice, the rock-shrimp-stuffed hush puppy ($8).

Dinner selections are eclectic and innovative, including a half-dozen pasta and sandwich items (from $10 for a veal and foie gras burger to $16 for "big ravioli" with your choice of duck confit, rock shrimp or truffled veggies) and about a dozen full entrees (from $15 for Atlantic cod with Hoppin' John or soy and pepper braised short ribs on rice noodles to $24 for a veal chop with "a mess o' spinach").

The wine and drink list is both extensive and interesting, with a broad selection of before- and after-dinner drinks and an exceptionally well-chosen wine list with close to 100 items (including a selection of half-bottles), most available by the glass for one-fourth of the bottle price. A few pricey items hold down the high end, including 1993 Dom Perignon for $175 and the popular though overrated Far Niente Chardonnay for $93; but there's a large selection under $30, including a good choice of not-so-commonplace items categorized under "Interesting Whites" and "Interesting Reds." It's clear that someone here knows his wine and enjoys nudging diners to try something new.

The complimentary bread basket made it clear from the start that this is no ordinary eatery: It featured a noteworthy variety of first-rate warm breads: Sweet, addictive coarse yellow corn muffins; crisp foccacia-style bread, like herb-dotted quarters of pizza crust; and more traditional white dinner rolls, tender and white with a tangy breath of sourdough.

A mixed-greens salad ($6), served as an appetizer, went far beyond the standard, offering fresh lettuce tossed with hailstone-size balls of Israeli couscous and addictive crunchy fried peas along with feta cheese and tomato bits in a delicate vinaigrette.

My choice, recommended by the server as Avalon's signature "Southern-style" starter, was the stuffed hush puppy ($8). A generous portion of tiny, perfectly cooked rock shrimp was turned into a spicy salad with capers, chopped scallions and a creamy remoulade, all piled into a hollowed-out hush puppy almost as big as a baseball but much more appetizing, plated on a crisp and sweet-tangy red-cabbage slaw. Delicious!

The veal and foie gras burger ($10) was thick and flavorful, bringing together delicate veal and earthy foie gras chopped together in a light but rich package, grilled medium-rare and served on an English-muffin-style bun. It came with an artful, tongue-in-cheek dressing package, strips of juicy tomato and onion bound in a fresh green envelope of lettuce. Thick and fruity plum ketchup was served on the side, with a ration of French fries tucked into a tin ring, Belgian style, a pretty but slightly malfunctional presentation that allowed the otherwise estimable pepper-dotted fries to overcook in their own heat, which made them go limp but didn't detract from their flavor.

My choice, the olive marinated lamb loin ($23) was a triumph: Three butter-tender strips of lamb tenderloin, rare as ordered, were served atop a perfect risotto studded with meaty shiitake mushrooms and dripping with fruity olive oil. The lamb was topped with an odd and intriguing preserved-lemon relish that added a tangy and very salty piquancy to the dish.

The vegetable garnish, an element that's all too easy to kiss off, received VIP treatment here. It was an impressive ragout of shiitake and button mushrooms, tender and sweet brussels sprout quarters and sauteed red and yellow bell pepper, a side item so appealing that it could justify menu placement as a vegetarian dinner in its own right.

An offbeat wine selection, Spy Valley 2000 Marlborough (New Zealand) Pinot Noir ($28), managed to bridge our disparate entrees. A pretty cherry color, not overly dark, with the pleasantly "green" tobacco-leaf aromas typical of New Zealand Pinot, brought bright and pleasantly herbaceous tart-cherry fruit to the party. Fruity, not sweet, it sang with both the lamb and the veal-foie gras burger.

With food this good, we resisted the impulse to skip dessert and were rewarded with the "Crisp Rice Dome Trio" ($6). Three small balls of rich, dense ice cream - chocolate, raspberry and orange - were rolled in Rice Krispies, a conceit that's intresting enough, although we would have been just as happy with the unadorned ice cream. Artfully plated, the "domes" were served on a Jackson Pollock spatter of raspberry, chocolate and creme anglaise sauces, with "C'est la vie" spelled out in cursive dark-chocolate script.

Straightforward espresso ($2.50) made a fine finishing touch to an outstanding dinner that came to $89.48 including the wine. A tip for exceptional service rounded the total up to $108, a tab that we couldn't help but note came within $1 of matching the price of a similar dinner at Mr. Johnson's Steam. $$$$

(LouisvilleHotBytes.com, May 2002)

JOIN OUR TEAM  |  CONTACT US

AVALON RESTAURANT | 1314 BARDSTOWN ROAD, LOUISVILLE, KY 40204 | 502.454.5336