Profile by Kari Mather and Laura Smith, Phoenix TasteCasters

Avalon Restaurant  /  7707 E. McDowell Road / Scottsdale, Arizona 85257 /  480.656.0010 / www.avalon-scottsdale.com

Our tasting event at Avalon was a rare and special occasion…a foodie experience that was specially customized for our Phoenix Tastecasting group. This South Scottsdale restaurant serves contemporary American cuisine, featuring seasonal, organic ingredients from Arizona farms, that’s rooted in classic European cooking techniques – which is a reflection of Executive Charles Stotts’ extensive culinary training and experience.

Some of the items tasted are currently on the menu. Other items are being considered for the new seasonal menu. The group was especially impressed to taste these newly considered items.

From the first to last course, Chef Charles personally created and prepared each dish as if it were a work of art. 

 

The Vibe

We dined on “Divine Wine Wednesday” which touts half price bottles of wine and live music. A duo team played acoustic-soul which made the atmosphere engaging and entertaining, but equally relaxed. The interior is contemporary with Asian and European influences. Great use of natural elements and rich textures while keeping it clean and modern. 

 

The Appetizer Course

For our first course, we were served Chilled Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Tartare and Carpaccio with Ponzu and sesame. Both were raw, fresh and full of subtle flavor.  The Carpaccio was served with ponzu and seaweed which complemented each other amazingly.  The Tartare was served in minimalist form on an enlarged serving spoon to highlight the quality cuts Avalon is fortunate to serve.  

 

The Soup Course

Cleverly called the “BLT” course, we enjoyed a trio of soups; Bacon Potato Chowder, Lobster Soup and Creamy Tomato Soup (voila, there’s the B, L, T). The Bacon Potato Chowder was pureed to an absolutely smooth, rich consistency – a truly decadent soup.  Creamy Tomato Soup had a spicy, unexpected kick that lingered in our mouths and off-set the mellow Chowder.  Although the group was divided on the favorite – it was a tie between the Bacon Potato Chowder and Lobster Soup- my favorite was the Lobster Soup because it was the most creamy, silky soup I’ve ever tasted.

 

Entrees

Chef prepared three different entrees for us using pork, Prime New York Steak and Maine Lobster.  Each guest received one of these options and we all shared in an effort to try it all.

The pork entrée was not only beautiful to the eye, but to the palate as well. The Bacon Wrapped Kurobuto Pork Tenderloin came with caramel braised apple served over sweet corn and sage polenta with a black currant jus. With the perfect blending of sweet and salty ingredients, this entrée well-fitted for the fall/winter months. It’s on the current dinner menu, but only available for a short time as we understand the Chef will transition the menu to warmer weather offerings soon. 

The second dish in the entrée course was the Aged Prime New York Steak served over bone marrow bread pudding, spinach and sauce bordelaise. A few in the group were familiar with bone marrow bread pudding. The rest of us were not. It had all the textural qualities of a bread pudding, yet it was composed of a balance between decadent, savory and surprisingly comfortable. We were blown away! Chef included this on the Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe menu as well. Eclectic and non-conforming, this dish was the star of the show!

The third dish in the entrée course was a Butter Poached Maine Lobster with ricotta gnocchi, tomato confit, asparagus and lobster butter. This is also on the current menu. And yes, the gnocchi, small little pillows of heavenly pasta, are handmade by the chef team.  As expected from the description, the dish had a rich creamy flavor without over-powering amounts of ricotta.  The tomato confit gave enough tang to the dish to keep it exciting and the buttery lobster was absolutely mouth-watering!

 

Dessert

The finale was a new dessert for Chef Charles. He debuted “Red Velvet” Cheesecake with cream cheese anglaise which also appeared on the Valentine’s Day menu.  Chef explained his inspiration behind the dish had come from an everyday grocery store experience when he was undecided over purchasing a cheesecake or red velvet cupcakes for his post-work treat.  It inspired him to combine the two to make the best of both worlds.  The dish was presented like a cupcake with the red velvet cake serving as the bottom and the cheesecake serving as the “muffin top” in place of frosting.  The outcome: not too sweet, yet sweet enough and an absolutely perfect arrangement of flavors.

Thank you to the Avalon team for a delicious dining experience!

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