01/31/09

Has promise but fails to deliver

by elliot8814

I ate here with a friend for Restaurant Week and we both were fairly disappointed. After being seated, we waited 15 minutes for the waitress to arrive (and we were only one of two occupied tables in the entire, very small house). When she did arrive, she never introduced herself or spoke about the entrees/Restaurant Week menu; she simply asked if we were ready to order. I bring this lack of introduction up because she failed to mention the items on the menu that they were out of, causing us both to go have to go back and reconsider our choices after having already waited so long for her arrival. Service was incredibly slow throughout the night, and when the food did arrive, it was simply average. The salad was too salty, the pasta was significantly overcooked (the paparadelle came out as one giant, sticky lump. I could pick the entire dish of pasta up out of the bowl with my fork), and the salmon was nothing to write home about.

While the restaurant itself is charming, the tables are very close together in some places and the accoustics cause the restaurant to be incredibly loud. By the end of the evening, when the restaurant had filled up, I couldn't hear my friend talking across the table because of all the noise. The service was not particularly friendly and was incredibly slow. (Our dinner took 2 hours from start to finish, longer than I think either of us had anticipated.) The place shows promise, but neither of us are eager to return to Ava.

• Pros: BYO
• Cons: Very loud. Service is slow.

10/03/08

Terrible Service

by ajc123

I went to Ava with a large group for a birthday on a Friday night. We took up a large portion of the restaurant's clientele that evening and gave them a nice amount of business that they otherwise would not have gotten. From the beginning, it was obvious that the waitress knew she had an automatic 20% tip on a large bill and put absolutely no effort into making our dining experience pleasant. It took half an hour (no exaggeration) to get water and bread. She completely ignored us to that point and someone had to ask her, and she replied, "We normally don't serve bread until a table has ordered." It was impossible to order since she had also not brought over menus (which took another 30 minutes to receive). We had to beg for service the rest of the night, as she would walk by our table without glancing at anyone or checking to see if anybody needed more water, etc. When it came time to pay the bill it took about 15 minutes to get the check, and we had to ask her to take the money and credit cards, which then took another 15 minutes. In all, we sat for 2.5 hours when it easily could have been a great, 1.5 hour experience at the most. The food was good, but for the price and the time spent waiting, I really do not think it was worth the hassle.

• Pros: Bruschetta was good
• Cons: Terrible Service

09/23/08

Good potential, but still inexperienced

by hngryblonde

My boyfriend and I finally tried Ava for Restauarant Week after being intrigued by the menu and the BYO-ness for over a year--we were thoroughly disappointed. The restaurant lost my reservation which was made over a month in advance due to Ava's website boast, "We offer 4 courses for Restaurant Week, so make your reservations early." The portions were miniscule (NOT worth $35 per person), and we had to ask for more bread after our second course to keep our stomachs content. The food was just tasty enough, but nothing to rave about. I was so looking forward to gelato or sorbet for dessert, which I was told they had just run out of before I placed my dessert order. As we were finishing our meal, I overheard a newer table ask for more bread only to be told they were all out. I overheard another table being told after they were served their dessert that they had to wait a few minutes for clean cups for their coffee. I think Ava has potential, but I just don't feel the restaurant is as experienced as some others in making the entire night run smoothly. I will give it the bustle of Restaurant Week, but there were too many unpleasantries to overlook. The food was not nearly good enough to warrant a return visit.

• Pros: BYOB
• Cons: Very loud, slow service