Courtesy of Riviera Dining Group
It’s possible you have never experienced hospitality as it’s defined in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. I have. I remember walking into my childhood friend’s house to be greeted by her Lebanese mother with a hug, a huge smile and a two-room spread of food.
Courtesy of Riviera Dining Group
I was given the most comfortable chair. My every need, including those I didn’t know I had, was met. My presence was celebrated.
That’s the spirit of AVA MeditterAegean in Winter Park. Though the atmosphere is upscale—a far cry from the middle-class bungalow where my friend’s family lived—the plush seating and warm atmosphere envelop guests like a hug. The environment exudes a warm and transportive feeling. Soft background music gently lulls away the day’s stresses.
The restaurant’s name is a nod to the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Turkey, a name meaning “life, water, island, and bird in Greek,” according to the website. The design echoes the minimalistic Cycladic style typical in the Aegean islands.
I visited to experience AVA’s new $30 three-course prix-fixe lunch menu. Don’t come here expecting to grab lunch as a function of sustenance. Prepare to park yourself in a well-padded bench and enjoy a leisurely but well-paced meal. Prepare to be spoiled.
Service is attentive without being intrusive. My guest and I began with santana iced tea, an herbal brew slightly sweet with hibiscus. Instead of getting bread service, verboten because I have celiac disease, we were given baskets of seasoned sliced cucumber, peppers and carrots. Our servers were careful to avoid cross-contamination even on the table.
Food, like the experience, is meant to be shared. But you’ll want to keep the pumpkin soup all to yourself. It comes topped with pepitas with a generous stirring of creamy kefalograviera, courtesy of the server. Gluten-free croutons swim in the rich soup without losing their chew.
I ordered the chicken paillard, a carpaccio-style chicken seasoned with the AVA’s signature blend of 16 herbs and spices and served alongside a crispy kale-apple salad topped with walnuts and shaved Parmesan. Despite its thinness, the chicken was juicy, and it contrasted beautifully with the tartness and crunch of the salad.
My friend ordered the steak souvlaki, a $5 upcharge, made with flank steak instead of hanger steak, as indicated on the menu. Like my chicken, her steak was seasoned with AVA’s signature blend and was cooked to a perfect medium. It was nestled in a bed of creamy baba ghanoush expertly prepared from charred eggplant and served with shishito peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkling of micro greens. She wasted none of it, and for good reason.
For dessert, I was thrilled to see all three options—a fresh fruit salad with orange blossom syrup, Greek yogurt with candied nuts and organic local honey, and vanilla creme brûlée—were gluten-free. Neither of us could resist the creme brûlée, and we all but licked clean our ramekins. We finished our meal on a high note but took our time relinquishing our comfortable bench.
Lunchtime is the perfect time to experience AVA, when the Park Avenue hustle hasn’t reached its height. But I somehow suspect you leave all that behind once you step inside AVA. I hope to cross its threshold and be enveloped in its atmospheric embrace again soon.