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Community Corner

Avenue Café Offers an International Experience

The new West Park Avenue eatery serves cuisine from all corners of the world.

Opening its doors at the former Monterey restaurant in February, Avenue Café has the menu of a gourmet diner and the atmosphere of an upscale eatery.

The restaurant’s greatest appeal is its diverse menu that includes Chinese, Italian, Greek and Latin-inspired dishes. In addition, an attraction that distinguishes it among Long Beach’s restaurants is the dining area for two, located within their wine cellar, allowing for a romantic dinner complete with personal music in a private, enclosed area.

The Décor: Using a color scheme based on cool neutrals, Avenue Café manages to create a breezy, beachy atmosphere without the kitsch of accents like shells and lighthouses. The restaurant is large and airy, with lots of leafy plants dotting the sophisticated layout.

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Drinks: The organic pomegranate martini, which uses Prairie organic vodka and Thatcher’s organic pomegranate liqueur, is a stand out, as is the ultimate espresso martini, made with Frangelico, Kahlua, Irish cream, vanilla vodka and freshly brewed espresso. All specialty drinks are priced at $9.50. The wine list is extensive, with nearly forty wines, champagnes and ports available, ranging in price from their Bolla Vinters Italy Pinot Grigio ($22) to the Ruffino Chianti Classico ($46).

Appetizers: Standard apps like chicken fingers ($4.99) and fried calamari (8.95) are listed alongside more original options like grilled portobello mushrooms ($7.95) and fried cheese ravioli ($7.95). Diners can split the combination snack platter (13.95), which offers five different choices including zucchini sticks, buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks.

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Entrees: Dinner options are served in full and mini sizes, with both coming with a cup of soup and a choice between a potato or vegetable. With such an exotic menu to choose from, guests at the same table can each eat a dish from a different part of the world.

Gourmet salads, served in a large taco shell, are popular, including the grilled salmon salad ($14.95). If Chinese food sounds appealing, opt for the hot shanghai beef (14.95), served with rice and stir-fried vegetables. With over ten specialty burgers offered, they remain a favorite with diners, especially the chili burger ($11.99), served with two kinds of cheeses and their signature house chili con carne. All burgers come with lettuce and tomato alongside a choice of waffle fries, sweet potato fries or homemade potato chips.

Sides: Avenue Café offers sides to go with each style of cuisine available on the rest of their menu. That means you can have stuffed grape leaves ($3.95) with your spinach pie, rice and beans ($5.95) with your fajita platter, or onion rings (3.95) with your Philly steak wrap. Another option is vegetable ($2.95) and soup ($2.99 for a bowl) of the day.

Desserts: Everyday, freshly baked pastries, pies and cakes are prepared and displayed in the dessert counter for guests to select from. Avenue Café also serves up several decadent ice cream sundaes like the chubby checker sundae with Oreo cookies and chocolate sauce. The banana split, with three flavors of ice cream, walnuts and chocolate sauce, is always popular, as is the brownie mudslide sundae, served with a warm brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, walnuts and whipped cream. All sundaes are $6.95.

Service: The restaurant is immaculate and service is prompt and personal. As all meals are made to order, some take longer than others, but generally that wait is average.

“Everything is made exactly when it’s ordered, not before, so dishes like grilled vegetables are fresh, unlike other places where they’re made in advance and sit for hours in the kitchen,” said George Tsiropoulos, the general manager.

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