Avanzare Italian Restaurant

We were in the mode for Italian and asked Google for some help, Avanzare was one of the options. It was a 30-minute drive for everyone. The price point was on the high side for us but not out-of-reach. We arrived and was immediately sat in the bar; in fact, everyone is sat in the bar. The dining room has about twenty tables, and they were two tables being used; the bar also had about twenty tables and every table was sat. I asked the waiter and they do sit the bar area first and overflow into the dining room. With the bar area at near capacity and all hard surfaces it was loud, very loud. The dining room had carpet floor and a coffered beamed ceiling it was tremendously quieter. If you want the energy of a crowded restaurant the bar is great, the dinning room would be a more upscale experience. We started with Calamari Friiti, that is the title of the dish. In smaller print the description is Crispy Fried Calamari, Zucchini,  and herbs. What was served was 70% NOT Calamari, but thin fried zucchini strips, fried rosemary (literally the twig of rosemary in batter and fried), and fried thyme (the thyme was removed from the twig so I could not even find it.), but the waiter said it was there. At $19 we expected more Calamari at least 60%, after all the dish was not called "fried herbs and Calamari". Our table had Spaghetti and Meatballs at $24, the Stuffed Pork Chop special (with Broccoli Rabe) at $27, and I had the Eggplant Parmigiana at $20. I get eggplant Parmesan a lot, it is my favorite Italian dish. $20 is high for eggplant Parmesan, I prefer my eggplant thinly sliced and fried. This is more three eggplant steaks with cheese and red gravy. Not my personal favorite but good. The pasta was so unusual I had to ask about it; the waiter said it is made from scratch in house but the shape in an Italian grocery store would be casarecce. I thought $24 for Spaghetti and Meatballs high but my husband said the Meatballs were excellent. Finally, $27 for one Stuffed Pork Chop also seemed high but it tasted great, the garlic white wine sauce made a tasty glaze. We ordered Tiramisu for the table and one person got the blueberry sorbet. I found the Tiramisu traditional and another person thought the mascarpone cheese was whipped too much. I read a several reviews, most of the reviewers praised the service as outstanding; we found our server disappearing for 30 - 40 minutes; we had to call someone over to order desert and another to get the check.

We were in the mode for Italian and asked Google for some help, Avanzare was one of the options. It was a 30-minute drive for everyone. The price point was on the high side for us but not out-of-reach. We arrived and was immediately sat in the bar; in fact, everyone is sat in the bar. The dining room has about twenty tables, and they were two tables being used; the bar also had about twenty tables and every table was sat. I asked the waiter and they do sit the bar area first and overflow into the dining room. With the bar area at near capacity and all hard surfaces it was loud, very loud. The dining room had carpet floor and a coffered beamed ceiling it was tremendously quieter. If you want the energy of a crowded restaurant the bar is great, the dinning room would be a more upscale experience. We started with Calamari Friiti, that is the title of the dish. In smaller print the description is Crispy Fried Calamari, Zucchini,  and herbs. What was served was 70% NOT Calamari, but thin fried zucchini strips, fried rosemary (literally the twig of rosemary in batter and fried), and fried thyme (the thyme was removed from the twig so I could not even find it.), but the waiter said it was there. At $19 we expected more Calamari at least 60%, after all the dish was not called "fried herbs and Calamari". Our table had Spaghetti and Meatballs at $24, the Stuffed Pork Chop special (with Broccoli Rabe) at $27, and I had the Eggplant Parmigiana at $20. I get eggplant Parmesan a lot, it is my favorite Italian dish. $20 is high for eggplant Parmesan, I prefer my eggplant thinly sliced and fried. This is more three eggplant steaks with cheese and red gravy. Not my personal favorite but good. The pasta was so unusual I had to ask about it; the waiter said it is made from scratch in house but the shape in an Italian grocery store would be casarecce. I thought $24 for Spaghetti and Meatballs high but my husband said the Meatballs were excellent. Finally, $27 for one Stuffed Pork Chop also seemed high but it tasted great, the garlic white wine sauce made a tasty glaze. We ordered Tiramisu for the table and one person got the blueberry sorbet. I found the Tiramisu traditional and another person thought the mascarpone cheese was whipped too much. I read a several reviews, most of the reviewers praised the service as outstanding; we found our server disappearing for 30 - 40 minutes; we had to call someone over to order desert and another to get the check.

Had such a fantastic time celebrating a birthday here! The food was absolutely delicious, and everyone really enjoyed their meals. On top of that, the service was top-notch, making the whole experience even more special. I'd highly recommend this place for any special occasion. We'll definitely be back again soon! We couldn't decide on a dessert, so we tried everything. Amazing!

Had such a fantastic time celebrating a birthday here! The food was absolutely delicious, and everyone really enjoyed their meals. On top of that, the service was top-notch, making the whole experience even more special. I'd highly recommend this place for any special occasion. We'll definitely be back again soon! We couldn't decide on a dessert, so we tried everything. Amazing!

The servers were really nice over here - attentive and polite. I thought the atmosphere was pretty quiet for a Sunday, and the food was good, but also average. The value was incredible - the 6 year anniversary menu was a lot of food for a very reasonable price. The beet salad was decent - the arugula was a little wilted and the beets could have been juicier, but I liked that there was plenty of goat cheese. The chicken was flavorful and there was plenty of veggies and potatoes. I liked the sausage more than the chicken. I didn’t care as much for the dish itself, and after ordering mussels with tomato sauce, I was a little tired of the tomato sauce. I think the pork chop (or a steak, or another pasta dish) would have been better to have for the 6 year anniversary menu. I really enjoyed the creme brulee though, there wasn’t a lot of custard but it came together well.