On Friday night we had a late supper at the Avenue Grill located at 17th & Washington in Uptown.  We have enjoyed the Avenue for the better part of decade, celebrating many special occasions, anniversaries, etc.  The Avenue is a “San Francisco style neighborhood bar and grill” that opened back in 1993.  My favorite entree on their menu is the “Chinatown Pork Chop” which is served with a hot mustard drizzle, wasabi mashed potatoes and their vegetable spring rolls.

Lately, we have we have been arriving around 10pm to settle in at their bar to enjoy a few cocktails and a couple of their appetizers.  While there were no specials on drinks or food, it continues to be a ritual that we really enjoy.  This time a new appetizer caught our attention, “Fondue Style Smoked Cheddar with Porcini” that was served with grilled flatbread and an assortment of vegetables.  We also selected their “Togarashi Spiced Calamari” (crusted with semolina and seven spice and siracha aioli) and “Chicken and Spinach Pot Stickers”.

The fondue was amazing and we quickly ran out of things to dip into it, the flavors were bold and smokey - an overall nice surprise and something we certainly will order again.  The calamari is consistently delicious as are their pot stickers.  We found a couple of martinis (they have blue cheese stuffed olives) to be the perfect accompaniment to our late night supper.  I like have dining options like this as an alternative to our traditional 8pm reservation scene.