On New Year’s Day, E, Nathan, and I went out for an early dinner at a new pizza spot called Ava’s Kitchen and Bar in Kenilworth, New Jersey. E had heard AMAZING things about their beer selection (they have 32 beers on tap) and menu. After taking a look myself, it looked really good, so I thought, why not give it a try?
We arrived at the Ava’s at 5:15PM on New Year’s Day. There were a couple people seated and eating, but it was by no means packed. That was PERFECT for us since we were looking to get in and out before Nathan’s bedtime. I was pleasantly surprised by the industrial farmhouse decor inside. It was so well done! We were seated at a booth. Unfortunately, they do not have high chairs so Nathan sat on one of our laps the entire meal. A little annoying, but it was fine. Next time we will remember to bring a booster seat!
After taking another quick read through the menu, we decided to order the House Made Pickles (since Nathan LOVES anything pickled), the Herb Crusted Cauliflower Steak (because one of E’s friends RAVED about it), a Red Pizza, and a Pesto Pizza. I was tempted to order the House Made Sourdough Bread, but E convinced me otherwise. He was right, we ordered WAAAAAAY too much food for two people. There is always next time!
The pickles came out within seconds of ordering them, which was great because Nathan was RAVENOUS. He immediately dug into them. They had pickled some cucumber, peppers, and beets. All were delicious and had a nice crunch. They were a great start to the meal! A few minutes later the Herb Crusted Cauliflower Steak arrived. It came on top of a bed of beans in a tomato and red pepper sauce. E and I thought that the cauliflower itself was a bit lacking in flavor. The beans in the tomato and red pepper sauce, on the other hand, packed a flavor punch. They even had a little spice to them. Nathan couldn’t get enough the them! I don’t know that we would order the Herb Crusted Cauliflower Steak again, but we would definitely try a different appetizer next time.
Once Nathan was done with the beans, they brought our pizzas to the table. The cheese was bubbling and they both smelled so good! Nathan kept grabbing at at the Red pie, so I had to give him a slice before I could take a picture of the complete pie. Getting the perfect shot of the pizza was not worth a temper tantrum from an almost 17 month old. Once Nathan was happy and eating, E and I dug into our respective pizzas. The crust was thin, but fluffy. Ava’s uses local organic wheat flour for their pizzas that is ground fresh to order. Per their menu, they use a “high fermentation sourdough recipe that requires a lengthy fermentation and no commercial yeast.” The sauce to cheese ratio on the Red pie was perfect. We would definitely order it again! We also LOVED the Pesto pie. The carmelized onions on top were such a nice touch. They added a little sweetness to the pie to counterbalance the nuttiness of the parmesan.
Overall, we were really impressed with all of Ava’s offerings. E loved his beer and we both really enjoyed the food. Next time, we are going to try the Wood Fired Mac and Cheese and the House Made Soft Pretzel. Because ALL OF THE CARBS.
** I apologize in advance for the lighting in these photos. I tried using my DSLR but it was too dark, so I used my iPhone instead.
Ava’s Kitchen and Bar, 1 N 21st St, Kenilworth, NJ 07033
