This February D&D’s Avenue restaurant in St James’s will re-launch with a new look and a contemporary New American-inspired menu created by new head chef Michael Blizzard. Avenue will also stock an extensive range of iconic and lesser-known American and French wines while its Bar will feature creative cocktails alongside artisanal USA and UK craft beers.
Expect the menu to feature dishes such as clam chowder served in sourdough with littleneck clams and paper bag ‘crumbled’ bay crackers, Yufka-crusted whiting with cracked pea and dries mint and dry-aged USDA flat iron steak with pastrami butter, celeriac fries and dill mayo. Sharing dishes from the Josper Grill will include Brooklyn Hen – proper chicken prime cuts, wings and oysters with a buffalo sauce and KC suckling pig butt with spiced bacon and pecan cabbage and a turnip and sweet potato bake, topped off with desserts such as Donut holes warm on parchment with cinnamon sugar, Hershey melt and bourbon custard.
Wine is set to be a focal point of Avenue with over 200 wines on the list you’ll need expect sommelier Andres Ituarte on hand to help you through. Avenue will utilize the new-to-the-UK Coravin wine system, allowing diners the opportunity to taste a variety of prestige wines by the glass or ‘pot’ at their table, at Avenue’s sleek onyx Bar or at the restaurant’s spectacular decanting station.
In addition, the Bar will serve a regularly changing list of classic cocktails, inspired by the US prohibition era but with a modern house spin. The list will boast an ‘American in London’ section, dedicated to innovative early 20th century bartenders who fled the USA during prohibition and took up posts in many of Europe’s grand hotel bars, featuring classics such as the White Lady (gin, Cointreau, lemon juice and egg white served straight up) from Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. Using on-trend, in-house barrel-aged bourbons and whisky blends, the Bar will also display several rare prohibition-era bourbons in spirit decanters, which will be used in a list of dedicated ‘Tribute’ drinks. Hard favourites such as the Manhattan and Rob Roy will be off-the-menu options, leaving the list to focus on relived creations including the New York Sour (Pykesville Rye, lemon juice, sugar syrup & red wine float) and Manhattan No2 (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Italian sweet Vermouth and aromatic bitters), and a handpicked selection of US and UK craft beers from small boutique breweries.
We love the sound of the dining room which will exhibit works from new and upcoming artists and a wine glass chandelier at the entrance!
www.avenue-restaurant.co.uk
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