Cozy,welcoming A’vanti offers fine Italian cuisine

At A'vanti in Oceanport, the romantic atmosphere begins in the waiting area. A'vanti recently won an award for its signature dish,pollo al A'vanti (below). Photo: FARRAH MAFFAI

A new upscale Italian restaurant has blossomed on the horizon, and itswarm, cozy atmosphere is as conducive to couples out for a romantic evening as it is to families who are looking for a great dinner in charming surroundings. But A'vanti is more than just a pretty place; it's also a place with fine Italian cuisine and a staff that truly seems eager to welcome you.

Only open since September 2002, A'vanti has already won several awards at community fund-raising events, including "Best Overall Performance," "Best Table Display," and another for its signature dish, pollo al A'vanti. Owner George Vastardis guaranteed the success of A'vanti with two chefs who have many years of experience in Italian cuisine, and with the outgoing hospitality of A'vanti's general manager, Ted Kalamaras, who not only makes guests feel welcome, but also keeps the front of the house running smoothly. Adding to the pleasing ambiance on Friday and Saturday evenings is a keyboard player who provides gentle background music everyone can enjoy.

A'vanti's many regular customers enjoy starting each meal off with a complementary plate of bruschetta that tastes summer fresh, as well as warm Italian bread served with herbed butter. The award-winning seafood salad appetizer is a refreshingly light blend of flavors and textures that combines calamari, shrimp, mussels, scallops, and scungilli with crisp red and yellow peppers and celery. Other starters include fried calamari (a favorite here), portobello balsamico, and melan-zana rollantine in which eggplant is rolled around ricotta and Parmesan, then topped with mozzarella.

A house salad of fresh mixed greens topped with either blue cheese or balsamic vinaigrette dressing comes with your entre, but if you're a salad lover, you can choose from six other selections including mozzarella caprese (imported fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato, proscuit-to di parma, roasted red peppers and vinaigrette), and insalata mista with lettuce, chicory, tomatoes, yellow peppers, cucumbers, radishes, onion served with caper-anchovy-garlic vinaigrette. In addition, pasta fagioli and a soup of the dayare also offered.

Entres on the regular menu cover all the favorites and then some. Portions are generous, but pastas are offered in two sizes for those who don't want to take leftovers home. Your biggest problem will be choosing from among all the wonderful sounding pasta dishes like fusilli al gambero Rosso in which jumbo shrimp are sauted with garlic, arugula and butter, then tossed with fusilli pasta, raviolialla fungi (cheese ravioli sauted with mushrooms and onion in a demi glace cream sauce), or spaghetti alle vongole with little neck clams in the shell sauted with red or white sauce and served over pasta. If you try the pollo al A'vanti, you'll see why this blending of flavors became an award-winning dish. Double breasts of chicken are stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella, spinach, and roasted peppers,

then breaded, pan-fried, and served over penne pasta with a marsala demi sauce. Also enjoyed at our table was the pollo alla campagnola, wherein breast of chicken is sauted with artichoke hearts and portobello mushrooms, then finished with a cognac sage sauce.

If veal is your preference, you'll delight in the vitello con asparagi which combines sauted veal with shallots, asparagus and sun tomatoes flamed with a brandy demi sauce, or the saltimbocca alla Romana (veal cutlets with prosciutto, fresh sage, and dry white wine, served with sauted spinach). Seafood selections include wonderful dishes featuring shrimp, salmon, clams, lobster and more, including pescatore piccanti with shrimp, mussels, little neck clams, and calamari sauted in a spicy marinara sauce over linguini. You'll also find baby lamb chops, double cut pork chops, and sirloin steak choices for those who want something more along the red meat line.

Desserts are traditional classics beautifully presented. Two of our favorites were the strawberry zabaglione, which was fresh tasting and noteworthy, as was the warm apple crisp a la mode. A'vanti is also open for lunch, offering many of the same dishes as are on the dinner menu. In addition, you'll find sandwich favorites like chicken or meatballs Parmesan, Al Toscano (prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato, lettuce, onion, and basil pesto vinaigrette), and sausage, peppers and onions, all served on Italian semolina bread. Two kinds of omelets are also among the selections, including frittata alla Florentina with spinach, leeks, onion and grated Parmesan cheese and frittata "in Zoccoli," with smoked bacon, fontina cheese and chopped parsley.

On-premises catering is available on Saturdays and Sundays before 4 p.m. for up to 80 people. There will be a special menu for Easter Sunday, and reservations are necessary for seating between 1-8 p.m. The restaurant's regular hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 4-10 p.m.

A'vanti is located at 249 East Main St. in Oceanport. For reservations, which are strongly recommended on weekends, call (732) 544-8100 or visit the Web site at www.oldorchardmanor.com, scroll down and click on "A'vanti."