Toledo City Paper

   The thing about Avenue Bistro is that the place is alive. Yes, it’s got the mood  - dimly lit, white tablecloths and an admirable wine list, but it’s not one of those  restaurants that likes to be described as “cozy.”
   The servers are hustling to and from tables, conversations and laughter ring throughout the sizable interior, amid the clink of ice cubes and the soft ding of wine glasses. It’s an energetic, lively bistro capturing that big city feeling.
And the food? Pretty darn good.
   Avenue Bistro recently recruited Executive Chef Chris Burchell, a Toledo native who previously owned and managed a catering company in Pittsburgh, studied classic French cooking techniques at Pittsburgh’s International Culinary Academy, cooked at the now defunct (and missed) Rouge Bistro and helped open Maumee’s P.F. Chang restaurant.
   Burchell brings an energetic and experimental zing to Toledo’s dining world. The guy spends about seven hours creating a weekly menu of selections, painstakingly choosing and creating each  offering based upon a variety of factors, including the weather.
   “Take our walnut and bran encrusted chicken. It’s getting cold out, so I wanted to create something that would help warm you up a bit — that’s where the whole grain mustard cream sauce comes in,” says Burchell. “It all works together — sweet nuts, bitter bran, tangy mustard — to make a real statement.”
   A statement, indeed. We ordered the aforementioned walnut and bran encrusted chicken—one of Burchell’s specials during the first week of November—and were surprised by the flavorful cream sauce. This is true comfort food, leaving you warm and satisfied. Freshly cut slices of butternut squash completed this truly autumnal dish.
   We started with the steak tartare, one of my favorite appetizers, and one you can’t get at every regional restaurant. Though my companion didn’t care for it (admittedly, it’s an acquired taste), I thought it was damn good. I must say I enjoyed having an entire dish of steak tartare to myself. One quibble — the appetizer is spelled ‘tar-tar’ on the menu. I know we Toledoans are a simple folk, but still, do we really have to have it spelled out phonetically?
   But I digress. My dinner companion ordered the Steak Bistro, which came cooked perfectly as ordered (medium rare). The 14-ounce steak was tender and juicy, and topped with a medley of large, plump shrimp, mushrooms, and shallots, sauteed together, making its own special gravy. Smothering the beef, it provided the perfect accompaniment. Be sure and order a glass of pinot noir with this baby.
   Oh, almost forgot — the lobster bisque. Avenue Bistro is renowned for its lobster bisque and from sampling a cup, I can see why – creamy, a touch of saltiness, and with a drizzle of creme fraiche, it’s a great way to start the meal.
We skipped dessert, being already pleasantly stuffed and happy, but a return visit is surely in order — mainly so I can see what else Chef Burchell has up his white sleeves. He recently orchestrated a sumptuous five-course wine dinner, paired with different selections of vino from “The Godfather” himself, Francis Ford Coppola. Take a walk down the Avenue.