Philadelphia Inquirer takes a "First Look at Avenida"
By Michael Kline
Philadelphia Inquirer
Dec. 17, 2009
Avenida, opened tonight in Mount Airy (7402 Germantown Ave., 267-385-6857), really is a family project. Husband-and-wife chef team Edgar and Kim Alvarez, who most recently ran Gladwyne’s Delaware Market House, had their kids, Emma, 8, and Alejandro, 6, design the children’s menu.
And then there’s Emily, 9. She’s the ghost that came along with the historic building at Germantown and Gowen, last home to Cresheim Cottage Cafe. Edgar Alvarez says he’s heard her closing doors upstairs late at night, but the relationship has been cordial.
The Alvarezes, who met at Striped Bass, partnered with local developer Wayne Zukin.
Decor is sunny Spanish colonial, and one dining room has a working fireplace. They’re opening without the liquor license, which is in progress.
The Latin menu, infused with dishes from Edgar Alvarez’s native Guatemala, is priced for the neighborhood; besides the kids’ menu, there are a sub-$13 bar menu, entrees priced from $14 to $19, and homemade desserts. (See more photos and menus at http://go.philly.com/avenida).
ABOUT REPORTER MICHAEL KLEIN
Michael Klein chronicles local people, places and things (in easy-to-digest portions) three days a week in his Inquirer column “INQlings.” He also covers the restaurant scene in his Thursday Food column, Table Talk..
Set in a historic Mount Airy home built in the 1700s, patrons will sit by the stone fireplace or on the romantic outdoor porch sipping margaritas and sampling Chef Edgar’s signature guacamole with homemade tortilla chips and fresh salsa.