Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Artistry in Food, Music, and Life

Avero Bar Italiano {Restaurant Review}

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I was invited to do a tasting of the new menu but all opinions are my own.



Date nights have become something very special with us. We actually have sat down and started talking and budgeting how often we can have time alone and in the last 2 months it has worked out so well. It has also given us a really great opportunity to try delicious new eateries around our area and even a little ways from where we live. We recently were able to try the NEW menu prepared by the NEW executive chef at Avero Bar Italiano.

This restaurant is located on the Main Line in Wayne and even though it started a few months ago as pizzeria, a whole new face lift has been given to the eatery. While the menu still offers amazing pizzas, the focus has been shifted offering artisan Italian dishes with the new chef’s personal twist. We found out that Chef Christopher Defeo spent time in Italy learning all about their dishes. His desire for the restaurant is to serve dishes using in-season ingredients and it was very prevalent in every dish we received. Come and see what we were served.


We arrived before rush hour on a Monday night before New Year’s Eve and were greeted by a simple but elegant Italian decor. I felt like I was in Venice with the ceiling decor. The ambiance is laid back but the tables and dishes plus the stone oven in the entrance made for an elegant weeknight dinner.

I almost asked my hubby if we could sit in the bar area because I like seeing drinks being prepared. It was quite inviting but so was the rest of the restaurant. There were two large plasma televisions in the place which made it seem more like a bar scene but I believe it was more to give a relaxed setting. As we continued people come in, a mix of parties came to dine from families to couples then to large parties.


As we waited to meet the executive chef, we received our drink orders in these gorgeous glasses. I believe they were the tastiest gin and tonics we have had in a while. Not too much ice and even in all ingredients.


Our fresh bread arrived with a healthy portion of extra virgin olive oil. I believe this is always a favorite starter before receiving the rest of one’s order.


The restaurant has a great selection of salads for all tastes and healthy ones at that, including some with kale, goat cheese, beets and unique dressings. My hubby and I each received 2 servings of some of their salads. On the left we had the Garlic Bread Caesar Salad with the perfect amount of dressing with crisp and cold romaine lettuce. This happens to be one of my husband’s favorite salads but it would not be one I normally one I would order but it was sure one I would order after I tasted this.

The salad on the right was the Fresh Burrata salad with grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, basil, buttery mozzarella with a balsamic reduction. Oh my! It was so delicious and very unique in flavors. I had never had burrata so I asked the waiter what and how it was made and he was very informed and explained to me that it was made with buffalo’s milk. It was definitely much more different than fresh mozzarella made from cow’s milk. It was truly buttery and creamy. I took my sweet time enjoying this salad.


The next appetizer we received was not on the menu but a special the chef was trying out. We made sure to tell him it was the most unique appetizer /  salad we have tried in long time. A crispy octopus frisee’ salad included a perfectly charred octopus served with roasted fingerling potatoes, chopped tomatoes, green onions with romanesco sauce and a balsamic reduction. It was truly a savory dish.

If you go, we found out that this was going to be a permanent addition to the menu and will be an option as a big salad meal. So worth it!


We next received a healthy portion of Tagliatelle with Kobe Bolognese. Yes. Kobe. This is a pasta shape I hardly ever prepare but I was convinced I needed to buy this from now on. The sauce had so much flavor with finely diced carrots and a delicious depth. It reminded me of my late grandmother’s dish she prepared with the same pasta and flavors. I was excited I had to tell the chef. Now I know where I can have a dish of exquisite pasta. 

Our last dish was called the Bistecca which consisted of black angus flat-iron steak served with cherry tomato and arugula salad, fingerling potatoes and cipollini agradolce. The presentation was art that it made it hard to mess it up. The beet julienned on top made a great addition. I ordered my steak medium which I usually do not do because I cannot stand looking at red meat but took my hubby’s advice and it was the most tender and flavorful meat I have tasted in a while.

All these dishes I shared would be paired with the great selection of wines Avero has to offer. I left the best for last because it was the best way to end.

We had a Panettone Bread Pudding with a rum sauce, golden raisins, and blood orange dust. The gelato was a perfect pairing. We know bread pudding real well in our home so we were happy and excited to try an Italian version. It was so moist and warm served with the sauce. It was an ideal portion and would be paired with an espresso.

Go and try Avero and try other seasonal dishes introduced by the new chef. He definitely has inspired me to take more pride in savoring dishes and presenting them with unique ingredients. After all, I do have Italian blood. His dishes will have you coming back with your friends, date and private parties.

Avero Bar Italiano 

821 Lancaster Pike 

Wayne, PA 19087 


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About Noelle

I’m an opera singer, full-time mom, pharmacy technician, food and mom blogger, recipe developer, and wife to a super talented choral director living in the awesome outskirts of Philly.