Avenue M

03/28/2008 Posted by SJH333

I have heard rave reviews about Avenue M and was impressed by the decor when I arrived, but disappointed by the dining experience. The food was very salty and I am someone who likes salt. The wine list was somewhat limited and our waiter very apologetic about that. I will say that the warm chocolate chip cookie dessert was wonderfully indulgent. Perhaps we went on an off night, but for the hype and the price, I was not overwhelmed.

Pros: cool atmosphere, somewhere cool to grab a drink

Cons: food - very salty

03/10/2008 Posted by James23

I walked into Avenue M with the pretension that the food will be good and my expectations were far exceeded. The Cowboy steak was cooked to perfection, and my girlfriend said she has never tasted salmon so good. Throughout our meal, our server was consistently attentive, pouring drinks before we even needed to ask. I will definitely be going back, and recommend checking out the patio when the weather warms up. I've heard it is the place to be in the summer.

Pros: Service, Valet, Food

09/04/2007 Posted by stronger

The uncluttered, sleek and modern dining room is conducive to enjoying the meal. We had the bone-in filet and sea bass; the high quality ingredients and straightforward preparation were excellant. The unexpected flavor combination (tuna and grapefruit) of the appetizer was delicious. The s'more dessert was a sophisticated version of the old favorite treat. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the food and wine and quite personable. We met one of the owners who couldn't have been more welcoming and hospitable. All in all they made my birthday celebration a wonderful event.

06/25/2007 Posted by cduncan55

We had an OUTSTANDING meal at Avenue M!! We went out for a birthday dinner with a group of 6 & we were ALL very pleased with our Avenue M experience! The servers are friendly and very helpful, answering any of our questions and serving us happily! The food was EXCELLENT - we all tried something different on the menu...they told us that Avenue M is known for their Steaks, but we also thought that their seafood was GREAT!! Especially the Chilean Sea Bass (that's what I had to eat!!) We'll be back!!

Pros: GREAT FOOD

Cons: NONE.

05/27/2007 Posted by bldoolit

I made reservations for my anniversary to go to Avenue M. We walked into an empty restaurant, so reservations seemed a little over the top. However, despite an empty dining room and reservations, they seated us in the bar area. This "trendy, hip" restaurant had bad 80's rock music blaring and TV's with sports on in what should have been a classy establishment (ignoring the places’ dilapidated surroundings), ruining all ambiance and class. As a result of our poor seating, we were served by the bartender, who didn’t make any recommendations when asked, and didn’t really seem to care. This sort of service for the price didn’t add up. Hoping the food would outshine the service, we ordered the chicken dish (which we had read rave reviews about) and the duck breast, with Brussels sprouts on the side. Sadly, the highlight of the meal was the Brussels sprouts. The duck was like eating thinly sliced pieces of fat, and not very well seasoned fat at that. Even after cutting off large pieces of fat from the duck, what I did eat still took awhile of gnawing on before I “put it” in my napkin. The lobster stuffed chicken had very little sauce and absolutely no flavor. There was no flare or imagination in the dishes whatsoever. We sat for 20 minutes without being attended to by the bartender before the manager happened to walk by. We flagged him down and let him know that this was some of the worst food we had ever had, regardless of price. I have never complained about food in my life, but this was worth saying something. He was kind enough to cover the entire meal, but at that point we weren’t much in the mood to spend the time to reorder, so we left. Had the meal (2 glasses of wine, 2 entrees, 1 side) not been covered by the manager, it would have nearly exceeded $100. What I received wasn’t worth half of that. The only saving grace was Kevin, the manager, who did try to make it a good experience for us, but at that point it was too late for Avenue M.

Pros: Helpful manager

Cons: Food, Service, Location, Prices

05/22/2007 Posted by johnniebgud

I happen to see this place as I was visiting something else nearby and it looked great. A friend had a small birthday dinner there with 6 people. I would say that it is a very expensive restaurant, and we knew that going in; but with places like these you expect impeccable service. It was anything but. The bartender had a difficult time getting drinks out in a timely manner. We waited quite a long time. And where is the friendly service? I felt like a number. The food server was much better at his job than the bartender. I would say go. They had a good wine list. The food was very good. I just think that when you're spending this kind of money on a group of people, the restaurant really needs to pay attention to those little things that make an okay place an experience to remember. I wouldn't go back any time soon.

Pros: beautiful outdoor space

Cons: poor service

05/21/2007 Posted by kchicago

On Saturday evening, my girlfriends and I anticipated a fun night on the town. Unfortunately, the evening was a major disappointment due to the restaurant Avenue M. Our 8:30pm reservation sat us at 8:45pm. We ordered wine and moments later confirmed our meal including the starters. I would estimate the submission of our orders was about 9:15pm. Five girls, 4 salads probably should not take an hour. We inquired about the salads with our waiter, for we were not sure if the vegetables were being grown in the kitchen! Nothing. So we asked for a manager. After our complaints, he came back only to insult us by noting that the salad order was put in at 9:40pm and asked if we were still on East Coast time! Rather than apologize and get us our salads, he argued with us. I did say he was the manager, right? We canceled our entrees, asked for the check and went on with our evening. I suggest that if the restaurant Avenue M wants to stay on Avenue M, they would be best to enroll their employees in hospitality school to learn customer service 101.

03/12/2007 Posted by smartsusie

A friend and I went to Ave M on a Saturday night with an 8:30 reservation. We were not seated for over an hour. Some peope may freak out about this, however, the atmosphere was great and the host comped us two glasses of wine each. We were starving by the time we were seated and were not disappointed! Our meals were great! We split a salad and scallops as starters-both creative and tasty. We both has steaks, cooked to perfection, and a twiced baked potato that was the best I've ever eaten. To finish our meal, we were surprised again by the host with a dessert on the house. We popped upstairs afterward to check out the nightlife. We weren't impressed and basically did a walk through. Go for the restaurant not the lounge. I can't wait to return in the summer--I hear the outdoor dining is amazing.

12/11/2006 Posted by winelove06

My husband and I eat here often and we have never had a bad expierence. The wine is always paired well and the servers know what they are talking about when it comes to wine and food. Every one is helpful and attentive but does not bother you ...which what i like the most.

Pros: ambience, service, overall

Cons: getting a cab

11/20/2006 Posted by ufkitty79

While Avenue M provides a more than excellent atmosphere in which to socialize and drink cocktails, their menu and service as a restaurant is sensational. We have been several times, and have not failed to be wowed yet. This time we began with a Maryland style Blue crab cake ($12)– perfectly spiced, moist buttery and delicious, and served with an avocado and tomato relish (a.k.a. guacamole) and homemade tartar sauce. Both were very, very good and complemented the crab cake perfectly. I also had half a dozen fresh West Coast oysters on the half shell ($10)—clean, salty/sweet taste and oh-so delicious. We paired our meal with a velvety smooth Pinot Noir (DeLoach, 2004-Russian River Valley, Ca, $51), which seemed to go perfectly with every bite, from appetizers to entrée. We shared a Caesar salad, which was enormous— and topped with generous shavings of twelve-month aged Manchengo cheese. The Caesar dressing was light and flavorful, didn’t drown the lettuce, helping the salad not to be overfilling.. Then the entrée... Colorado Double Lamb Rib Chops ($34). Yes, they have other things—filet, salmon, pastas, and I’m sure they’re all really fabulous...(people have said so) but the lamb chops are absolutely out of this world, and you would be doing yourself a great disservice to not try them. I suggest nothing but medium rare. Add a side of buttery, tender Brussels sprouts, and I could have died and gone to heaven. Everything was amazing. Due to a timing problem,They brought out two complimentary desserts– a chocolate peanut butter torte with caramel ice cream sundae and a banana crème pie with caramelized bananas. Both were respectfully crafted and sinful, but not being a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, the banana dessert was ultimately my favorite, and rightly so. The caramelized bananas added just the right amount of light crunchiness which released their sweet and fragrant flavor. And perhaps, did I taste a hint of a liqueur used for flambé? Mmmm.

Pros: Food, Atmosphere

Cons: Can get pretty pricey