I was skeptical after some reviews on yelp. Hadn't been to Avenue before, so I can't do the before & after Food Fight Comparison. We've been trying out the east-side restaurants as the kids were playing Futsal at Madison East High (we live near west).
We showed up on a Saturday night. We started as a party of 12. More people showed up. Not only did the hostess have to seat us, no reservation on a
Saturday night, once, but she ended up having to MOVE our party when a total of 18 showed up. Nightmare. She was a pro and took it in stride. Was only concerned about our party having a positive experience.
Because no good dead goes unpunished, we showed up with a party of 20 a few Saturdays later. Again, even though they already had two large parties, they squeezed us in without breaking a sweat. THIS is a place that is happy to take our money (trust me, not every restaurant appreciates it when we show up!
Food got good reviews from the adults (I had the french onion soup. Yummy!). The kids were less impressed. It's great to hit happy hour and get a $3 bloody mary with a $3 beer "chaser".
Great supper club experience without having to leave the city limited.