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| - Ever since I heard about the renovation of Avenue Bar, I was excited to give its new iteration a try. Retro vibes are my favorite vibes, and I wasn't an Avenue Bar devotee - I don't like fish, the food was not memorable (literally; I have no idea what I had), and in all my years of living in Madison I went once. While I'd heard some complaints from friends about the Avenue Club, most of them were more centered in that it wasn't the old Avenue and not actual disappoints in food, drink, or service.
I decided to make a reservation for my birthday a little over a week in advance. Their online booking system kept coming back that the only times available for a party of 8 were incredibly early or incredibly late. I tried to make alternate plans and kept checking back with the system just in case, but two days before my birthday I still wasn't able to find anything that excited me so I did the unthinkable and picked up the phone. The woman who helped me was able to get me a table with no issue; I let her know that their online booking system was showing them full up. She asked me if I was celebrating anything and I let her know it was my birthday. We confirmed the time and my group showed up two days later.
There was a short wait for the table but then we were seated and our drink orders quickly taken. I went with the Amaretto Sour Gone Southern and the server was very enthusiastic about my choice. After sipping, I was too. It was definitely one of the better drinks I've had in a long while - super smooth, not too sweet, and a Luxardo cherry on top. I also ordered the Chicken-Fried Pickles to share and loved them as well. They were very thin cut but stayed crisp and had a super sour zing that was perfect with the light breading and dressing. The only issue was that they would not cool even after ten minutes of being at the table - we found cutting them with a fork helped a bit.
The Rachel was my entree of choice (hey, I love a turkey sandwich, don't hate). Delicious. Normally I skip over slaw but since it was billed as a vinegar slaw I decided to get crazy and try it. It was still pretty creamy but definitely had a better flavor than mayo. All around, great flavor from that simple sandwich. The fries were fine - not bad but just not something I really want again, which is weird because fries are among the most delicious things on this planet.
One mild disappointment of the evening was no acknowledgement of my birthday - I normally wouldn't expect it but I don't understand why they bother to ask if you're celebrating something when you make a reservation. I love celebrating and I was looking forward to some surprise since they asked, be it a message on our menu or a dessert or, honestly, a simple "happy birthday" or "thanks for celebrating with us" from the host or server. I had a great meal in great company in the end, though, so c'est la vie.
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