HVRW: At Louie’s on the Avenue, Pearl River
Hi, I’m Emily Kratzer, a staff writer who’s been with The Journal News long enough to have sampled lots of fare around Rockland and at a few places in Westchester. I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen since my 4-H cooking days, and I love baking bread and chocolate chip cookies and fresh vegetables and … got all day???
But let’s to the point: What a relief to sit down at Louie’s on the Avenue last night in Pearl River! Our Bergen County neighborhood had been without power since Saturday’s Nor’easter, and the pickings at home are mighty slim without a working refrigerator.
So my companion and I truly enjoyed a night out for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. We arrived promptly at the 5 p.m. opening time. We were the first ones there, but by the time we left, the parking lot was full and all four dining areas were alive with conversation and happy foodies.
We were seated in the music room, our meal accompanied by the presence of mandolins, violins, flutes, clarinets, a banjo, an accordian and the famous overhead tuba.
The speakers gently shared music by Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), the Beatles, plus other styles from country to gospel to big band – giving us aural as well as gustatory variety.
Our waiter Gino elaborated on the menu options beyond the ample Restaurant Week choices – it was St. Patrick’s Day, after all, so we could have had corned beef and cabbage. Plus, the bread basket included soda bread.
But my companion went with an evening of what I call “male comfort food” – the New England clam chowder, an end-cut of the slow roasted prime rib that came with horseradish sauce and a baked potato, followed by the banana cheesecake.
A Boston College graduate with some experience tasting clam chowders, he fully approved of his appetizer – said it was smooth and delicate.
A fan of well-cooked beef, he found the prime rib nicely blackened – tasty and not dry. The ever-vigilant Victor came by to deliver a dollop of sour cream for the potato.
The cheesecake was very, very smooth and banana-y, with lots of banana chunks. It almost tasted healthy, like a serving of fruit instead of decadent cheesecake.
For my meal, I went with the fresh beets and goat cheese appetizer, the roasted salmon filet (with Asian glaze, wasabi and rice pilaf) and ended with the chocolate fudge cake.
The appetizer was attractively stacked, which actually meant a lot of fun discovering each layer. (Yes, I do love to play with food!)
The salmon was unbelievably soft and absolutely perfectly cooked. It was bathed in a translucent red Asian glaze that had a soothing ginger flavor and sat on a bed of rice pilaf. The plate was delivered with a warning about how hot wasabi is, however, I never did find the wasabi. In retrospect, that was good because the tastes were so pleasingly subtle that wasabi would have been an unnecessary, distracting kick.
The chocolate fudge cake was one of about eight choices Gino offered. It has a crunchy chocolate-cracker crust and a thick, chocolate cake that’s topped with thick chocolate ganache. It was dense and intense. Ummmmmmmm.
I’m the lucky one here because I never can finish my portions. I have another full day to dine on the leftovers – except the cake. Always leave room for dessert, I say!
Check out the restaurant’s website (www.louiesontheavenue.com) for the menu – the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week menu is quite similar, offering seven appetizers, then main courses of steak and chops, dinner salads, fish and shellfish, chicken and pasta. There’s a beverage menu featuring a full array of red and white wines, sparklers and bottled domestic and imported beers, but remember that beverages are an additional charge beyond the Restaurant Week Prix Fixe of $28 for dinner.
The attentive staff picked up rather quickly on my picture- and note-taking, but let us dine without interruption, which was appreciated. They were self-assured and confident of their fare without being nervous or overly solicitous while being judged. Their self-confidence is justified – not only did we have a great dining experience, it is clear that Louie’s has a loyal following – the best recommendation!
Further proof is that I had mistakenly arrived earlier in the day assuming lunches were being served and found only the dinner hours posted. While I was there, two other people came by, ready to have lunch. Customers like those are testimony to this restaurant’s popularity.
One caveat: This overall great experience was almost marred by another set of diners, who allowed their youngster to run her portable DVD for a while. I fully approve of children in restaurants, but good manners in public places should include turning off devices which others can overhear.
Photo Caption: Mar17LouiesTuba
