Karen goes to AVP
Instagram v. Reality
How we wanted it to go
We walk into the courtyard at Bakery Galley/AVP and are transported to another place. We check out the lobby, which is peppered with beautiful greenery and modern design. We order two seltzers, and settle in.
This would be Karen’s first cheat meal in two weeks. We’ve been in the market for a good meatball, so we decide to try the meatball appetizer and the prosciutto with burrata, because who doesn’t love a good burrata? We notice that the Wing-o Pizza is made from Karen’s favorite wings in Pittsburgh—Max Max’s San Francisco. Karen said you could put that sauce on any pizza, and it would instantly be the best in the city. Could this be what Karen has been looking for?
While we waited, Karen went to check out the bathroom. Clean and uniquely rustic-but-modern, just like the rest of the restaurant. They did a good job.
Our food came out and everything looked amazing. The pizza had large chunks of Mad Mex San Francisco wings stripped from the bone, and drizzled in the ‘best in the city’, almost famous, Mad Max blue cheese dressing. The dough was cooked perfectly, and you could taste the San Francisco sauce. Its everything Karen ever wanted in a buffalo chicken pizza. The meatball was delicious and the burrata was heavenly. We enjoyed everything so much we don’t have space for dessert. This was exactly what we’ve been searching for and more, the perfect cheat meal for Karen.
How it actually went
We walk into the courtyard, it had a floor to ceiling living wall, modern trellises and mini lantern lights. It was instantly somewhere I wanted to be. I did feel like I was transported somewhere else. Karen said the space encourages creativity and freedom and we should move our office there. Walking up to the restaurant, we got a bit confused about what to do, and thought maybe it was an ‘order and then sit’ kind of place so we stop at the window to see the menu and ask some questions. We’re told there is a full-service restaurant, and we head over there. We’re greeted by a friendly hostess and seated near the bar; it is chic and inviting. The booth is spacious and comfortable and there is greenery and various colored glass décor throughout.
I comment that I feel like we are on vacation, even though we are only just down the street. The waitress comes over and we order two seltzers, but they don’t carry any, so we have to settle for something else.
We ask what she recommends, and she gives us a whole list of ‘best hits’ and says the Wing-O pizza is her favorite. We were debating—square-round? Round-square? She talked up the square pizza, but ultimately, we decided on round, red sauce with sausage, ricotta and onion. It sounded amazing. Before the waitress came back, we noticed the Wing-O pizza was made from the Mad Mex San Francisco Wings. Remembering the waitress said it was her favorite pizza and the fact they’re Karen’s all-time favorite wings, it was a no brainer--we were getting that instead. Because this would be Karen’s first cheat meal in two weeks, the expectations were high.
Karen went to the bathroom and despite the amazing vibe and décor, a piece of painter’s tape stole the show. It said, ‘latch missing, use at your own risk’. We appreciated the humor and the heads up. The food comes and everything looks amazing.
The meatballs were a good size, topped with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. The pizza had a nice crust with some small pieces of chicken and drizzled in San Francisco sauce. The burrata was a bit of a wild card. It looked like a pizza…not what we were expecting but, okay, let’s see where this is going. The burrata, prosciutto, arugula, and tomato were each in their own sections on top of the dough.
The meatballs were perfect. They were moist with the right amount of spice and flavor. Really everything we have been searching for in a meatball. The pizza was okay. The crust was good, but the flavor was nothing overwhelming. The chicken was small, diced pieces and not the chunks of wing meat we had envisioned. The drizzle of San Francisco sauce got a bit lost against the ranch and the flavors all meshed together. We wished we had a travel side of the Mad Mex blue cheese. Overall, it was a good buffalo chicken pizza, just not the G.O.A.T. buffalo chicken pizza we had created in our minds.
The burrata. Dear God, the burrata. While it was beautiful to look at, the execution was a nightmare. I pulled off a piece of crust and everything toppled over. Strike one. I cut into the burrata expecting its creamy goodness but instead am met with something that is both runny yet stringy. I put some on the piece of crust, wrangle a piece of prosciutto out, top it with a tomato and some arugula. It’s halfway to my plate and everything falls off. Strike two. The crust has a nice doughy consistency, and the prosciutto was fresh. Karen grabbed a piece, but it was stuck to the rest of the dough. Fighting to get it detached, Karen wasn’t sure this was worth the chore it’s become to assemble it. The burrata was watery and the outer shell was difficult to cut through. Strike three. We joked we must be the first people that have ever ordered it.
The waitress stopped by to ask how everything was. We told her the pizza and meatballs were great, but that the burrata fell a bit short and had us a little confused but didn’t make a big deal out of it.
We finished the meatballs, had a few pieces of pizza left and the rest of the burrata. We decided to forgo the leftovers, who would have thought at the beginning of this journey we would leave behind the much-anticipated Wing-O pizza?
The waitress comes back and tells us that the manager offered free dessert to help make up for the burrata. We decide to take them up on their generous offer and order the tiramisu for 2 and have new excitement for the next leg of this journey.
Walking to the bathroom I pass several tables and they each have square pizzas that look incredible. From the moment I walk into the bathroom, I’m immersed in the décor; they really did do a great job. I notice a blue piece of painter’s tape on the stall door that says, “latch missing, use at your own risk” and a wave of panic washes over me. Am I in the wrong bathroom? Surely this can’t be the same thing Karen was talking about in their bathroom. I sneak out and check the plaque outside to make sure. No, I’m in the right one, they both must be missing a latch…weird. I laugh to myself that the restaurant should have used a Karens approved contractor.
The tiramisu comes out and it looks perfect. It was light and flavorful. The custard was creamy, and the cake was moist. It was a great finish to the dinner and did make up for the burrata. We decide we’ll come back for those meatballs and have a square pizza next time. 7/10