WOW readers, I was ecstatic to write this review! We dined at Avelina over the weekend for dinner and it was nothing short of an extraordinary experience. The ambience, the service, THE FOOD - Avelina has officially been added to the ranks of one of my top 5 favorite restaurants in Denver.

We arrived at Avelina and I was immediately taken by the aesthetic of the restaurant - it's so lovely inside. Avelina is adorned in creams with natural light streaming in. There are modern light fixtures and numerous different kinds of seating throughout the bar and main dining room.

The strikingly modern decor & the cosmopolitan vibe go with a viciously clever & elevated American menu.

The staff at Avelina was so welcoming & poised - our waiter, Ryan, was charismatic and knowledgeable on the menu. General Manager, Mandy was sweet as can be and ensured our meal ran smoothly. Waiter Austin assisted Ryan during our dinner and added great vibes to our experience.

I have to take a moment to rave about Executive Chef, Josh Oakley. Josh encompasses all the qualities of an elite chef - he's gracious yet confident and has poured his overwhelming talent into each item on Avelina's menu. Every plate Josh put out of his kitchen during our meal was nothing less than edible art; each dish we had was plated exquisitely. Not only was the presentation superb, the purposeful use of every ingredient in each dish was ingenious. My sister and I have never so mindfully eaten a meal before. We wanted to get each ingredient in each bite to fully appreciate the gorgeous amalgamation of flavors that were so deliberately selected to achieve an overall taste. Hats off to the chef!!

We started off with cocktails (the mixologists behind the bar know what's up!). I had the Blue Diamond and Treslyn had the Sage Advice. The Blue Diamond is made with St. George Botanivore, Yellow Chartreuse, Cocchi Americano, Orchard Water and Pea Flower Rock.

The Blue Diamond was a glamorous cocktail. It was sweet with an herbaceous finish - it reminded me of a lemon wedge candy with notes of herbal sage and vanilla.

The Sage Advice is made with Casamigos Silver, Grilled Grapefruit, Sage, Honey Simple, Lime and Salt.

The Casamigos Silver tequila brought forth flavors of vanilla, oak and a mélange of herbs. The tequila's weight held the citrus and sweetness of the cocktail close making for a tight combination of smokey bitterness from the grilled grapefruit and light sweet profile of honey. The Lime and Salt added a nice spark to the cocktail.

Per Ryan and Josh's recommendation, we went with the 'Chef Entrust' menu for our meal. This is where the chef steers your meal and chooses your dishes for you. The Chef Entrust menu is $59/person and everyone at the table must participate. Treslyn and I were eager to try the Chef Entrust option out - after all, who better than the kitchen to select standout dishes that will make a meal (note our Chef Entrust meal included a couple more dishes than the standard).

Our Chef Entrust dinner began with an amuse-bouche - a single bite hors d'oeuvre of a mushroom empanada with spicy aioli. This was a nice savory start and our taste buds were ready to go.

For starters we had the Summer Fruit Salad and the Eggplant Ricotta.

The Summer Fruit Salad is made with poblano pesto, prosciutto, goat cheese and smoked almonds.

Ah YES, fresh, light & bright - the true taste of summer! This salad was beautiful and tasted the same. The peach and prosciutto were a wonderful pair together; the refreshing, sweet peaches brought out the savory essence of the prosciutto. The poblano pesto was creamy and fresh; the poblanos added an extra layer of flavor to the pesto. The flavorful, soft goat cheese and almonds added great texture variation and overall taste to the salad.

The Eggplant Ricotta is made with whipped eggplant, buttermilk ricotta, tomato, pine nuts, chervil, pomegranate molasses, evo and grilled naan.

The Eggplant Ricotta is a new creation from Josh & we approve! The ricotta had a ton of flavor and a beautiful smooth, thick texture. The tomato added nice bursts of acidity and the pine nuts were nutty and had a low-key crunch. We loved the addition of grilled naan to scoop up the ricotta with.

Time for more cocktails. I had the What's Up Doc per Ryan's recommendation and Treslyn went with the Cuban Mule. The What's Up Doc is made with House Made Carrot Gin, Domaine de Canton Giner Liqueur, and Lemon juice.

Thank the lord for Ryan and his recommendations! The What's Up Doc was my favorite cocktail of the night! This cocktail did not taste like carrots - it just tasted amazing. The fresh veggie juice and ginger fit together seamlessly.

The Cuban Mule is made with Apricot Cello, Sour Citrus, Orange Bitters, and Ginger Beer.

This was a solid mule - easy drinking, nice & refreshing. We appreciated the gentle acidity and citrus of the sour and orange.

For mains we had the Gochujang BBQ Bison Ribs, Steamed PEI Mussels, the Whole Fried Alamosa Bass and the Smoked Chicken.

The Gochujang BBQ Bison Ribs are made with palisade peach slaw, yuzu kosho vinaigrette and peanut crumble.

The Gochujang BBQ was caramelized on the bison beautifully and added a zesty sweetness to the ribs that made our mouths water. The bison meat was tender and succulent and fell right off the bone. The peanut crumble added nice nuttiness to the bison and we loved the added crunch in texture. All of the mains we had at Avelina were amazing, but the Gochujang BBQ Bison Ribs were a true standout; they were phenomenal!

The Steamed PEI Mussels are made with 'nduja borth, pancetta, breadcrumbs, fine herbs, toast and garlic aioli.

The mussels were rich and sweet. The ‘nduja broth had a slightly spicy and powerfully porky taste that added punch to the mussels flavor profile. We took the generously coated garlic aioli toast (SO GOOD) and dipped it in the ‘nduja broth, then topped it with 1-2 mussels a bite & holy moly, there were so many flavors complementing each other so well!

The Whole Fried Alamosa Bass is plated with tomatillo salsa verde, heirloom tomatoes, sherry vinaigrette and garlic aioli.

The Bass was light, tender and flakey. The tomatillo salsa verde and other zesty ingredients really upgraded the mild tasting bass. The bass provided a beautiful, smooth fatty taste to the palate and the tomatillo, tomatoes and sherry added a light bite to the tongue. This was an upscale twist on Alamosa Bass and we loved it.

The Smoked Chicken is plated with chili BBQ, serrano yogurt, tomatillo, corn and frisee.

The smoked chicken had a delicate, smoky taste and the meat itself was juicy AF; the chili BBQ sauce served as a zesty coating. What really took this entrée to the next level was the serrano yogurt. The serrano yogurt's spice started subtle but packed a punch at the end - initially sweet on the tongue and increasing in heat after swallowing. A nice spicy sensation! & the yogurt paired with the savory chicken and zesty bbq was a symphony of flavors. Heat fanatics - this chicken is for you!

A palate cleanser of delicate, fruity flavored Apricot Sorbet was up next and it was super yummy.

For dessert we had the Mango Tart & the Chocolate Fondant.

The Mango Tart is made with mango diplomat, pistachio praline, marinated plum filling and chocolate shapes.

This is a seasonal dessert as the plums have to be perfect to create the marinated plum filling. I have a thing for plums...and now this tart lol. The plum filling was thick, dark purple and coated our tongues in jam-my sweetness. The mango flavor was soft and the tart crust was buttery & crumbly. Utter perfection! Hurry and get the Mango Tart while you can!

The Chocolate Fondant is made with caramelized banana, peanut buttercream, and coffee crumb.

This dessert had us swooning over the texture variations and rich taste. The caramelized banana had a thick consistency while the peanut buttercream was whipped & light. The chocolate fondant had a dense, chewy texture that ultimately melted in our mouths. The rich chocolate paired with the faint taste of banana and peanut buttercream was a powerhouse of dessert flavor. Chocolate lovers - this dessert is for you!

HUGE thanks to Josh and the Avelina team for hosting us!! We can't wait to return & we will be seeing you all again soon.

Don't walk, run to make your reservations at Avelina babes - let them know that denv.her. sent you; & see you there! xx denv.her.

Avelina

Located in: Fortis Private Bank
Address: 1550 17th St, Denver, CO 80202
Health & safety: Mask required · Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits
Menu: avelinadenver.com
Phone: (720) 904-6711
Reservations: resy.com
Order: postmates.com, ubereats.com