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Avalon
7707 East McDowell Road | 480-656-0010

Are you tired of heading to Old town Scottsdale for a night of fine dining and then looking in vain for a parking place anywhere near your destination?  The good news is that there is a new player on the scene, located on the newly renovated 3 Palms Resort property east of Papago Park.

The stand alone building situated near the hotel’s driveway has been revamped in elegant shades of gray and dark wood.  The south-facing wall consists of a roll-up glass door that was open the night we visited, allowing us to dine while enjoying the spring night air.

Avalon’s executive chef Travis Watson has created a menu featuring his vision of “contemporary American coastal cuisine” which focuses on the freshest local ingredients.  Watson has trained under some of the world’s best, having worked in Paris, Four Seasons in Seattle and Citrus in Los Angeles.

We started the evening with a bowl of Lobster Bisque ($9), served with a white froth of cream floating on top of the rich blend.  Next, we nibbled on the Shrimp Bruschetta ($11), a pleasing trio of crunchy garlic crustini slices topped with a marinated blend of tomato and corn, each toast topped with a large sweet shrimp.

My entrée, the Short Rib “Osso Buscco” ($24) was nothing short of spectacular in presentation.  Tender meat cooked on the bone was removed and then curled around the upright six-inch bone placed in the middle of a creamy mascarpone polenta and surrounded by roasted baby carrots and small browned onions.

Avalon’s Sesame Encrusted Hawaiian Ahi ($27) was sashimi quality and seared to perfection.  The accompanying Organic Seaweed Salad with its mix of soy, sugar and sesame oil was the perfect pairing with the delectable tuna.

And then there was dessert.  Watson spent several years as the pastry chef for the Fox Restaurant group, so he certainly knows his way around the sweet side of eating out.  Every description sounded delicious and the variety of delectable desserts ($8) makes it hard to narrow down the list.  My companion managed to settle on the strawberry infuses Crème Brulee that still retained the classic creamy flavor with just a hint of fruit.  My own Chocolate Decadence was a graceful tower of chocolate sponge cake tiers divided by layers of rich mousse; the entire concoction dipped in dark chocolate and chilled.

Avalon Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Daily. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks.