Avanti — Restaurant in Town of Ramapo

2 1/2 stars

A solid handful of co-workers really like this place, so some of this could just be palate preference but this is definitely not my cup of tea. Avanti is conveniently located near my office, probably a 3-minute walk or so in a nearby strip mall/shopping center, and as such is often a go-to takeout establishment around lunchtime. One co-worker absolutely loves the cauliflower pizza, which I have not had so maybe that's the way to go here. But full disclaimer - by-the-slice pizza like this usually isn't my scene so grain of salt for sure.

On the positive side, I've ordered two or three times now from here via the Slice app with no issues. I've gone in to pick up orders for the office and the woman behind the counter has been very friendly. There are always other customers here for sit-down service, so it does seem to be pretty well-regarded by the locals. The price point for the pasta is a little high in my opinion, especially for the area, but the pizza seems to be competitively priced.

Since I knew this kind of pizza wasn't my preference, I initially opted for the Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce entrée from the pasta section. Note that the menu on Avanti's official website appears to be out of date (which in this day and age is pretty inexcusable - just upload the updated menu!). The gnocchi on THAT menu cites a price of $12.95, but the price on the Slice app is significantly higher at $16.95. The gnocchi itself was fine, especially in terms of texture, but the sauce is just not good at all. It's tasteless and full of chunks and thin slices of tomato, which I personally can't stand. The entrees seem to automatically come with an order of garlic knots (not a bad touch) which are also pretty tasteless and greasy - I bit into one and grease literally dripped all over my desk. Not appetizing.

I've also sampled a slice or two of the margherita pie, which was marginally better than the pasta. The dough/crust was crispy - my preference - but again, pretty bland for what it is. Avanti chooses to put the basil leaves under the cheese rather than on top like most pizza places. I don't know that it makes a difference taste-wise (it was honestly the only ingredient that seemed to have any flavor), but I'm not crazy about hidden items in my food where I'm not sure what I'm getting into bite to bite.

I'm sure that my co-workers will continue to grab food from here on a regular basis, but I'm respectfully bowing out of any future group orders and continuing my pizza tastings...

The original owner hails from East Harlem, the old Italian neighborhood known for the now famous Patsy's restaurant. He recently retired and his assistant for many years has taken over. There is a little culinary struggle occurring as the new owner isn't Italian and would like to expand the palate of this strip mall pizzaria The old owner knew two things, how to make a good tomato paste, and a thin crust. People drove from miles around for that simple but elusive combination. If the new owner expands the menu will there be an explosive response? Will he pull it off? Tune in next week...

Saturday was the first time I had a cheese pizza at Avanti. I was excited because there aren't many good pizza places in North Rockland. Boy what a disappointment. The pizza was all cheese very little sauce and it was uncooked. So I was there maybe 5 minutes early. How can you send out an uncooked pizza. I would have stayed 20 more minutes for a cooked pie. I blame management. I will never go there again. Also, I think the girl who took the order didn't tell the cook. It seemed like everyone was looking at each other when I gave my name. So...