Published: January 1, 2009
Modified: December 31, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Children won’t be the only ones playing with their food at Avanti. Executive chef Ahmad Alikhani does the same in the kitchen.
Chef Ahmad Alikhani
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Alikhani, who previously owned Cellar Cafe in Lakeview Towers and most recently was in charge of the fare at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, said he has been playing with flavors to create the menu for the new restaurant just off Memorial Road between May and Pennsylvania avenues.
Avanti is an upscale casual, family friendly restaurant, Alikhani said. And although it’s attached to a Courtyard Marriot, he stressed Avanti is more than a place for hotel-goers to dine.
"The atmosphere I would say is the renewal of the Italian or the rustic Mediterranean. ... I promise you, this is going to be one of the best-known, most popular restaurants in the city,” he said.
Both the hotel and restaurant are owned by Jim Thompson II, who said Avanti is the result of an idea developed over two and a half years by him and his parents.
"We feel like we have a beautiful atmosphere. It’s a small restaurant, the cuisine will be excellent, the service is going to be excellent and everything will be moderately priced,” Thompson said. "Even in this economy people still want to go out to eat.”
But just how will the restaurant offer fine dining suitable for business lunches and romantic dinners at low prices?
"We’re trying to use some very highly flavored ingredients (like saffron and truffle oil) that may be expensive, but you don’t need a lot of it,” he said.
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KEY FACTS
THE BASICS
• Address: 13509 Highland Park Blvd., Oklahoma City
• Phone number: 254-5200
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, with hours extended to 1 a.m. with a limited menu Friday and Saturday nights
THE PEOPLE
• Owner: Jim Thompson II
• Executive chef: Ahmad Alikhani
• General managers: Matt Martin and Gabby Trad
THE NUMBERS
• Average lunch entree: $6 to $14
• Average dinner entree: $8 to $28
• Capacity: 120, plus at least 60 on the patio that will open in warmer weather
Drinks mirror dinner menu
Avanti has a full bar, which, like the main dining area, will offer unique but reasonably priced options, bar manager Skip Lamb said. "The stuff on my top shelf, I don’t want it to sit there and collect dust,” he said of the premium brands. Lamb also offers absinthe and sweet tea vodka, and said he’s crafted specialty drinks with a Mediterranean flair to match the menu.
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