Creative, Seasonal Sipping in Rumford

When you walk into Avenue N American Kitchen in Rumford, you know the menu is going to be great. Not because every table will be full, not because the bar will be buzzing with activity, and not because a diverse group of patrons will be happily dining and drinking away. It’s because straight ahead, you’ll see a small hostess stand under a wiry skeleton of a chandelier with bare bulbs, in front of a tall, empty off-white wall. And this is your sign: because when someone opens a restaurant and doesn’t spend a lot of time fussing with the décor or the “scene,” there’s a good chance they’ll be fussing with the things that really matter – the food and drinks.

I don’t mean to diminish the ambiance – the small space is clean, simple and comfortable with thoughtful accents. But the fact that it’s not over-done is what gives it charm and lets you know that this place is about what’s on the menu. We’ll get to the cocktails in a moment, but I’d be remiss not to mention the food. An appetizer of pork belly tacos with goat cheese and guacamole, an entrée of pan-seared scallops dressed in a sauce described as “chourico butter,” and a stolen piece of my girlfriend’s margherita pizza made this my most memorable meal inrecent memory. Run, don’t walk, if you haven’t eaten here yet.

As for the drinks... loyal readers know that I’m a beer and wine guy hiding his inner cocktail snob. I only order cocktails for myself if they have a minimum of four ingredients including one I’ve never heard of. Avenue N’s bar manager and my guide for the evening, Lesley Bolton, has created an entire menu that fits the bill. A beverage industry veteran and part of the Avenue N team “since day one,” Bolton describes the creative process: “We change up the food and drinks to take advantage of what’s in season. With summer here, we’ve been using fresh fruit to make fusions, syrups and purées. Also, sales reps are constantly coming through here with different products, so you’re always asking yourself ‘what can I do with this?’ There’s a lot of trial and error and experimentation. Sometimes the unusual works – like when we mixed housemade cranberry ornage infused vodka and Allagash White Belgian wit beer to come up with our ‘White Out’.”

I tried the Bourbon Hayride – Maker’s Mark bourbon with Domaine de Canton (a ginger liqueur), vanilla bean syrup, hard cider, lemon and a bourbon-soaked cherry. This was followed by an Apricot Zinger – house-infused apricot vodka, Luxardo, fresh lemon and fizz. Having reached my two drink limit on this night but feeling like I didn’t do enough homework, I returned five days later for Sunday brunch. I washed my eggs benedict down with a Dormie Rye – Bulleit Rye, absinthe, lemon syrup and Angostura bitters. Not exactly a morning drink, but how often do you see absinthe on a cocktail list?

It’s worth noting that the beer menu is curated with the same care. The list is divided into “Beers You Like” (the usual suspects of Budweiser, Coors, Heineken, and Narragansett) and “Beers You’ll Love”- a collection of mostly New England-made craft beers including Pawtucket’s Foolproof and Westerly’s Grey Sail. There are five choices for the former, and eight for the latter – just another sign that Avenue N fusses with the details that matter.