My Big Food Adventure: Park Ave

A few weekends ago my mother-in-law graciously took our kids for a spend the night. We knew this called for a date night, so I called a couple we hang out with and they were excited too. She is a fancy girl so I asked her for a food suggestion and she mentioned a little spot she had been dying to try. That is how we found ourselves driving to Stanton, CA. "Where?" you might ask... exactly. It is over near Knott's Berry Farm and that is about all it is near. I was skeptical as we were driving through Stanton but when we pulled up to the restaurant my fears were eliminated.

It is a Steak & Chop joint with an old-Hollywood feel. We started with Shrimp cocktail (which I heard was good, I don't really eat fish) and Marinated Tenderloin Bites with Soy, Lime and Garlic. These were melt in your mouth delicious and I could have eaten a million of them. I then ordered the Flat Iron Steak topped with Blue Cheese and served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. My steak was tender, perfectly done and the mashed potatoes were "wow." Hubby got the Granny Smith Apple Stuffed Pork Chop that had a golden raisin, leek & white bread stuffing covered in a maple syrup glaze. I definitely snuck several bites of his food (what are hubbies for?) and it was just as delish as mine. The portions were the perfect size leaving me full but by no means stuffed. When the dessert menu was brought I thought I would just take a gander. Usually I pass on dessert, not because I do not love the stuff but because it is always so ho hum. Well, Park Ave did not disappoint! Everything looked amazing and we all had a hard time deciding. We all ended up ordering dessert and then proceeded to try the 4 dishes ordered. We had Bruleed Banana Tart with vanilla bean ice cream, Chocolate Bread Pudding with Macadamia nuts, Peanut Butter ice cream sundae with chocolate chips & marshmallow cream and Lemon tarts with vanilla bean ice cream & fresh raspberries. The Lemon tart was mine and it was served in a tall sundae glass with the ice cream, lemon bars and raspberries layered. Oh the bliss!! As if they did not sound good enough, I should mention that all the ice cream is homemade on the premises.

After dinner we wandered out to the back patio which was strung with white lights and followed the path to their garden. Thats right, they had a huge garden on the property which is where they get their fresh vegetables. Needless to say it was a memorable date night and a place we will definitely travel off the beaten path for again.