Vegetarian focus with fantastic results

Avanti Cafe offers a new choice in vegetarian dining, but co-owners

and chefs Mark Cleveland and Tanya Fuqua don’t advertise Avanti’s

meat-free menu.

There aren’t any billboards supporting People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals, no “Vegetarians Rule!” signs pasted on the

window, and no frightening brochures about mad cow disease.

Instead the owners entice meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans with

the dishes themselves -- such as a fresh focaccia sandwich with

shiitake artichoke pesto and Emmenthaler cheese, a bowl of organic

tomato and lentil soup, or a spicy triple ginger cookie.

The focus here is fresh and flavorful gourmet foods made from

mostly organic ingredients.

And the location doesn’t hurt. It’s just a few doors down from the

natural foods mecca, Mother’s Market on East 17th Street in Costa

Mesa.

Avanti (“forward” in Italian) was created by Cleveland and Fuqua,

who met six years ago while working at Whole Foods in Costa Mesa. The

duo share a love of European and Asian foods, organic produce, wines

and whole-grain baked goods.

They host seasonal wine and food-tasting events at the restaurant,

support South Coast Farms -- a San Juan Capistrano-based organic farm

-- and collaborate on changing menu items. The creative pair even

made the pottery dishes for the small cafe, which seats 25 inside.

Avanti is not just a place to find healthy meals.

You can also buy a jar of freshly-made jam or preserves; packets

of pepper blends and spice rubs; and rosemary sea salts and aromatic

scrubs. And for those in a hurry, there’s a freezer of delicious

soups, cookie doughs, frozen puff pastry, sorbet, granita and even

holistic dog food.

Cleveland, 44, grew up in Chicago cooking alongside his Italian

grandmother. Fuqua, 35, was raised in Houston and learned to cook

from her mother.

Cleveland lived for a dozen years in Japan, where he developed a

flair for Asian cooking techniques. He has worked as a personal chef

and taught cooking classes throughout Southern California, including

at Sur La Table and Laguna Culinary Arts.

Fuqua was classically trained at the California School of Culinary

Arts in Pasadena. She’s worked on joint projects at Whole Foods with

the “Too Hot Tamales” chefs -- Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger --

and has also cooked with chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques and A.O.C. in

Los Angeles.

Avanti serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a selection of

fresh bakery items, artisan cheeses, herb focaccia sandwiches, soups,

salads, bruschetta and pizza. The fresh bakery items and deli items

change daily.

The bakery menu features a delicious selection of freshly baked

breads, muffins, scones, cookies and cakes. Fuqua bakes with natural

flours, whole grains, organic sugars, eggs and butter, using organic

palm shortening for vegan items.

Breakfast choices include sweet cake ($2.75 a slice), a breakfast

frittata ($5.50), and homemade granola with soy milk, organic milk or

yogurt ($4.75). Homemade ciabatta bruschetta and focaccia pizzetta

can be custom ordered with a selection of artisan cheeses, gourmet

olives and homemade tomato marinara sauce ($4.50 for half and $8.50

whole).

Soup choices and include chipotle black-eyed pea; cream of

cauliflower with Okinawa purple potato; and oven-roasted tomato with

fava, herbs and soy ($4 small, $7.50 medium and $13 large).

Deli items include shiitake miso couscous; organic pumpkin

souffles with red quinoa, amaranth, ricotta, parmesan and toasted

pumpkin seeds; tempeh Bolognese, a pasta with tofu, tempeh (an

Indonesian food staple made from soybean, grain and rice) and red

sauce; and vegan burgers.

Sample platters from the deli range from $7.50 to $13, and you can

include bread, cheese and olives as an appetizer.

Avanti’s next champagne brunch is on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The special menu includes a glass of Spanish Cava (a sparkling wine)

or Italian Prosecco. The starter is a choice of oatmeal or multigrain

hot porridge with your choice of fruit compote or spicy hot South

Asia congee (a rice gruel mixed with vegetables).

Then there’s a choice of buttermilk and walnut waffles; organic

egg breakfast bruschetta with seasonal vegetables; herbs, olives and

artisan cheeses; or falafel-crusted red organic tomatoes.

Brunch is served with coffee, brewed leaf tea, sweet potato and

sweet pepper fries, fresh-baked breads, scones and fruity pico de

gallo. The cost is $22 per person.

The restaurant’s wine- and foodtasting event will be on Sept. 22

from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Stop in Monday through Saturday for Avanti’s happy hour from 5 to

7 p.m. When you purchase a glass or bottle of wine or beer during

happy hour, you can sample tapas for $3 per person.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA

92626; or by fax at (714) 966-4679.