The Aviary
The Aviary restaurant located at 2229 Grand Army of the Republic highway should be absolute must on your places to dine checklist! We had made a 6:30 reservation through Open Table and were seated immediately and greeted by our very personable waitress. Upon entering the restaurant a feeling of relaxation immediately sets in. The atmosphere is not only inviting, but also conforms to the 6ft spacing regulations set forth by the state. As we looked over the menu our waitress brought our bread to the table. Jessica and I are both Portuguese so bread is always a welcomed sight when we go to dinner. Much to my surprise along with the bread and butter were the most delicious sticks of soft pretzels. They were warm, soft, and had just the right amount of salt. Honestly, they had me hooked already! They offer some great appetizers choices and we decided on the Rhode Island Calamari ($13). Tossed with hot pepper rings and garlic butter this was one of the best Calamari apps we have had! They were light, fried to perfection and full of flavor. Jess enjoyed hers with Marinara sauce and I swirled mine in fresh lemon juice. We didn’t finish them because we wanted to make sure we didn’t fill ourselves before dinner. With that said, we don’t usually take Calamari leftovers home but the waitress suggested that we drizzle them with olive oil and put them in a toaster oven so we were game to give that a try. What a great suggestion!!! We finished them today for lunch!!! For entrees Jess chose the Shrimp Scampi ( $24) and I decided on the Filet Mignon ($36) The Shrimp Scampi, served with 6 shrimp, was the perfect balance of garlic, butter and white wine flavor. Jess enjoyed it so much that the waitress brought us some extra bread so she could she could sop up the remaining sauce. I don’t think the plate needed to be run through the dishwasher when she was done. My Filet was perfection! Cooked to a medium well the filet was tender and loaded with flavor. The filet is usually served with truffle Mac and cheese and roasted broccoli but my dietary restrictions said no thank you. Our waitress was happy to substitute mashed potatoes and green beans much to my delight. I want to go on record saying that I could eat a tub of the mashed potatoes on a daily basis!!!! They were the most creamy, smooth and flavorful mashed potatoes I have ever had the pleasure of eating. They even had a few lumps which I absolutely love!!! That’s when you know they are the real deal!!! The green beans were not to be overshadowed as they were fresh, cooked perfectly and had a nice light flavor to compliment the dish. Once again, there was no need for a dishwasher. I wanted to lick the plate just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, but that was frowned upon by Jess. At this point we were both full but we asked to see the dessert menu. We chose the Chocolate truffle cake ($12). Let’s just say this…. I would be happy to go to the Aviary and have pretzel sticks, mashed potatoes and truffle cake!!! As I looked at it I assumed it was going to be rich and very heavy on the fork. I was pleasantly surprised that is was the complete opposite. It was light and airy and had a delicious what almost seemed like chocolate mousse on the top. I must confess that when Jess went to the bathroom She came back to an empty plate. Oops! She should know not to leave me alone with a dessert that good. Shame on her !!!! I also want to give a shout out to our waitress. I can’t remember her name but she was attentive, and extremely pleasant. She really did add to such a great dining experience. The Aviary is a palate pleasing experience from start to finish. With entree’s ranging from $21-$42 I feel as though they are priced fairly for the quantity and quality of food that we received. If you’re looking for a new restaurant to try as the world reopens we highly suggest you take a drive to Swansea! I’m just sorry that we hadn’t tried it sooner!!! Happy Dining and don’t forget to tell them that Two Girls Spooning sent you! Sara and Jess
