Catch Byron Ayanoglu While He's Back at Avli!

As a fan of the charismatic chef and former NOW Magazine food editor Byron Ayanoglu, I was pleased to see he's making a visit from his current home in Montreal to tweak the menu and cook a special lineup of four-course dinners (priced at $40) at Avli (401 Danforth near Chester, 416-461-9577), whose original menu he helped create back in 1995. Ayanoglu will be a guest in the Avli kitchen every night until Sunday, September 18 (except next Monday, September 12). I was especially excited to be invited to taste some of the old and new menu offerings.

The modestly sized room with the little patio has a comfortable, traditional ambiance, with its tan-and-coral walls, its painted terra cotta vases and its warm wood floor. The menu includes specialties from all over the Greek mainland and Crete, and the signature dishes include somewhat unusual fare like rabbit pie. Among the new menu additions created by Ayanoglu are Grilled calamari served chilled with a dressing of almonds and cherry tomatoes, Roasted leek with feta and olives, Turkish-inspired Eggplant Begendi with octopus, Grilled scallops with blackberry sauce, "and a couple more surprise dishes," says Avli owner Lambros Vasiliou.

I was especially taken with the Horta-pie with kasseri, a wedge of filo garnished with fresh dill that encloses chopped rapini, mustard greens and dandelion greens along with a mellow sheep and goat cheese called kefalograviera. It was not as salty as I had expected; instead, the warm flavour of the greens shone through.

Why redesign the menu now, after 16 years? "It's not me; it's the boss," quips Ayonaglu. "He wanted some new things." Although there's lots of indulgence on the menu, it's kind to those who are trying to eat lighter, more healthy fare. Of course, as he says, "People go to restaurants to break their diets;" nonetheless, his interests are "taste and health; I only cook things I eat."

Vasiliou is considering the possibility of bringing Ayanoglu back several times a year and moving to a more seasonal menu. "I believe personally that Greek cuisine is very rich in variety, and it has not been introduced in North America properly," Vasiliou says. "This is the only way I can have a menu of a fair size but also introduce that so-rich cuisine."

While Ayanoglu is in the kitchen, there are several special events planned, including the launch of the third edition of his hugely successful Simply Thai Cooking. Co-written with Wandee Young, it's a great primer in Thai cuisine, and newly embellished with new colour photos. Although Ayanoglu's own background is Mediterranean, he's a dab hand with Thai dishes (I have very happy memories of him ebulliently churning out brilliant pad thai on the spot for several hundred guests at one of the NOW Magazine staff parties in the '90s. Ah, those were the days.) In any case, the book launch and signing takes place at Avli on Wednesday, September 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. Rumours suggest a few Thai snacks will be on offer for attendees.

Also, tonight, beginning at 11 p.m., Marion Lewis of the Hummer Sisters will perform cabaret songs. On Thursday, September 15, you can catch an 11 p.m. screening of the short film Mortar&Pestle, about Greek food and joie-de-vivre by Ayanoglu and his photographer partner Algis Kemezys. (That night, TIFF cardholders receive a $5 discount on dinner).

I'm glad to be reminded of Avli, and to taste Ayanoglu's cooking again. If you haven't been there for a while, it might be a good time for a repeat visit.

Photo of Byron Ayanoglu by Algis Kemezys.