AVANT Restaurant to Replace El Bizcocho at RB Inn

AVANT—the Rancho Bernardo Inn's new restaurant—is on the way now that El Bizcocho has served its last customers.

El Bizcocho closed the kitchen after 44 years over the weekend, making way for a $2.5 million renovation into a new dining spot focused on "unpretentious, approachable cuisine with homegrown culinary touches," according to an announcement.

"My cuisine is simple and fresh, focusing on ingredients and how to best make them shine," Executive Chef Nicolas Bour said. "I look forward to creating new culinary experiences for diners by bringing seasonal ingredients to center stage leaving over-manipulated food behind."

AVANT is scheduled to open in early 2013. Here are some of the details:

Some menu items:

• Sonoma duck or La Quercia prosciutto
• Cowabunga (soft cow's milk stuffed with goat milk) and house-made burrata
• Dry-aged steak with toasted faro, kale and bacon vinaigrette
• Line-caught swordfish with cauliflower, roasted pepper and arugula

Design details (Hatch Design Group):

• 6,500 square feet
• 139 seats plus two private dining rooms
• Two natural stone, wood-burning fireplaces
• Floor-to-ceiling windows

Hours

• Thursday, Sunday: 4-10 p.m.—dinner
• Friday, Saturday: 4-11 p.m.—dinner
• Daily: 4 p.m. to close—bar and patio
• Saturday, Sunday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.—à la carte brunch

Are you looking forward to AVANT?

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