At Avila, all ages are satiated

by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
Students from the area come into Avila for the beef carpaccio, and brunches are very popular among area families here. Chef Rodney Murillo is the new dad of a two- month-old boy, so his mind is on making his restaurant more family friendly.
“You have to bring the kids to a restaurant, so they get used to it,” he said. They have a children’s menu, but Murillo said most parents just order what they want and share it with their children to introduce them to new tastes. “Pastas are kid-friendly – they love a spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, or truffled macaroni and cheese. We don’t want to freak them out too much, but we want to get them to a different level,” he added. They’ll also customize recipes to accommodate food allergies.
Avila is also providing different price points to make it more affordable for families, with wine bottles starting at $26, bar tastings at $5, quality entrees starting in the low $20s. “You get cheese, pasta, and a dessert, and you can walk out of here in less than $50 for a great meal,” Murillo said. “We are trying to be an everyday restaurant.”
Murillo lives in Boston with his wife, who recently graduated from law school, and their son, Joaquim; his sister’s in town helping with the baby, and making some of Murillo’s childhood favorite foods, like empanadas and radish salad, which got him thinking about how far he’s come. “I went from plantains to truffles,” said Murillo.
Murillo grew up on a 110-acre coffee, pineapple and cattle farm in Costa Rica, with regular fishing trips out on the ocean with his grandfather. While out in the field with his dad and workers, they hunted for some food and only came up with a wild pigeon. Murillo, then 10, offered to cook it up for the crew. Amused, they sent him back to the shack to give it a try. Remembering how his mother prepared chickens, he killed the pigeon, dressed it, and five hours later, when the workers and his father arrived, he had prepared a meal. “They thought I would have made a soup,” Murillo recalled. “I made this big pot of arroz con pollo, with only two ounces of pigeon on top, for eight hungry guys.”
It was funny. But his father also knew back then that his son was probably going to become a chef. Since then, Murillo was cooking for the crew with more generous ingredients.
When he was 16, Murillo relocated to Boston to pursue a culinary career, staying with his uncle who worked in food service for Sheraton. He picked up English as well as cooking tips while washing dishes at Davio’s, and worked his way up in the kitchen, being named sous chef in 1997 in both the Boston and Cambridge Davio’s locations. When Davio’s Boston relocated to the much larger space at 75 Arlington Street, Murillo was promoted to chef de cuisine.
In anticipation of the opening of Avila Modern Mediterranean, the self-taught chef spent time with Guillermo Pelion of Pasion in Philadelphia and Daniel Boulud of Daniel in New York City. He also did a tasting tour with Davio’s owner Steve DeFillipo, dining in Michelin-starred restaurants in Portugal, Spain, and France. He also tries every new restaurant, reads up on recipes and techniques on the Internet while his family sleeps, and visits New York as much as he can.
Avila Modern Mediterranean offers the flavors of Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, and Greece, made in an open kitchen.
The restaurant has a few special promotions this month, including offering a $50 bottle of Veuve Clicquot, a Sunday $28 three-course prix fixe menu called Sabor de España.
And on February 17, Murillo will host a “Young Guns of the Industry” five-course dinner, with wine pairings. Diners will be able to meet Marc Orfaly of Pigalle & Marco, who will prepare the hors d’oeuvres; Tony Susi of Sage, who’ll create a pasta dish; Dante deMagistris of dante, who will serve up the fish course; Murillo will do the meat dish; and Tom Ponticelli of Davio’s will serve dessert.



Fried Halloumi Cheese

6 oz. Halloumi cheese (sliced into 8 slices)

3 oz. dates (pitted & sliced)

2 oz. fresh salted cashews

3 oz. ouzo

1 oz. olive oil

2 oz. whole butter


Heat oil in non-stick pan. When hot add cheese until browned then turn. Add dates and cashews cook 1minute. Add butter. Take pan away from heat. Add ouzo put back on heat (be careful it will flame). Cook 1 minute and serve hot.

Serving Size: 2