Mount Airy's Avenida thrives despite Delaware Market House's departure

When the economy came crashing down in 2009, it brought Kim and Edgar Alvarez's crab cakes with them - at least for a moment.

Those cakes were among the signature items at the couple's former prepared foods store, the Delaware Market House in Gladwyne. But once the recession prompted enough Main Liners to start cooking more for themselves, the Alvarez' business, which thrived on small pleasures like fresh chicken salad and sirloin broil, suddenly went "completely off the deep end," says Kim.

It was a sorry moment for Gladwyne take-out addicts, perhaps, but has turned into a boon for Mount Airy, where the resilient Alvarezes have resurfaced with Avenida, a Latin-inspired neighborhood restaurant well-cast for a neighborhood that can use all the good flavors it can muster.

Germantown Avenue has never quite lived up to its potential as a dining destination - and neither, for that matter, has the Cresheim Cottage, the charming stone colonial (circa 1748) that Avenida now occupies. But then again, this stretch of the avenue in Mount Airy has recently cobbled together a respectable string of go-to eateries, from such standbys as the pubby McMenamins and the BYO classic Umbria to the artisan beer and pizzas at Earth Bread + Brewery and the solid bistro fare of the Wine Thief. Could Avenida finally break the Cresheim's culinary curse? Just when its long tradition of bad food was steadily improving under the previous owners, a protracted road construction project along Germantown Avenue more or less did them in.

Based on two lovely recent meals in the Cottage's vibrant new incarnation, during which the now colorful dining rooms and leafy back patio bustled with crowds sipping tropical cocktails and nibbling fragrant moles and pork pibil, I'd say Avenida is on the right track. With entrées ranging reasonably from $15 to $20, this husband-and-wife chef team has clearly learned its recession lesson on affordability.

More important, the opportunity to have their own restaurant (with partner Wayne Zukin) has motivated Edgar, who's been on the line in kitchens as diverse as Striped Bass, the Black Sheep, and Beaujolais (the bistro run long ago by Kim), to finally draw inspiration from his native Guatemala.