My experience with the communal seating was really nice. We sat next to two 20something women grabbing a bite before heading to nightclubs for the evening. They were charming and friendly and we all ended up sharing food. They ordered something bigger than they could finish (the truffle oil focaccia stuffed with taleggio cheese and herbs) and, lucky us, we got to taste it. It was fun, I met new people and had some great, albeit loud, conversation. If I wanted intimate, I wouldn't choose Avec but I was open to a new experience and the food was terrific. I didn't find the chair all that uncomfortable either.

I wouldn't call Avec uncivilized . . . certainly uncomfortable. But the food's great, so a couple of times a year I put up with it. Those bar stools -- if they can be called that -- are brutally uncomfortable. It's hard to believe the place won a Beard Award for best design given the lack of functionality. But again, they serve great, distinctive food that would be worth sitting at a picnic table to enjoy.

=R=

It's hard to believe the place won a Beard Award for best design given the lack of functionality.

I think you just answered your own question.

Yep, it sure looks snazzy.

One could argue that it's all very functional if you want to turn tables/bar seats.
Anyway, one of, if not the most consistent places in Chicago as far as food at this price point goes, I think.

stewed coot wrote:One could argue that it's all very functional if you want to turn tables/bar seats.
Anyway, one of, if not the most consistent places in Chicago as far as food at this price point goes, I think.

Quite true about the functionality!

And I agree about the food. We're fortunate to have such a place here in town.

=R=

I also ate at Avec this past Saturday night and brought two close, trusting girlfriends (and Avec virgins) with me. Though I have been there several times before and knew of the risk, Avec was appropriate for our moods and I wanted to show it off to them. We arrived at about 8:45 p.m., were quoted a 1 to 1.5-hour wait, and decided to brave the wait outside under the heat lamps, drinks in hand. We were seated at approximately 10:15. We ordered:

- chorizo-stuffed dates
- roasted corn bruschetta
- grilled chicory salad
- tomato-braised cod
- veal breast (which had been substituted with beef tenderloin)
- house chocolate for dessert

All were, of course, phenomenal, the corn bruschetta especially interesting with the fresh dill and fennel. However, I have to agree with other posters that at my age (31) there are very few things I would wait over an hour for anymore. Also, unfortunately, the service was quite slow that night, which dragged our weary souls down even more. I was disappointed that the long wait and inattentive service detracted from the quality of the food, but overall, the experience was okay. I've always enjoyed the communal seating, and we engaged in discussion with our neighbors. Both friends promised they would visit again on a weeknight or earlier (or later) on a weekend night.

The point of my post is to share that the quoted wait times seem to be fairly accurate, at least on a Saturday night. I still consider Avec one of Chicago's treasures. You just have to know what you're getting into and adjust your attitdue accordingly!

Took a much-needed break from hamburgers last night to (finally) try Avec. No surprises here; everything was very much "on" once we were seated (at the bar; our request) after about a half-hour's wait. Sorry for the cameraphone shots.

The chorizo-stuffed dates were as good as everyone says.



I know embarassingly little about wine, but this bottle ("Dom Martin?" 2004) was quite agreeable and seemed a good bargain at $32.

The truffle-oil foccacia with taleggio cheese. This was good, but very subtle, and I got kind of bored with it by the end (even split among two people).



The justly lauded salumi assortment:



And now, the heavy hitters of the evening: goose sausage with lentils, cipollinis, and apples (just fantastic):



and a mustardy braised veal breast with an almost pot roast-like quality with fingerling potatoes and onions.



A terrific bargain at just under $60/head before tip (and that's with wine and a beer while waiting).

The highlights were the dates, the veal, and the goose sausage, al of which hovered around the $10 mark. The salumi and the focaccia, while both good, just didn't impress me enough to justify their $15 price tags. I don't have any regrets, but I probably wouldn't order them again. My experience suggested that Avec is really killing savory, cooked-meat dishes, and that's what I'm going to look for in the future.

I agree on the "special focaccia", which is fine but about twice as big and twice as expensive as I want.

If they made it half size for $8, I'd be more likely to get it.

I'll be in Chicago next month on the 5th, which is a Saturday night. I absolutely love Blackbird and have really wanted to try Avec since I started reading about it on this forum. Any advice for getting in without a long wait on a Saturday? Is it impossible? I'm staying on Superior just off Michigan with my fiance. Would I be better off sticking to a place in that area that take reservations, like Merlo, Cafe Spiaggia, Frontera Grill (even though I'm aware of their limited reservations) or even Bistro 110?

Thanks,
Tim

ndgbucktown wrote:And now, the heavy hitters of the evening: goose sausage with lentils, cipollinis, and apples (just fantastic):

NGD,

Now that we have a little snow on the ground goose sausage w/lentils sounds ever so appealing.

Enjoy,
Gary

tmccarthy wrote:I'll be in Chicago next month on the 5th, which is a Saturday night. I absolutely love Blackbird and have really wanted to try Avec since I started reading about it on this forum. Any advice for getting in without a long wait on a Saturday? Is it impossible? I'm staying on Superior just off Michigan with my fiance. Would I be better off sticking to a place in that area that take reservations, like Merlo, Cafe Spiaggia, Frontera Grill (even though I'm aware of their limited reservations) or even Bistro 110?

Thanks,
Tim

Tim --

With the exception of engineering what time you go, the best thing you can do to avoid a long wait at Avec, in my opinion, is to go solo or in a party of two -- it's just easier for them to shoehorn one or two in considering that there's no standard table type there that might allow more flexibility for parties of greater than two. So it sounds as if you already have an advantage in that you'll presumably be in a party of two. That aside, your best bet for a short wait is to go before 7 or after 10. But even in the 7-10 time frame, I suspect you could possibly have a relatively short wait if you are willing to sit at first available between the bar (my personal preference anyway) and a table. Finally, I suspect that the first Saturday after the holiday season is not a big eating out weekend (but that's just my gut feeling -- no empirical evidence or even any good observational evidence to back it up), so you potentially have that going for you as well.

I was just in on Monday night. The veal breast has become a beef brisket. The brisket is good, but I much preferred the veal breast.

Also, the current pork shoulder preparation is out of control delicious.

Thanks for the response, Matt. I think you just talked me into going to Avec and taking my chances, not that you had to twist my arm.

G Wiv wrote:Now that we have a little snow on the ground goose sausage w/lentils sounds ever so appealing.

Just an FYI to anyone who might be going looking specifically for this dish, it was not on the menu last night. It seems to have been replaced (at least for now) with a duck leg confit with frisee and roasted sweet potato, parsnips and brussels sprouts, which I thought was excellent. Also -- agreed with Josh on the deliciousness of the pork shoulder.

The pork shoulder was one of my favorite dishes, but I found the beef brisket to be equally wonderful.

Darren72 wrote:The pork shoulder was one of my favorite dishes, but I found the beef brisket to be equally wonderful.

If you thought the brisket was equally wonderful, you should have tried it when it was veal breast...

jesteinf wrote:

Darren72 wrote:The pork shoulder was one of my favorite dishes, but I found the beef brisket to be equally wonderful.

If you thought the brisket was equally wonderful, you should have tried it when it was veal breast...

Sorry if my post wasn't clear (I was in a rush ... ). I was basically just saying that I like the new beef brisket and the pork shoulder. I am pretty sure I had the veal breast at some point also, but don't remember it as fondly as some of their other dishes.

On special at Avec last night as a large plate was a housemade saffron fettuccine with roasted cauliflower and shallots, parmesan, chives and Himalayan truffle (which I believe is just a fancy term for Chinese black truffle). Sounds like a lot going on, I know, but everything came together wonderfully and I found it outstanding. Really good, toothsome, noodles and a wonderful mix of savory flavors with the roasted cauliflower and parmesan.

It came off the chalkboard at around 7:45, though, so you might not have much luck if you go there late looking for it (assuming it is in the regular rotation for the time being).

My fiancee and I went to Avec last night (Saturday). It lived up to all expectations, except it was even more reasonably priced than I thought it would be. We had 3 small plates, the highlight being the chorizo stuffed dates, and 1 large plate, the pork shoulder. Everything was very, very good, including the service and the company. I really enjoyed the communal seating. It's fun to be around so many other people who enjoy and appreciate food so much. Chef Kahan was in the house as well. He was sitting at the bar and acting as maitre d, and even opened the door for us on our way out. I recognized him and told him how wonderful our experiences were at both Avec and Blackbird. He seemed to really appreciated the kind words.

On another note, our server told us that Chef Kahan's gastropub is scheduled to open in March. I think she said it will be in the 1000 block of West Fulton. I can't wait. Thanks to everyone here for the recommendations.

We were in the area around 4:30pm yesterday and thought we'd pop into Avec for a bit. There were about 10 other diners there. It was an excellent experience.

We started with the whipped brandade, which is a favorite of mine.

Then we ordered a plate of the famous pata negro jamon Iberico. It was $25 for 2oz (i.e. $200/lbs). (My feeling is that they gave us more than 2oz). It was wonderful!

Then we tried the roasted whitefish 'galician style', a really nice pan roasted piece of fish topped with a sauce made from smoked paprika, bacon, garlic and white wine, with diced, roasted celery root. This, along with the brisket, are listed as "small plates" but are actually quite substantial. At $11, this may be the best deal in the city.

Darren72 wrote:Then we tried the roasted whitefish 'galician style', a really nice pan roasted piece of fish topped with a sauce made from smoked paprika, bacon, garlic and white wine, with diced, roasted celery root.

Had the Roasted whitefish 'galician style' last evening and was particularly taken by the crisp skin enhanced by a last second sprinkle of sea salt. Saffron fettuccine, standard on the menu with cod, which I am assuming means salt cod (bacalao), last night sardines were substituted which really bounced up the flavor.

My favorite bite of the evening, aside from the small taste of pata negra we sampled, a benefit of sitting at the two kitchen view bar stools, was the gratis olive oil served with warm bread. Not the standard, if one can call anything at Avec standard, Spanish olive oil typically served, but oil ladled from the crock of olives bathing in garlic, citrus peel and hot pepper flakes at the end of the bar.

Avec, Blackbird and for that matter, Meiji were oddly empty 9pm Monday. Erling, the genial, though focused, fellow wielding the tongs said it was quite unusual and reminded him of Super Bowl Sunday (I wonder if he knows Mike G).

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Avec, Blackbird and for that matter, Meiji were oddly empty 9pm Monday. Erling, the genial, though focused, fellow wielding the tongs said it was quite unusual and reminded him of Super Bowl Sunday (I wonder if he knows Mike G).

Enjoy,
Gary

It kind of was like Superbowl Sunday last night with the Championship game between Ohio St. and LSU. Probably accounts for the emptiness.

Had my nice camera along for dinner tonight.

Galacian-style roasted whitefish:



The famous bacon-wrapped madjool dates:





Oven-roasted pork shoulder ribollita:





And a very nice grapeleaf-pesto and white anchovy pizza (great crust):



Sadly, they were out of jamon iberico.

Nice photos, ngd! I need to get back to Avec soon.

I was at Avec last night and partook in the uber-trendy Jamon Iberico (priced at $25 for about 10 slices). Of course, it was fantastic. I was at the chef's table for part of the time where the hunk of jamon sat inches from me on the meat slicer for most the night. If only I had a bigger purse . . . (kidding).

Thanks to UE who posted the news over on eG.

Koren Grieveson of Avec has been named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2008. Well deserved!

This place is great. My wife and I dine there last week. I will become a regular if the food stays good. The pork shoulder was fabulous and so was the madjool dates. I also loved the duck sausage. Can anyone recommend the next dish I should try?

urbanpln wrote:This place is great. My wife and I dine there last week. I will become a regular if the food stays good. The pork shoulder was fabulous and so was the madjool dates. I also loved the duck sausage. Can anyone recommend the next dish I should try?

I'm always surprised how great and vibrant her salads are. Last time I had a grilled raddichio salad that was so flavor packed it was a stand out of the dinner. The crostinis are also always great.

I always try to have something from the specials board. I figure those things are fresh and won't be around long

Avec has always been one of my favorite casual dining destinations in the city, and based upon a few recent meals, Avec is probably one of the best overall restaurants in Chicago. The highlight from my meal on Thursday was the wood fired pizza with favas (crushed in a falafel-like manner), smoked sardines, arugula, tarragon and eggs (sunny side up in the middle, and fried pieces throughout). I'm not a big smoked sardines fan, but this pizza was a knockout and a stunning combination of flavors, not to mention a perfect crust in terms of both chew and flavor.

It's loud, I don't like waiting, and I'm not necessarily a fan of communal dining . . . and yet, I love Avec.