I was at the University Club this evening where Chef Tony Bourdain has just spoke.
The question was asked where had he dined in Chicago the prior night, he mentioned AVEC.

As I’m heading out of the Loop on Randolph, what do I pass but avec and there is a parking spot 20’ from the restaurant. Fate for sure, so I park.

The restaurant is small, communal style seating. Looks like a large sauna room, all wood with no art. Rear wall of restaurant is composed of the bottoms of green wine bottles. Seating for about 50 people.

Seating is available at the bar, it is busy this Wednesday night, only a few bar chairs left.

Started out with a special of Heirloom tomatoes & burata cheese. Seeing as this is the last hurrah for real ripe tomatoes I chose this dish. Tomatoes were sweet and delicious, burata cheese is like a mozzarella but slightly stronger tasting, and creamy in the center, sortof like a brie. Great dish.

Next were the chorizo stuffed medjool dates wrapped with smoked bacon in a piquillo pepper sauce. AWESOME! Sauce was not needed but was delicious as I sopped it up with my just baked bread.

The wood oven roasted port shoulder with green chili sofrito was the main entrée. Pork was so flavorful and tender. Served with sugared pickled garlic. A good dish.

avec has many cheeses to choose from, including some raw milk cheeses. Enjoyed the cow’s milk gorgonzola, raw cow’s milk mahon semi curado and the raw sheeps milk farmstand idiazabal. Gorganzola was my fave but all were good.

Had a Portugese red, Vinha da Palestra.

It appeared that avec has its own cured meats, the guy next to me had a plate that reminded me of Salumi in Seattle.

avec
615 W Randolph
Chicago
312.377.2002
http://www.avecrestaurant.com

Open daily at 3:30pm till 1am on Fri & Sat, till midnight Mon-Thurs, & till 10pm on Sun

Truly an awesome restaurant, was there with a party of four the other night and we sampled at least a dozen dishes. All were excellent.

Can get very crowded though, best to go midweek, waiting times can be very long on Friday or Saturday

Chef Koren Grieveson of Avec won this year's James Beard Foundations Best Chef Great Lakes award.

I do love Avec...

Avec is one of the best restaurants in Chicago, IMHO. I think their prices are also quite reasonable and they have a great selection of lesser known European wines, especially Spanish and Portuguese.

For those who want to plan ahead for a night in the Loop, Blackbird, Avec's sister restaurant next door, is just as awesome and takes reservations, whereas Avec does not. The menu is contemporary American as opposed to Mediterranean, but the quality and experience is equal to Avec, IMHO.

Plus, Blackbird holds a special place in my heart for being the place that introduced me to Picolo cheese by Andante Dairy, by far the best and most balanced cheese I've had in all my cheese course experiences!

Went to Avec last night. I'd agree on all counts here - I'll definetely be back.

We waited only about fifteen minutes for a table for two at about 7.15PM. The place was packed though as was the waiting area out front.

We had brunch at The Publican in the West Loop yesterday (another sister property to avec) and enjoyed it very much. The thick-cut (about 3/4" thick) bacon was an epiphony.