Five Reasons to Love Chicago Restaurant Avec

Over the holiday break I returned home to central Illinois, where the ground is flat and the culture non-existent. I exaggerate, but there is a kernel of truth to the latter part of that statement. As much as I love going home, it's more to see family and old friends, enjoy my parents' farm and the wide-open spaces of it all, etc., not, unfortunately, to experience Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture (hey, someone should make a magazine about that stuff!).

That being said, when I'm home and the crew wants to see a great concert or eat at an excellent restaurant, we generally head north to Chicago or south to St. Louis. This holiday break, we experienced the casual elegance of an establishment called Avec. If you're ever in the Windy City and in the need of some fine dining, I'd suggest you check it out. Here are a few reasons why:

The wooden interior (see above, or here)
Walking into Avec is a little overwhelming. The doorway opens right into the bar, and, since they don't take reservations, you're likely to bump into some folks waiting for a table (as you will be soon), depending on the time. But it's also a little awe-inspiring in that you feel like you're inside a log cabin (or, alternately, a tree). The interior is refreshingly unlike any other restaurant I've visited.

A Belgian beer list that will make Belgian beer fans blush
Unfortunately, Avec's beer list is not available online (unlike its menu and wine list), but as a fan of Belgian beers, I can honestly say that I hadn't heard of a single one on it. I basically just closed my eyes and pointed each time I chose something, and the results were wonderful. I just wish I could remember the names of what I had now.

The dates
Before entering Avec, I'm not sure that I had ever actually eaten a date. Even if I had, it would not have been like this. Stuffed with chorizo sausage, wrapped in bacon and resting in a savory piquillo pepper tomato sauce, the dates were a favorite of our table.

Avec is down the street from Blackbird
Granted, it doesn't make much sense to use this as a "reason to love" necessarily, but Avec's sister restaurant is also quite excellent. Located just a couple doors down, Blackbird deserves its own List of the Day post altogether, which I'll be happy to provide following my next visit.

The foccacia
This "deluxe" focaccia was shaped kind of like a rectangular pizza, filled with taleggio cheese and embellished with fresh herbs and truffle oil. Another big favorite of our table. "It's the reason I work here," our waitress gushed immediately before we put in two orders of it.

All this without going into detail on the pork shoulder, the wines, the friendly, nonchalant hipness of the staff, and more. Just go!