Reviewed by Danny Walker
My Fine Dining Standard – Avec (Chicago) *New Standard*
Visited: Late Saturday Night (3/16/2008)
Location: 615 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60606 (Map)(Link)
Phone: 312-377-2002
Fine dining goes late night with a unique menu of small and large plates offering options for everyone at a lower cost than most fine dining restaurants.
Deeper Insights:
After flying into Chicago for a business trip, my team was looking for quality food late at night – after midnight. Avec was suggested by a local foodie website, and we were not disappointed. Upon arrival, a patron was outside for a smoke break and raved about Avec’s greatness and that it was the perfect place for late night eats.
The staff at Avec is very welcoming and accommodating – immediately upon entering, they took our coats and seated us. The menu is divided into small and large plates and is served in a tapas manner with the table sharing each item. With food that is leaps and bounds better than your typical 24-hour diner (sorry, Denny’s) and a more relaxed and wallet-friendly environment than most fine dining restaurants, Avec is a fabulous restaurant and an idea that hopefully pops up elsewhere (like L.A.).
Its sister restaurant Blackbird is located right next door and after enjoying Avec, I am eager to eat there when next in Chicago.
Breakdown:
Attitude: Laid back fine dining.
Crowd: Predominantly restaurant workers dining after work.
Décor: Sleek wood paneling and seating creates a hip environment, while not making it feel like a log cabin.
Dress: Casual hip – collared shirts, designer Ts, nicer jeans, slacks.
Drinks: Deep wine list (about 125 bottles) with samplings from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. Various beers also available on tap and in bottle.
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 3:30 p.m. to midnight. Bar closes at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday: 3:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Bar closes at 3am. Sunday: 3:30 p.m. to 10pm. Bar closes at midnight.
Line: After midnight, we were seated right away, but it gets pretty crowded on Friday and Saturday nights, which could cause a wait.
Music: Variety of music ranging from old school hip-hop to alternative country. Varied in genre more and more as the night went along.
Order to Service: 15 minutes, though some plates come out quicker than others.
Parking: No parking specifically for the restaurant. Most people take cabs or public transportation, as we did.
Payment Options: All major credit cards accepted.
People Watching: An older attractive crowd consisting mostly of restaurant workers.
Reservations: Does not take reservations.
Seating: Wood booths (a half dozen or so) with wood tables (and chairs facing the booths) line the length of the rectangular restaurant. There are also 8 stools at the bar.
Service: Everyone is very personable and helpful with pairing wines and recommending the more exotic beers.
Smoking: Patio smoking outside only.
Take-out: No.
TVs: No.
Water: Free.
What I Ate:
House-Marinated Mediterranean Olives (Assortment of seeded and seedless olives): Pretty straight-forward and a good amount for four of us to snack on while waiting for the rest of our meal. $5
Cider-braised Beef Short Rib (with curried carrots, golden raisins and pecan vinaigrette): This boneless short rib is so moist that it pretty much falls apart and melts in your mouth. The vinaigrette is sweet and tasty giving great flavor to the carrots. $12.50
Crispy Duckleg Confit (with sweet potato-parsnip hash, chili, pickled mushrooms and frisse): Having never had duck before, I was a little reluctant to try this, but upon tasting it, I was sold. The vegetables combined with the duck created a nice sweet flavor that you don’t often find with chicken. $12
Wood-fired Pizza (with housemade cotechino sausage, roasted garlic, oregano and parmesan): Less adventurous than other plates, but more accessible for all taste buds, this pizza tasted like a really good pizza with a fine dining flair on the ingredients. $15
House-made crispy dark and milk Chocolate: A perfect dessert for multiple people as it gives you delicious dark and milk chocolate (with crisps) in the form of thin wafers.
The staff at Avec is very welcoming and accommodating – immediately upon entering, they took our coats and seated us. The menu is divided into small and large plates and is served in a tapas manner with the table sharing each item. With food that is leaps and bounds better than your typical 24-hour diner (sorry, Denny’s) and a more relaxed and wallet-friendly environment than most fine dining restaurants, Avec is a fabulous restaurant and an idea that hopefully pops up elsewhere (like L.A.).
Its sister restaurant Blackbird is located right next door and after enjoying Avec, I am eager to eat there when next in Chicago.
Breakdown:
Attitude: Laid back fine dining.
Crowd: Predominantly restaurant workers dining after work.
Décor: Sleek wood paneling and seating creates a hip environment, while not making it feel like a log cabin.
Dress: Casual hip – collared shirts, designer Ts, nicer jeans, slacks.
Drinks: Deep wine list (about 125 bottles) with samplings from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. Various beers also available on tap and in bottle.
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 3:30 p.m. to midnight. Bar closes at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday: 3:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Bar closes at 3am. Sunday: 3:30 p.m. to 10pm. Bar closes at midnight.
Line: After midnight, we were seated right away, but it gets pretty crowded on Friday and Saturday nights, which could cause a wait.
Music: Variety of music ranging from old school hip-hop to alternative country. Varied in genre more and more as the night went along.
Order to Service: 15 minutes, though some plates come out quicker than others.
Parking: No parking specifically for the restaurant. Most people take cabs or public transportation, as we did.
Payment Options: All major credit cards accepted.
People Watching: An older attractive crowd consisting mostly of restaurant workers.
Reservations: Does not take reservations.
Seating: Wood booths (a half dozen or so) with wood tables (and chairs facing the booths) line the length of the rectangular restaurant. There are also 8 stools at the bar.
Service: Everyone is very personable and helpful with pairing wines and recommending the more exotic beers.
Smoking: Patio smoking outside only.
Take-out: No.
TVs: No.
Water: Free.
What I Ate:
House-Marinated Mediterranean Olives (Assortment of seeded and seedless olives): Pretty straight-forward and a good amount for four of us to snack on while waiting for the rest of our meal. $5
Cider-braised Beef Short Rib (with curried carrots, golden raisins and pecan vinaigrette): This boneless short rib is so moist that it pretty much falls apart and melts in your mouth. The vinaigrette is sweet and tasty giving great flavor to the carrots. $12.50Crispy Duckleg Confit (with sweet potato-parsnip hash, chili, pickled mushrooms and frisse): Having never had duck before, I was a little reluctant to try this, but upon tasting it, I was sold. The vegetables combined with the duck created a nice sweet flavor that you don’t often find with chicken. $12
Wood-fired Pizza (with housemade cotechino sausage, roasted garlic, oregano and parmesan): Less adventurous than other plates, but more accessible for all taste buds, this pizza tasted like a really good pizza with a fine dining flair on the ingredients. $15
House-made crispy dark and milk Chocolate: A perfect dessert for multiple people as it gives you delicious dark and milk chocolate (with crisps) in the form of thin wafers.
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