OH BOY, WHAT A RESTAURANT (CHICAGO, PART ONE)

It didn’t take long for us to realize Avec, a skinny storefront of a restaurant on West Randolph Street in Chicago, was firing on all cylinders. The place was packed on packed and servers were shimmying with amazing efficiency along the sliver of an aisle between the long row of bench-like tables and the dining bar. But the plates, the plates sporting modest price tags and charismatic flavors, beguiled.

A bunch of us spent this past long weekend eating in Chicago. We went to some hoity-toity spots (Tru, Avenues, Blackbird) and some humble-eats places (a smoked-fishes shack, pizza, hot dogs), but Avec, a cross between humble and haute, snatched my heart. It reminded me of Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York (in fact, I suspect Ssam Bar’s design pays homage to Avec’s understated wood-modern décor) in spirit and style. The food was mesmerizing.

Creamy parsnip and hot-feisty horseradish crostini had a vivid flavor pulse. Chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and surrounded by a piquillo-tomato puree touched every taste bud. A simple chicken thigh, so crispy, so energized by its marinade, was set off by a confit of complementing elements: potato, apple, garlic – all in a super-eggy mayo. The crowning glory? A juicy-crunchy splay of skatewing on the bone with a rush of accents – curry, preserved tomatoes, cilantro, lime.

The plates at Avec come with flourishes of herbs. As our new best friends (Avec regulars, from Oak Park) sitting next to us at the communal table noted, herbs are used as vegetables. Refreshing.

Anyway, I’ll talk more about Chicago grub later this week. What/where did you eat while I was away?

Cheers,
Andy
3.12.07