4 /5 David Stone: My experience at Avec was decidedly mixed.
Some dishes were great. Some were just fine. Wines by glass were surprisingly mediocre for a spot with such pedigree in the grape juice. Service was friendly, but I also had to wait a while—at least 20min—past my reservation for my solo spot to be ready at the bar, while many larger tables that entered after were seated before me.
Though this also sums up how I felt about the experience. Avec—as the name implies—really feels best made for others. The menu is largely small plates designed (and priced) for sharing—though, the one big plate I got was the standout (more below).
As a solo diner, its a solid experience, with substantial bar style seating in a cozy setting. That said, the stools were hard wood and among the least comfortable Ive experienced. Back to the group focused pricing—this was one of the most expensive meals Ive had in Chicago, and while much of the food was very good, none compared with the best Ive had in the city either.
Some highlights: charred broccoli was a very nice blend of flavors, though also the smallest and priciest of the small plates I tried; bacon wrapped dates were an interesting balance of salty, sweet and spicy—while i loved the poblano sauce, the spiciness also overpowered the sweetness of the dates a bit (and its a huge dish—four chorizo stuffed dates then wrapped in bacon for the full dish); and the branzino was excellent, crispy outside, juicy inside, with a slightly tangy-sweet habanero sauce that was unexpected and absolutely delicious.
Hummus was fine, just run of the mill for hummus, but huge. One order would be plenty for a group of 4, let alone 1.
I tried two desserts: one was superb, one was forgettable.
The superb: they swapped a vibrant concord grape/mint sorbet for the ice cream in their afagato (super accommodating to allergies)—with a gingerbread man cookie that brought all the nostalgia of homemade cookie sheets, with all the ginger sweet warmth you could want. Sorbet was bright, zesty and refreshing. Really nice mix of flavor. Though I can only imagine the richness and vanilla of the ice cream version would be just as great.
Coulda passed on the Nutter Butter square though. It looks nice and all, but a bit bland to my taste, especially compared to the sorbet.
Ultimately, Avecs a decent spot tossing out high quality dishes with a wide tasting selection for a group to share, but the value doesnt match the price, especially in a city with so much variety of flavor to be had these days.