avec River North - Chicago
From One Off Hospitality, the restaurant group that brought you such Chicago classics as Blackbird, Publican and avec, comes avec River North, specializing in sophisticated yet casual Mediterranean-influenced cuisine. Some dishes carry over from the avec on Randolph -- including the perennially popular chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates -- but the new location has inspired innovative and marvelously delicious dishes you're going to like.
Among the must-try small plate options at avec River North are the wood oven roasted oysters with mango and chive as well as the wild Mexican prawns with rose petal shatta, pan-roasted Arctic char with ras el hanout, and the potato and salted cod brandade. All are beautiful little platters that start dinner off in style...and that provide the right nibbles for paring with one of avec River North's excellent wine selections.
For large plates, we strongly encourage you to consider the slow-roasted pork shoulder with piri piri broth, bulgar wheat, clams and smoked yogurt; the whole roasted fish with spicy Moroccan sauce, mussels, new potatoes and grilled merguez sausage; and the charred cauliflower shakshuka with couscous, tahini and ezme.
Before diving into the desserts, consider pausing for a cheese course. avec River North offers some delectable cheeses, including Crown Finish Caves' "carpenter's wheel," an earthy, semi-firm goat cheese, and the fruity, buttery Uplands Cheese Company's Pleasant Ridge Reserve. To enhance these cheeses, it's a good idea to ask for accompaniments of honey comb, apricot jam and onion jam, condiments that bring out the unique flavors of these excellent cheeses.
For dessert, check out the affogato with espresso and vanilla shortbread; the nutter butter squares (when's the last time you had one of these?) and mango cardamom sorbet.
There are a half-dozen exceptional teas from Rare Tea Cellar, though you'd be forgiven for opting for something a little, um, stronger, like one of the select bourbons or tequilas, or a glass from avec River North's extensive wine list.
