avec Restaurant — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

When I asked 3 Chicagoan friends where I should eat in Chicago, the only place they all recommended was avec. The menu didn't immediately captivate me, but when I saw someone posted a photo and rave review of the focaccia online, I decided I had to try it out for myself. I wish that I could give more than five stars because honestly this was one of the best meals I've had in a long time.

We started out with a couple of brunch cocktails. I got the Eclipse, which is a passion fruit mezcal cocktail. The fruity, sweet, and alcohol flavors were very well balanced -- this was one of the best cocktails I've had in a while.

We then got a half order of the dates with chorizo and bacon which was $12 for two. They are quite big and look like meatballs. The dates had good flavors and textures, but I would say that everything else I got was better than this.

We then got the focaccia with a smoked salmon add-on (+$12) and oh my gosh this was the best thing ever. It's huge and magnificent and it just melted in my mouth. It's the perfect balance of a very light truffle flavor and flaky buttery layers. I don't even know what this is or how you can make such a thing, but it was just mind-blowing. I don't usually like heavy things but it was so easy for me to keep downing more and more pieces of this thing. The smoked salmon and fresh herbs paired perfectly with the focaccia (it wasn't too salty, which I appreciated). This was such a magnificent dish and was incredibly filling -- by the time we were halfway through the focaccia we were already feeling quite full but alas we had already ordered another dish.

We finally got the pizza with potato and guanciale. It looked beautiful and tasted even better. Every element was masterfully Incorporated and melted together. It's like the perfect breakfast pizza. The egg almost looked and felt like a cheese but it was had a perfectly runny yolk in the middle and just laid perfectly on the bread. The salsa verde added freshness and flavor and that the guanciale was hiding in there but added the savory flavor. The potatoes added some textual contrast and soaked up the flavors and the bread was so chewy and delightful. Even though I was impossibly full I had to eat everything down to the crusts.

In conclusion, I think we would have been fine just getting one focaccia and an appetizer for 2 people. We ended up spending around $120 before tip for two people which included the drinks.

This was the best brunch I've ever had in my life. I would absolutely come back to Chicago just to visit avec. The service was great -- the servers gave great recommendations and checked on us quite often (we were seated at the counter). The seating options were communal table seating or bar seating, which maximizes the use of their small space. It was a really lovely experience and I am dreaming of...

I had heard so many good things about this place!! And it totally lived up to the hype. The restaurant is striking in appearance with a long rectangular and narrow shape with a long bar on one side and row of tables on the other.

For two people, they recommended 2 small dishes and 1 large dish. Sontra took our order and was so sweet and helpful, she could tell we wanted to try more things and so asked for 1/2 orders of certain dishes so we could have more!

The medjool dates were a standout with a beautiful tomato sauce, and nice rich chorizo inside. This is a must if you come here.

The kale hummus was so unique and full of amazing textures, also a must!!! It was covered in crispy crunchy fried shallots, and the cubes of cheese on top were soft and were not too tangy (they were a perfect complement). The pita and bread were fantastic for soaking up all the extra sauce.

The cabbage came with a beautiful dill sauce, it could have been softer or more cooked through but the flavor was delicious.

The pork shoulder was unreal, super soft and moist, falling apart. The saffron orzo was such a beautiful flavor I could not get enough of, and with the greens on top added that freshness and lightness to the dish. Flavors went amazing together. The clams were a really nice addition that seemed natural paired with it.

We were too full for dessert and couldn’t finish everything! So Sontra boxed it up for us and even included two small bites of brownie as a treat. We were so thankful!

The other patrons were raving about the food and it was bustling!! I would recommend this spot to a group of 6 to be able to sample more dishes and not get too full. Additionally, the table seating was more amenable to larger groups. The bar makes sense for 2 people so good spot for dates as well. Somewhat tight quarters inside and you do have to squeeze in the walkway so maybe not ideal for anyone claustrophobic or with mobility issues!

All in all I will be recommending the place to as many people as...

I’m torn about this review. The food was excellent but there was a disconnect between what I thought I was ordering and what came to the table. First was the potato and cod brandade. It was delicious but not what I expected. Admittedly, I didn’t know what a brandade is (I should have googled), but Avec being a Mediterranean restaurant, I thought I’d be getting pieces of cod with pieces of potato, perhaps in a deconstructed potato salad style, with a squeeze of lemon, maybe capers, maybe red onion. But what it is reads more like a fondue. A brandade is an emulsion of cod, potato and olive oil, served with crostini. Except a hot fondue like dish just seems wintery for a hot July night, and the crostini was actually slices of bread. Lovely bread, but crostini it was not. It was a delicious dish but something more suited for a fall or wintertime meal. They kindly took it off my bill. Then there was the rotisserie chicken shawarma. Again, the chicken was delicious and moist/juicy, with skin covered in a beautiful crust of spices. But chicken shwarma it was not. It’s more aptly described as rotisserie chicken with pita - four generous pieces of chicken, but not sliced up or shredded in the shawarma style, served with two piping hot pitas. With little plate real estate to carve a rotisserie chicken, and no fixings for a shwarma except for picked peppers and two sauces, it fell far short of the shawarma I expected. The Greek wine I ordered was excellent (the wine list is extensive). The cherry and beet salad on smoked yogurt I had was a perfect high-summer dish - it was lovely. The service was attentive and gracious. But sadly, I was disappointed overall by the meal. Again, the food is all excellent but just fell short of what I expected I was getting when i ordered. One selection was partly my oversight, but the shawarma was not. And I had great anticipation for Avec.

You should go. It’s really worth a visit. Just give your selection a critical eye, and maybe ask...