Avec

Chorizo-stuffed bacon wrapped dates

We went to dinner at Avec in the West Loop. It is a related restaurant to Blackbird, which we ate at a couple of years ago. They are located right next to each other.  Avec is a little more casual than Blackbird and it doesn't accept reservations so we went there on an evening when we knew we could get there early enough not to wait. Avec has also been featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network.

Charred Cauliflower

Charred Cauliflower with tabbouleh, oranges, radish, green olive and tahini - really great dish and we liked that it was an amazing vegetarian option. The tabbouleh wasn't overly bitter like it can sometimes get and this was offset by the smokiness of the cauliflower. We would love to be able to make something like this at home.  Great combination of flavors.

Summer squash with shishito peppers

Charred Summer Squash with shishito peppers, almonds, mint and feta - we have very similar feelings about the squash dish as we did the cauliflower dish.  Another great vegetarian dish with unique flavors. The peppers weren't too hot so it was a mild dish.

Chorizo-stuffed medjool dates with bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce - basically this is their version of bacon wrapped dates.  They are just a lot larger than regular bacon wrapped dates because they are stuffed with chorizo. Because of the chorizo and the pepper sauce these were quite spicy but super tasty.  They said this dish was their most popular and this is the dish that had been featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

Papardelle pasta

Pappardalle pasta with mushroom bolognese, pine nuts and cheese - another great option (and again vegetarian).  Although when we ate this, the mushroom were so "meaty" in texture they almost felt like meat but then we remembered they were mushrooms.

Parmesan pound cake with roasted apples and candied pine nuts - intriguing flavor with a cheesy touch to it. It was very good and seasonal but very dense as well. Perhaps a whipped cream could have offset the denseness a bit and warmed apples would have been nice.

Parmesan Pound Cake with apples and pine nuts

Gelato - we meant to order the sorbet but got the gelato instead.  Nothing overly exciting.

Cookies and cream gelato

Final thoughts on Avec:
Food - we loved all of the savory dishes.  Nick loved the dates and Natalie loved the squash and cauliflower.
Service - we sat at the bar and probably got faster service this way but it also caused us the mixup with the sorbet/gelato.

Atmosphere - another rustic yet modern restaurant (like Wood). All wood tables and bar area. It is smaller in size than you might expect and the tables are communal so you could be seated right next to people you don't know at busy times.