Chicago: Where to Eat: Quick Break: Avec

Avec

Situated next door to Blackbird and owned by Paul Kahan, Avec is a local favorite for its creative cuisine; it’s also tiny, narrow and cramped, with wooden tables packed together and a communal atmosphere. Open from 3:30 to midnight (Friday and Saturday till 1 a.m.), it offers a choice of mouthwatering small plates (crispy chicken with spicy harissa, braised chickpeas, squash and cilantro; chorizo-stuffed Madjool dates) or large ones (saffron fettuccine with poached cod, cauliflower, pine nuts and lemon; pizza with grape-leaf pesto and white anchovy) prepared by chef Koren Grieveson. There’s also a wide selection of wines and fourteen artisanal cheeses.