Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
842 W. Randolph St. & 312/563-1224. www.sushiwabi.com. Reservations recom-
mended. Main courses $12-$30. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm;
Sun-Tues 5-11pm; Wed-Sat 5pm-midnight.
MODERATE
Avec MEDITERRANEAN A casual wine bar owned by Chef
Paul Kahan of neighboring Blackbird (p. 57), Avec keeps things sim-
ple: top-quality ingredients in simple preparations that take inspira-
tion from Italian, French, and Spanish cuisines. The menu focuses
on a variety of “small plates” meant for sharing (although there are
always five or six entree-size offerings as well). This focus on com-
munal dining is reflected in the restaurant's design; the long, narrow
dining room, with its wood walls and floors, will strike you as either
cramped or cozy.
The small plates include salads and upscale appetizer-style dishes
such as smoked lamb and quail brochettes; dates stuffed with chorizo
sausage; and spicy meatballs with Spanish rice and chickpeas. Large
plates feature seasonal ingredients and tend to be heartier (pork
shoulder or pappardelle with wild mushrooms, for example).
Whether you like the tight quarters or not, Avec has become a late-
night hangout for local chefs and sommeliers—so they must be
doing something right.
615 W. Randolph St. & 312/377-2002. Reservations not accepted. Small plates
$5-$12; large plates $15-$20. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 3:30pm-midnight;
Fri-Sat 3:30pm-1am; Sun 3:30pm-10pm.
INEXPENSIVE
Wishbone BREAKFAST & BRUNCH/CAJUN & CRE-
OLE/SOUTHERN One of my best friends—a transplanted
Chicagoan who now lives in New York—always has one request
when she comes back to town: dinner at Wishbone. It's that kind of
place; a down-home, casual spot that inspires intense loyalty (even if
the food is only good rather than outstanding).
Known for Southern food and big-appetite breakfasts, Wishbone's
extensive, reasonably priced menu blends hearty, home-style choices
with healthy and vegetarian items. Brunch is the 'Bone's claim to
fame, when an eclectic crowd of bedheads pack in for the plump and
tasty salmon cakes, omelets, and red eggs (a lovely mess of tortillas,
black beans, cheese, scallions, chile-ancho sauce, salsa, and sour
cream). However, brunch at Wishbone can be a mob scene, so I sug-
gest lunch or dinner; offerings include “yardbird” (charbroiled
chicken with sweet red-pepper sauce), blackened catfish, and hoppin'
Kids
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