Miles, Menus & Mary: Avec

Mondays. In French, the word "mon" means mine. So sometimes you have to think of Mondays as "my day" and treat yourself to an exquisite meal with fancy friends.

This past Monday, my two friends (Will & Susannah) and I ventured to Avec, a Mediterranean small plates restaurant owned by the same management as Blackbird. The restaurant is very small in square-feet but quaint nonetheless. Wood paneling in the interior creates a rather cozy vibe and the tables are seated in close groups where you may share a table with complete strangers. The small size of the dining room allows for intimate conversations with good friends. If you take a date here, I recommend you make sure there are no better-looking, eligible bachelors/bachelorettes at the table you are about to be seated at... Haha.

Now for the food.

All the reviews I came across before the meal were raving descriptions of the chorizo-stuffed medjool dates. I am happy to report that they are indeed phenomenal. The dates are wrapped in savory bacon and served in zesty tomato sauce. Even Susannah, who doesn't particularly care for dates, enjoyed them. A must-order at this restaurant.

The octopus plate was crisp and refreshing. Combining the seafood flavors with ruby red grapefruit and fresh mint provided a sharp, citrusy taste to an otherwise stereotypical roasting of octopus. The plate was very well prepared and is a definite order for any octopus-fanatic. The squid plate was also fantastic. The squid and tripe with fideo pasta was interesting and unique. Until this plate, I had never tasted squid ink aioli. I am happy to report that it is delicious and I definitely recommend it to the culinary adventurous individual. Steering away from the seafood and onto the red meat, the Butcher's steak was paired perfectly with the strong flavor of blue cheese crumbles. The crisp kale decoration added a necessary crunch to the plate as well as a green element to an otherwise meaty dish. The incorporation of pistachios on the Merguez sausage pizza brought a contrasting texture to the softness of the melted feta cheese adorning the pizza and the aroma filled the restaurant, attracting the attention of many nearby diners.

My favorite large plate was the wood oven paella which combined the delicious flavors of chicken, seafood and a hint of fruit into a single dish. The paella was cooked perfectly and provided a background to the various ingredients namely the mussels and the chicken pieces, both of which were lightly flavored with citrus. The perfect large plate to share for a group that cannot decide between poultry and seafood. It gives you both!

For dessert, we ordered a selection of options but my favorite was the chocolate-ricotta mousse. It ws topped with crushed raspberries which provided a fantastic compliment to the richness of the mousse. I am typically adverse to whipped cream but the orlorosso whipped cream added a creaminess to the chocolate-ricotta mousse that I would have missed if I had simply spooned it out. So delicious it's borderline dangerous.

Small plates are amazing. They allow diners to share and try multiple dishes, bringing friends together through shared culinary experiences. Avec is the perfect restaurant to visit with great friends.

Jinny Fleischman once said, "A meal is the whole experience of getting together and sharing food with friends. It is more than food." I definitely agree and am so thankful that I had the opportunity to dine with such loving and amazing people (Will & Suz, that's you guys!). The word 'Avec' in French means 'with' and I could not imagine dining here with anyone nearly as awesome as you two.

Mary