Avec River North

Avec River North uses its hearth for more than bread. The dinner menu moves from chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates and Taleggio focaccia to baked calamari with merguez ragù, roasted garlic aioli and Calabrian chile breadcrumbs. The oven gives the small plates a shared point of reference even as the ingredients range around the Mediterranean.

Heat and contrast

The current chickpea hummus arrives with seasonal radish, black-garlic tahina, green-chile zhoug, sheep’s-milk feta and hearth-baked pita. It is a different construction from the soft-egg hummus listed on the weekend brunch menu. At dinner, the contrast between cool garnishes and warm bread sits alongside pizzas, handmade pastas and seafood.

A larger finish

For a table that wants to extend beyond small plates, the menu lists red-lentil-braised pork shoulder with black cumin, summer squash and saffron. Weekend brunch changes the scale: the wood-oven French toast and wild-rice grain bowl appear there, along with the soft-egg hummus. The restaurant runs lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends, making the River North kitchen accessible through several distinct menus.