Though the chefs have rotated a few times since Koren Grieveson and Paul Kahan launched the first sister restaurant of Blackbird, so much — including the taleggio focaccia and chorizo-stuffed dates in red pepper sauce (potentially Chicago’s most identifiable restaurant greatest hits dish) — still feels familiar. Chefs still eat here after their shifts. You still might have to get up mid-meal or mid-bite to let someone sit next to you at the communal table, and you will have amazing wine and cheese. The honey colored wood vibe, the come-as-you-are philosophy and the stellar food inspired the basis for most of the casual dining scene led by top chefs today. The Bristol, Giant and others all have roots in the path Avec blazed. I don’t know that David Chang, one of America’s most influential chefs, has ever acknowledged this to be true, but it’s always been clear to me that his Momofuku Ssam Bar was clearly inspired by Avec.