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Vegetables are treated like royalty here, particularly the charred carrots, which arrive in a tangle of ribbons and chunks with black-garlic harissa, whipped feta, Turkish urfa chilies and dukkah-spiced crispy rice.

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The pork shoulder is my favorite dish. Arriving in a cast-iron pot, the Portuguese-inspired dish matches fall-apart pork to clams, braised collard greens, chunks of morcilla sausage and just enough fermented piri-piri chilies to maintain your interest. The fragrance from the pot is intoxicating, and the flavors are rich and nurturing. If you’re looking for a dish to get you through a bitter winter night, this is it.

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Seared sturgeon pairs a meaty fish with roasted-onion yogurt, kohlrabi and grapefruit, bold flavors that shouldn’t work but do. 

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Avec offers eight cheeses, divided among French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and domestic varieties. Mix and match at $5 per, but don’t skimp on the $6 “cheese accompaniment” (wild-flower honeycomb, quince paste, sliced pear, almonds, fruit component), which fills out the experience. Cheeses and accompaniments arrive on a wooden board with a crusty hunk of country bread.

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Chef Perry Hendrix has been running Avec's kitchen for more than five years. On his watch, the Mediterranean focus has expanded beyond the Big Three of France, Spain and Italy, venturing out to embrace Middle Eastern and Moroccan influences.

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The butt ends of hundreds of green wine bottles decorate the back wall at Avec, a look that has telegraphed its focus on wine since the beginning.

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A couple of patrons enjoy a late lunch at Avec Wednesday Jan. 9, 2019. The communal tables a stark wood seating remain.