Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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LOCAL FLAVOR Grand Shellfish Tower at Bavette's Bar & Boeuf. GUAC STAR Rick Bayless shares his zest for salty snacks. Superstar chef Rick Bayless proves once again that variety is the spice of life with his seventh cookbook, Frontera: Margaritas, Guacamoles, and Snacks (W.W. Norton & Company; $25). Including an array of protein-rich nut and veggie bites like smoky spiced cashews and limey red chile Napa cabbage, a guacamole for every month (now is prime time to try the apple-fennel guacamole), and 35 margarita recipes, Bayless's latest literary installment offers an ideal excuse to throw a well-rounded fiesta in the comfort of your own casa. moving spirits LAKESHORE EAST CALLS THE SHOTS WITH A NEW MEZCAL BAR. vive la france! W hand-cut ith a résumé boasting Gilt Bar, Au Cheval, Maude's Liquor Bar, and the Doughnut Vault, restaurant wunder- kind Brendan Sodikoff has had more than a bit on his plate. His latest effort, Bavette's Bar & Boeuf, amps up River North's already-trendy scene with an atmosphere reminiscent of an old- school Parisian lounge. "We really wanted to create a timeless glow," Sodikoff says of space, which features candlelight, jazz, and vin- tage décor. The crimson and mahogany booths lining the exposed-brick walls are prime spots to see and be seen; bites include steak with the 74 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM BRENDAN SODIKOFF'S LATEST LOUNGE SETS A SULTRY GALLIC SCENE IN RIVER NORTH. BY MEG MATHIS frites, double-cut aged bone-in rib eye, and the lamb chops, dry- indulgent, made-for-sharing Maude's Tower with lobster, oysters, and Alaskan king crab. Three separate beverage menus offer a varied selection of brown spirits, including WhistlePig whiskey and Buffalo Trace bourbon—not to mention an exhaustive wine list. Watch the evening unfold from the 12-seat bar tucked toward the back, or head downstairs to revel in the spacious parlor area, a lively scene decked with animal sculp- tural pieces that exudes a certain je ne sais quoi. 218 W. Kinzie St., 312-624-8154 MA LIKE TEQUILA, MEZCAL is the result of a relatively straightforward process: Once the agave plant is harvested, the piña heart is cooked for days before being crushed and left to ferment. In the States mezcal has long taken a back seat to its more popular cousin, but Mezcalina is ready to change that. Along with traditional Oaxacan plates by chef Manuel Bañuelos and consulting chef Dudley Nieto, the new Lakeshore East destination offers more than 60 types of mezcal, which are vari- ously distilled in clay pots, copper pots, or even infused with turkey for added flavor. Oro de Oaxaca Mezcal is the epitome of the spirit, with the classic, smoky taste that has made drinking mezcal a Oaxacan tradition for nearly 700 years. 333 E. Benton Pl., 312-240-5000; mezcalina.com