Chicago Travel Guide: Where to Eat, Sip, and Stay in 2011

Alinea

What to say about Grant Achatz's Alinea that hasn’t already been said? The eye-popping presentations, avant-garde techniques, and edible sculpture aesthetic are rooted in a rock-solid foundation of food that simply tastes good. The relentlessly creative spirit of the restaurant (you will learn and love at least five new flavor combinations before you leave, guaranteed) combined with delicious food executed at the highest level, is where its brilliance lies.

Avec

Blackbird’s sister restaurant (and next-door neighbor) is one of the city’s best late-night food spots, presenting small plates of simple food, often highlighting a single ingredient, done extremely well. It serves this rustic, hearty, often wood-grilled fare until 1am, and is where you will find Chicago chefs hanging out after work and on their days off.

Charlie Trotter's

Charlie Trotter’s remains a bastion of Chicago fine dining. The restaurant recently celebrated its 21st anniversary, and to this day it remains one of Chicago’s and the country’s most significant restaurants. The atmosphere is staid but cozy, and the food is a mix of classic elegance and gentle innovation, with plenty of nods to Asian (specifically Japanese) ingredients. With Trotter’s you know what you’re getting—the best quality ingredients, a high-level service, engaging compositions—but always with an element of surprise.

David Burke’s Primehouse

The American steakhouse is alive, and well, and David Burke’s Primehouse is a strapping specimen if there ever was one. Huge, delicious slabs of top-quality beef emerge from a pink Himalayan salt-lined aging cave. Burke is so serious about his steak that he even bought a bull (named “Prime”) and is breeding his own beef. Along with the requisite offerings come some tasty and even inventive dishes from Chef Rick Gresh, notably smoked tomatoes that spruce up an arugula salad and a satisfying dish of seared foie gras with pea tendrils. Really, though, Primehouse is all about the meat—the flavor, where it comes from, where it’s aged, how it’s stored, and how it is served.

Hot Chocolate

2005 Rising Star Pastry Chef Mindy Segal’s Wicker Park eatery is a delightful blend of bakery, café, restaurant, and dessert bar—meaning it’s comfortable and hits the spot nearly any time of day. The baked goods are largely American with a bit of French influence; brunch is sumptuous; the lunch menu has excellent, hearty sandwiches; and dinner offers solid seasonal fare, plus an excellent cheese list. Only one or two savory dishes are offered each evening, and even those have a pastry chef’s hand. Dessert, of course, is not to be missed; this restaurant is all about pastry technique and flavors. There’s always a good assortment of chocolate concoctions, plus seasonal desserts, ice creams, sorbets, cookies, and milkshakes.

Les Nomades

Once a private dining club, Les Nomades still has an old-Chicago feel. It’s an intimate, special spot, in a townhouse smack-dab in the middle of downtown, and while its décor is dated, its food is timeless, thanks to young, talented chef Chris Nugent, a 2008 Rising Star. Nugent’s menu is über French, but in the most delicate, pleasing way. Representing the New French cuisine in America, Nugent’s sophisticated dishes aren’t heavy on the sauces and focus on using French technique with local ingredients. The food is light, inviting, elegant, and not overly filling. It makes for a wonderful celebratory meal, or just a good excuse to get dressed up and indulge.

MK

Michael Kornick's MK is a bastion of Midwest contemporary American—that is to say, dishes with a seasonal bent and a focus on local produce. But it's global, too—you're as likely to find buffalo steak as you are Moroccan olives or lobster with curried cream; it's a menu that is eclectic in a familiar way. The restaurant is an airy, stylish space, with a look that's a bit modern ski lodge, a bit warehouse-chic, thanks to its River North location. The wine program, run by 2008 Chicago Rising Star Sommelier Josh Kaplan, is one of the city's best affordable lists. As Josh says, the list is made for drinkin'—and asking him to guide you in that pursuit will make your dining experience all the better.

Moto

2005 Rising Star Chef Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche are still together after all these years, fusing their mad scientist-driven gastronomical adventures with a shared kitschy sense of humor. Take their variation on the classic peanut butter and jelly, for example, which is presented as a seamless ravioli of sodium alginate with peanut puree inside French toast. Diver scallops are presented with passion fruit noodles and buttered popcorn puree, contrasting sweet and salty. Mixology at Moto is outlandish, too, and definitely never dull.

Schwa

Schwa is a chef’s dream: absurdly low rent and labor costs mean this 28-seat restaurant can close Sunday, cap the evening at 34 covers, and, most importantly, use any incredible ingredient they can get their hands on. Kitchen and diners are connected in a way rarely seen in American restaurants, with the chefs serving each dish, and patrons walking through the tiny, jam-packed kitchen to get to the bathroom. There’s no wine list and no servers; Chef Michael Carlson prefers to spend his energy—and his money—playing with seasonal ingredients with a global outlook for his nine-course, seasonally updated menu.

Takashi

Devotees of the intricate Franco-Japanese cuisine of Chef Takashi Yagihasi, and his moderate prices, crowd into this Bucktown standby whenever possible. Yagihasi is a master of layering flavors into his menu, an approach he takes whether he’s preparing the weekly chef’s menu, using sustainable seafood and farmer’s market finds, or making Niku Udon base for his popular Sunday noodle brunch. And while the attentive service is most definitely high-class at this Michelin-starred spot, intimate touches, exposed brick walls, and the clean lines of Japanese-inspired décor help give a down-to-earth, at home feel to the whole experience.

Topolobampo

It’s Rick Bayless. Frontera Grill and the neighboring upscale Topolobampo were the first bastions of authentic Mexican fine dining in the country, at a time when many seriously considered the term to be oxymoronic, and even in Mexico it wasn’t being done. Nowadays of course, thanks to Bayless, people flock to elevated Mexican street fare, and foods trucks offering the great-grandsons of Bayless’ dishes can be spotted up and down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and beyond. Come see where it all started and where his restaurants continue to lead the way—the sustainable seafood bar a sign that Bayless, ever responsible and respectful to product, is still rey.

Wave

2008 Chicago Rising Star Hotel Chef Kristine Subido has created a dynamic, eclectic menu for the W Hotel’s trendy, scene-y dining room and bar. Wave is a festive spot, and the energy isn’t only at dinner. Subido is constantly improving upon the food and beverage program, making it one of the best in the city. She changed the menu so it is all about sharing, presenting small plates before they were “in.” Subido teaches cooking classes each month, has developed creative spa menus, and presents an alternative savory and sweet tea service menu to pair with afternoon tea or afternoon “mar-tea-nis.”

Arami

Bangers and Lace

Recommended by Mixologist-Partner Brad Bolt of Bar Deville

Bob Chinn’s Crab House

Recommended by Chef-owner Harold Jurado of Chizakaya

Chilapan

Recommended by Chef Jason Vincent of Nightwood

Ethiopian Diamond

Hamburger King (formerly Chester’s)

Recommended by 2011 Rising Star Chef Dirk Flanigan of Henri and The Gage

Irazu Restaurant

Recommended by Pastry Chef Bryce Caron of Custom House

Lem’s BBQ

Recommended by Chef-owner Cary Taylor of The Southern

LM Restaurant

Recommended by Chef-owner Jeffrey Mauro of Jam

Nuevo Leon Restaurant

Recommended by Chef Anthony Martin of Tru

Sai Café Inc.

Recommended by Restarauteur Rob Katz of Boka Restaurant Group

San Soo Gab San

Recommended by Pastry Chef Jeremy Brutzkus of Longman & Eagle

Spacca Napoli

Recommended by 2011 Chicago Rising Star Concept Chef Jared Van Camp of Old Town Social

Tallgrass Restaurant

Recommended by Chef-owner Jared Wentworth of Longman & Eagle

Tanoshii Sushi Bar

Recommended by Beverage Director for Boka Restaurant Group and Head Mixologist at Boka Restaurant Benjamin Schiller.

Taqueria Los Comales

Recommended by Pastry Chef-owner Sandra Holl of Floriole Café & Bakery

Udupi Palace Restaurant

Recommended by 2011 Chicago Rising Star Chef Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia