Best Restaurants

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Best Restaurants | Best of the Best | Q & A with Best Chef Michael Carlson

It’s been a year of sensational food at oddly named places. The best new restaurant in town, Grant Achatz’s Alinea, borrows its name from a character used in medieval European writing to signal a new train of thought; best new chef Michael Carlson performs his culinary magic at Schwa, the word for an unstressed vowel; and Copperblue—which came up with the best new dish—is also the title of a rock album. Two New York restaurants opened successful siblings, Il Mulino New York and Blue Water Grill, while our two biggest restaurant empires, Lettuce Entertain You and Levy Restaurants, showed they still have the right stuff, with Di Pescara and Fulton’s on the River. The sprawling Mia Francesca family has another winner in Francesca’s Forno, and chef Shawn McClain extends his takeover of the major food groups with Custom House, a carnivore’s dream. These terrific spots plus more than a dozen others equal 26 reasons why Chicago stays at the top of the food chain as a great restaurant city.

(Above) The only place comfortable enough for a 21-course meal: Alinea’s cushy environs
(Below) Alinea’s radish with pine nut, balsamic, and olive oil

Alinea
1723 North Halsted Street; 312-867-0110
Progressive American
[$$$$]
Calling Alinea a restaurant is like referring to a Ferrari as a car. You don’t go to Grant Achatz’s refined salons for a steak or a nice piece of fish; you go for food that has been transformed by a science-lab kitchen into dehydrated dust, edible spheres holding mysterious, delectable liquids, morsels speared on fanciful pins suspended above fragrant emulsions. And Achatz adores aromatic vapors that aren’t directly part of the food but enhance it, such as those produced by a bed of toasted juniper under sous vide bison wrapped around persimmon. Pondering his high-tech presentations and tabletop devices is as much a part of the experience as watching a Ferrari’s tachometer needle, and his tasting menus are as exhilarating and exhausting as the Grand Prix—all five hours of it.
–D. R. W.

Di Pescara
2124 Northbrook Court, Northbrook; 847-498-4321
Italian, seafood
[$$]
“We don’t do anything small,” cautions the on-the-ball waiter as I order too much food. The dishes are big enough for two at this packed spot tucked in a tony mall. A disassembled artichoke with balsamic vinaigrette and Parmesan along with panko-breaded popcorn shrimp drizzled with spicy rémoulade was plenty for four. Tilapia milanese gets a spicy sesame-almond crust topped with arugula and radishes, and the jumbo shrimp fra diavolo is first-rate. A changing braised meat might be succulent veal breast in white wine reduction. Chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream and candied figs will finish you off. The wine list sports well-priced and lesser-known selections—master sommelier Alpana Singh’s first big project as the corporate wine and spirits director for the Lettuce Entertain You operation.

–D. R. W.

(Above) Parlor’s sweet tea– brined fried chicken with a malted waffle and Vermont maple syrup
(Below) The brûléed marshmallow-meringue-topped ice-cream tart “s’more” at Parlor

Parlor
1745 West North Avenue; 773-782-9000
American
[$$]
Parlor’s trick is to offer what at first appear to be ordinary, all-American, so-called comfort food choices, and then to disarm the diner with virtuoso execution. Even such quiet-looking choices as baked-potato soup and macaroni and cheese rise happily above cliché. The juicy pan-roasted chicken breast with wilted arugula and blueberry vinaigrette makes you see this humble fowl in a whole new light. Meat loaf: same deal. Chef Tim Small’s moist, supremely flavorful version comes topped with groovy apple-onion marmalade. Best of all is the glorious double pork chop—brined, then smoked over cherry wood and served with cherry brandy sauce. A brûléed marshmallow-meringue-topped ice-cream tart, playfully called a s’more, is an elegant spin on a campfire classic. Even the short list of well-chosen, affordable wines is comfortable.
–J. T.

Butter
130 South Green Street; 312-666-9813
Contemporary American
[$$$]
This sleek, chic, and slightly precious lair promotes itself as a ladies-friendly place, from tableside purse holders to lighting designed for a tête-à-tête of any stripe. Whatever audience the place is after, Ryan Poli, the executive chef, suffered from an acute case of overexposure by the national press early on when his food didn’t match the hype. He’s made a full recovery. Take his terrific buttery risotto, for instance—mine held lots of rock shrimp with summer squash and thyme. There was no gender dispute at my table over the cod poached in olive oil and served in saffron emulsion with fennel purée and artichokes. I’m eager to return for whatever the chef is dishing up, especially if I can order the vanilla and saffron panna cotta with wild berries and crème fraîche for dessert.
–D. R. W.

Cuatro’s seviche of citrus-marinated salmon, seared bay scallops, and avocado in a tamarind-aji panca vinaigrette.

Cuatro
2030 South Wabash Avenue; 312-842-8856
Nuevo Latino
[$$]
Cuatro pushes the gentrifying action in the South Loop that much closer to Bronzeville, and it raises the bar on Latino fare. The Acapulco-style coctel vuelve a la vida brims with ahi tuna, seared shrimp, baby octopus, and squid—zingy Mexican beach chow. Chef Bryan Garcia’s banana leaf–wrapped salmon on saffron quinoa ragoût with mojo de ajo takes you farther into Latin America, as does his chicken breast stuffed with red poblanos and farmer cheese with guajillo chile sauce alongside an humita (fresh corn tamale). The mango mousse with strawberry seviche served in half of a Brazilian red papaya anchors the lovely desserts. Diners happily slosh around trendy cocktails such as 10 Cane mojitos, but I wish the service were sharper—and that Cuatro would jettison the stainless steel coffee cups. They stick to their bases and cause room-jolting saucer crashes when lifted. The pulsating soundtrack doesn’t help.
–D. R. W.

Price Key [amount a diner can expect to spend on dinner without wine, tax, or tip]
[$] $20 to $29
[$$] $30 to $39
[$$$] $40 to $49
[$$$$] $50-plus

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