Sprout—Best New Restaurants

Sprout’s lamb chop with capers and white anchovies
 

1417 West Fullerton Avenue; 773-348-0706

CONTEMPORARY FRENCH AND AMERICAN [$$$$]

When Dale Levitski (Top Chef, Trio Atelier) signed on at Sprout, he walked into a moody little boîte burdened with mismatched décor and an unappealing name. So Levitski, Sprout’s third chef in 39 days, did what he does best: He took control of the kitchen and never looked back. Items on his $60 prix fixe menu read like a James Joyce sentence: “Licorice, pear, fennel, macadamia, goat cheese, peppermint.” (If you must know, it’s a brilliant salad.) By the time I got to “Sturgeon, vermouth, crab, kale, potato, tomato,” I knew not to ask questions—just go with Levitski’s flow. “Pineapple, chocolate, goat cheese, ginger, golden beets” proved I was right.

TIP: Order “Foie gras, parsnip, cashew, quince, Pedro Ximénez,” a code for the most ethereal foie in the universe.

PRICE KEY: ¢ $10 to $19  $ $20 to $29   $$ $30 to $39  $$$ $40 to $49   $$$$ $50-plus
[Cost per person for dinner, excluding wine, tax, or tip] 

Photograph: Anna Knott  Food Styling: Susan Skoog

This article appears in the May 2010 issue of Chicago Magazine.

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