Glen EllynFive O Four Kitchen

It’s impossible not to root for Cristian Orozco, the owner, executive chef, and head rooftop gardener for Five O Four Kitchen. Every night, he offers a create-your-own five-course tasting menu for $85. Whatever you select, you’ll receive a culinary memoir in five acts. Bowls of Worcestershire-spiked ceviche and huitlacoche ravioli are nods to his childhood in Guatemala near the border with Mexico. Then come marigold-showered plates, perhaps wagyu steak and salmon fumet, that reflect his Chicago journey, first as a dishwasher at Pho 777, then as a kitchen worker at Acadia, North Pond, and Tzuco. For months, he commuted from the city to consult at Five O Four, until the previous owners, realizing he loved the place more than they did, sold it to him last year. Now this 13-table treasure is all Orozco’s: a small room with big ambitions, every plate a little history of its own. 504 Crescent Blvd. 504kitchen.com