What Ethan Pikas opened 12 years ago as a bakery and café has morphed into the most reliably innovative modern American bistro in town. He and his chef de cuisine, Alex Cochran, work brilliantly together: They let the season’s ingredients inspire them to create some startlingly original and delicious dishes — and more than a few wackadoo ones — and they’ve put together the skilled team necessary to execute them. For progressive-minded diners in Chicago, this is all catnip. The lightning-in-a-bottle approach to menu writing means that you might slurp down barely pickled raw oysters in a foamy butter sauce made with vin jaune and French white asparagus, or a giant yellow beet, smoked whole like a pork butt and served with sprouted einkorn, crushed almonds, and cider gelée. Do pickled dried persimmons belong with rare beef? Surprisingly, yes. What else are you going to eat before the mind-blowing parsnip ice cream? 

Price: $$$
Address: 3025 W. Diversey Ave.
Website: cellardoorprovisions.com