Chef Stephen Gillanders, pastry chef Tatum Sinclair, and beverage director Jelena Prodan deliver their signature hospitality across many projects, including a bistro (Apolonia), a wine bar (Le Mistral), and a tasting-menu spot (Valhalla). Their flagship restaurant, S.K.Y. — relocated last year from Pilsen to the swank Belden-Stratford — remains my favorite by a mile, for both its Asian-leaning flavors and its technically finessed cooking that draws attention to texture. In the dining room (a slate-hued redo of the old Intro space), they’ve added some instant classics. There’s an insane smoosh of milky fresh ricotta topped with silly-hot Sichuan beef and pork ragu to scoop up with warm flatbread, and finely constructed lumpia rolls that are paper thin and filled with tuna tartare: You bite, they shatter. Maybe some of the weightier entrées can be a snooze, but dessert brings back the juice. Sinclair’s brioche bread pudding, with its caramelized crust, is the gold standard for this dish. Keep the party going with a nightcap at Le Mistral, tucked behind the kitchen. 

Price: $$$
Address: 2300 N. Lincoln Park West
Website: skyrestaurantchicago.com