“Macanese cuisine is the original culinary fusion,” says Abraham Conlon.

The stylish yet homey Logan Square spot pays tribute to the dying cuisine of the former Portuguese colony near Hong Kong, which mixes influences from no fewer than four continents—and somehow aces it. The frisky menu captures Macau’s bold approach with top-notch hand-rolled noodles, cold jellyfish cheeks, tender piri-piri chicken in a Goan tomato curry paste, and some of the city’s best pot stickers. And Fat Rice boasts what must be Chicago’s favorite shareable feast of 2013: the paella-like arroz gordo, a clay vessel overflowing with linguiça, Chinese sausage, salted duck, roasted Portuguese chicken, littleneck clams, and grilled prawns. Now that’s a melting pot.