Getting a third Michelin star in 2023 put this elaborate tasting-menu spot in rare company and turned around its fortunes. The kind of people who fly all over the world to experience the finest dining started coming here for Smyth. The reservation book may have swelled along with the prices (the food portion alone will set you back $420 per person), but chef John Shields’s keep-it-weird brilliance remains intact. In fact, his cooking is more expressively sui generis than ever, and the once-uneven service hums under manager Cara Sandoval. Shields leans into the flavors of nature the way a psychiatrist plumbs the psyche. Rhubarb roots flavor a butter for trout, while caviar and shavings of housemade chocolate fill a delicate pastry shell fashioned from roasted barley. On my last visit, I was struck by the wild, grassy flavor of herbs in an otherwise luxuriant corn and crab dish. Each dot of food tastes essential to the dishes, which change regularly, though you can count on the mushrooms, chocolate, black walnuts, and game meats that Shields adores. The menu is always new yet always building.

Price: $$$$$
Address: 177 N. Ada St.
Website: smythchicago.com