Esquire wasn't alone. Here's an article from 1982 from Time magazine:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 08,00.html

And while there were wealthy neighborhoods nearby, Wheeling wasn't one of them. Banchet himself once said the advantage of being in a remote, working-class neighborhood was that all the money went into the food, not into rent.

Yes, and Wheeling (60090) -- still a town where many North suburban working-class folks can find (relatively) inexpensive housing, never even shared a ZIP code with the town where "Ordinary People" was set -- Lake Forest (60045).

I think the "second-wealthiest ZIP code in America" reference was made with respect to "Ordinary People," not Wheeling. And Le Francais was out in Sticksville in the 70s!

Mike G wrote:(I think Louis Szathmary would count as an earlier nationally-known celebrity chef, but that was more him personally than his restaurant.)

When I was living in Hyde Park in the mid-70s, Szathmary's restaurant -- The Bakery -- had a huge cache (it was on the North Side). You had to make reservations maybe a month in advance (!) and a prix fixe dinner was, as I recall, $35 or so (a lot). The (soon-to-be) Wife and I went a few times, and it was quite fabulous (for the time period): it was BYOB, which radically reduced costs for two Radicals such as ourselves, and the centerpiece was beef Wellington (yes, that old war horse). Louis would always come out, looking a little like Rip Taylor in a toque, stopping at every table, it was pretty cool.

Hammond

and it was quite fabulous (for the time period)

My sentiments exactly. For its time, its combination of prix fixe, set menu, and special sittings was fairly unique for Chicago, and its food and service were impeccable (Along with the Beef Wellington I remember particular the liver pate -- "This ain't chopped liver," exclaimed my Mom, a veteran of these wars, "but it's good."), and it was the place to take out-of-town friends and relatives. Even friends from NYC were suitably impressed. Gradually, little-by-little, both the quality of the food and service declined, and times changed, leaving the The Bakery ossified in time and space.

One other name to add to the pantheon: Jean Joho who helped establishd Chicago's credentials for fine French dining (with Le Perroquet and Everest), as well as providing us with opportunites for sampling the bistro/brasserie experience.

jbw wrote:(Along with the Beef Wellington I remember particular the liver pate -- "This ain't chopped liver," exclaimed my Mom, a veteran of these wars, "but it's good."), and it was the place to take out-of-town friends and relatives.

I remember that big bowl of pate that would be brought around, spooned onto plates, and served with gherkins. The whole service, though relatively "fancy," might almost seem too casual now. On one visit, our server spotted a bottle we'd brought of white rioja (at that time, not all that common), remarked upon it and said, "Mind if I have a glass?" We didn't mind at all.

I'm pretty sure that same pate made a reappearance on the beef Wellington...

Hammond

The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts has named Rick Bayless as the recipient of the 2016 Julia Child Award.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html