Chicago Magazine - Best. Restaurants. Ever

So Chicago Magazine has attempted to rank the top 40 restaurants in the history of Chicago. Alinea ranks number 1, which I guess makes sense. But does this exercise make any sense at all given how much restaurant dining has changed over the decades?

Article

The complete list:

1. Alinea
2. Le Francais
3. Charlie Trotter's
4. Frontera Grill and Topolobampo
5. Spiaggia
6. Trio
7. Ambria
8. Morton's The Steakhouse
9. Gordon
10. Pizzeria Uno
11. Avec
12. Carlos'
13. The Bakery
14. Blackbird
15. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!
16. Everest
17. Arun's
18. The Pump Room
19. Yoshi's Cafe
20. Gibsons Steakhouse
21. Jacues
22. Fritzel's
23. Carson's
24. Gene & Georgetti's
25. Cape Cod Room
26. Le Perroquet
27. Eli's Place for Steak
28. Jimmy's Place
29. College Inn
30. Shangri-La
31. The Berghoff
32. Henrici's
33. Hackney's on Harms
34. Alexander's Steak House
35. Gladys Holcomb's Home Cooking
36. Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli
37. Don Roth's Blackhawk
38. Red Star Inn
39. Fanny's
40. Wing Yee

I wonder if Everest and Arun's feelings are hurt that they were bested by Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba?

jesteinf wrote:...does this exercise make any sense at all...

No

Kennyz wrote:

jesteinf wrote:...does this exercise make any sense at all...

No

Damn. I don't mean to agree with Kenny, but on this one I have to.

Kennyz wrote:

jesteinf wrote:...does this exercise make any sense at all...

No

It makes sense if you want people to talk about your magazine and your list. As an intellectual exercise, it seems pointless.

Darren72 wrote:It makes sense if you want people to talk about your magazine and your list. As an intellectual exercise, it seems pointless.

Yeah, nothing like a list to move a magazine issue. Next month: Chicago Magazine's 25 Best Convenience Store Taquitos.

That list makes about as much sense as this:

Top 10 Greatest Best Sportsmen Ever of All Time:

1. Babe Ruth
2. Michael Jordan
3. Roger Federer
4. Jim Brown
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Muhammad Ali
7. Tiger Woods
8. Michael Phelps
9. Diego Maradona
10. Secretariat

A flawed list. Where's Gene and Judes?

Vital Information wrote:A flawed list. Where's Gene and Judes?

Yeah...and Five Guys

...or Tango.

stevez wrote:

Vital Information wrote:A flawed list. Where's Gene and Judes?

Yeah...and Five Guys

If only our own community had some sort of list of recommendations to debate... Aye, lists are impossible to perfect, but that's part of the fun of them; a launching point to get people talking and thinking. I don't find the Chicago list too flawed - just about as appropriately provocative as any of the Top 10 films lists at the end of the year.

In general, I think the list is a fun diversion and yes, lists sell magazines. I enjoyed seeing the names of some places I hadn't thought of in a while and the memories their mentions brought to mind.

That said, one very irksome aspect is that in the piece, The Berghoff is listed as being open from "1898-present." It also carries the following description: "Natty waiters have handled hot corned beef sandwiches, Wienerschnitzel, and house-made root beer with pride and aplomb for 112 years." Frankly, I think this is a bunch of b.s. and I'm betting I'm not alone.

It was announced in 2005 that the Berghoff family would soon close the place (for a variety of questionable and never-fully-explained reasons). They milked it for all it was worth, drawing all sorts of 'final days' crowds, even though looking back, they clearly had planned from the outset to eventually reopen it. Sure enough, a few months later, the reopening came, in the form of few different and separate entities: 17/West at The Berghoff, The Cafe (basement), The Century Room (banquet facility). Yes, these entities together occupy the same space and serve some of the old Berghoff dishes but to me and many others, the place at 17 W. Adams is definitely no longer the Berghoff.

At the time, there were a lot of rumors swirling around about why they really closed the place and a widely-accepted explanation was that it would be the most expedient way to get rid of long-time employees, who, over their decades of loyal service, had come to earn far more than the restaurant wanted to pay them.

In any case, seeing a big and unflattering piece of history completely swept under the carpet makes me mad. This kind of revisionist history is a good example of what I expect journalists and historians to help prevent, not perpetuate. If you close a place, you close a place. You don't get it both ways. So, if The Berghoff must be on the list, so be it. But please, call it was it is. The Berghoff is clearly deceased.

=R=

I wrote this in the Chicago Magazine comments too, but the biggest thing that I noticed was that none of the restaurants were South of Roosevelt. I'm a short term Chicago restaurant and can think of at least two restaurants worthy of the list.

Is it right that Manny's is famous for it's Pastrami? The people I go with swear by the Corned Beef.

jacketpotato wrote:I wrote this in the Chicago Magazine comments too, but the biggest thing that I noticed was that none of the restaurants were South of Roosevelt. I'm a short term Chicago restaurant and can think of at least two restaurants worthy of the list.

Is it right that Manny's is famous for it's Pastrami? The people I go with swear by the Corned Beef.

At least Gladys Holcomb's and Alexander's were south, but I don't see any extant restaurants beyond that line, true, and that is a flaw. This was my major beef with Chicago Mag for a long time, but they seem to be gathering regular intel farther out in the past few years, and demonstrating that they're actually even re-visiting places occasionally.

Hard to take seriously any list of best restaurants that doesn't include Little Three Happiness!

jacketpotato wrote:I wrote this in the Chicago Magazine comments too, but the biggest thing that I noticed was that none of the restaurants were South of Roosevelt. I'm a short term Chicago restaurant and can think of at least two restaurants worthy of the list.

Is it right that Manny's is famous for it's Pastrami? The people I go with swear by the Corned Beef.

What are they?

RevrendAndy wrote:Hard to take seriously any list of best restaurants that doesn't include Little Three Happiness!

True. My South Side addendum to the list, thinking in terms of cultural significance or neighborhood memory even moreso than food (as their list does):

1. Aurelio's (Homewood)
2. Valois
3. Izola's
4. Little Three Happiness
5. Nuevo Leon
6. Lao Sze Chuan
7. Barbara Ann's (even though you can't eat in-house)
8. Ricobene's (don't shoot the messenger, est. 1946)
9. Rosebud
10. Klas

My thought process here is "[name] neighborhood without [restaurant from list] really wouldn't be the same," or "[name of trend, event, or subsequent restaurants] wouldn't have been possible without [restaurant from list]." I've focused on currently open places (waiting for one of our historians to identify the antecedents). Imperfect, as all lists are. What would you add?

What about Batt's (RIP)

If you're putting together a South of Roosevelt list, you're gonna have to include Gayety Ice Cream fer sure.

My buddy at work claims that Army and Lou's killed Mayor Washington. Little Three Happiness for this site alone. Not to mention Rainbow Cone and Nuevo Leon. Like I said, I'm not Southsider and I think Army and Lou's is at least as important as the Hackney burger.

It looks like the writer's biases have totally made the list what it is (Seems like she was a Northsider of a certain age). I don't even have an issue with that, but where is the editor. That list is OK for a blog or e-mail newsletter, but to get into print is really disappointing.

jacketpotato wrote:My buddy at work claims that Army and Lou's killed Mayor Washington.

They may have been his last meal. I remember a news story describing that he had a "gluttonous" breakfast the day he died.

jacketpotato wrote:I wrote this in the Chicago Magazine comments too, but the biggest thing that I noticed was that none of the restaurants were South of Roosevelt. I'm a short term Chicago restaurant and can think of at least two restaurants worthy of the list.

I can think of one, and it probably belongs in the top 10: The Cottage.

There were and are many good southside restaurants in the south and southwest areas of Chicago and its suburb.
How about The Farmers Daughter in Palos(now closed),Courtwrights in Willow Springs,Jack Gibbons Gardens in Oakforest,The Sportsmans Club in Harvey,House of Hughes in Crestwood,Sharko's,El Bianco's on 63rd,The Cottage.

Wow. Sharko's. An institution.

Bertucci's in the neighborhood was also good.

And George's.

Carolyn Buster's mentor was The Bakery #13.

Regards,

Bertucci's in the neighborhood was also good.

Still is, isn't it?

http://chicago.metromix.com/bars-and-cl ... 68/content

I meant another near the airport.

auxen1 wrote:I meant another near the airport.

Bertucci's suburban and/or chain and Bertucci's Corner the old school Italian restaurant on the edge of Chicago's Chinatown are different entities.

LTHforum Bertucci's Corner thread
Time Out Chicago Bertucci's Corner, Save the Restaurant

I know it depends on which one you go to, but I totally forgot Harold's Chicken Shack.

And some may argue that the best restaurant in the World (based on sales) has its HQ in Oakbrook

There was another Bertucci's across from the weather service building at Midway

Good thin crust and pasta. Go to place for the greatest generation.