New to LTH - My top 10

Fellow Diners,

I wanted to say that I have been a long-time viewer of this site, and I am impressed by all of your experiences, reviews, and descriptions of various restaurants that have become favorites of my wife and mine. That said, I have yet to post on this site, but I look forward to becoming an active contributor to this impressive collection of dining experiences.

Seeing that after the Bears, dining out is likely my greatest Chicagoland passion, I thought it would be a good introduction to list my ten favorite restaurants in Chicago. I will note that this list is subject to change based on all of your excellent recommendations.

1. Avenues - I will note that we attended Avenues before the entrance of GEB. We can't wait to return. When we experienced Avenues, it was a seafood-intensive destination, with mesmorizing choices such as king crab legs wrapped in dover sole and bluefin tuna served with quail egg. Couple this with the experience and the beauty of the Peninsula hotel, and you have a world-class destination. However, the service blew us away. When we asked the sommelier for a dry white wine around $50, he indicated that he had a great wine that was "outside of our price range"...And quoted us a great choice for $35. Also, when we oogled at a dessert served at a nearby table, the waiter noticed, pretended it was my wife's birthday, and served us that very dessert, on the house. Wonderful experience, and I'm sure that it has only grown better with the introduction of Mr. Bowles.

2. Spring - Did you sense above that we're big seafood fans? Spring does it better than anyone else. The scallop and potato raviolis appetizer brought us nearly to tears...It is quite possibly the best dish we have tasted in Chicago. The rest of the choices left us with difficult decisions, and none disappointed. Wonderful service in a unique environment.

3. Blackbird - The ultimate love it or hate it restaurant. We choose the former. I know that detractors speak of the proximity of the tables and the noise within the minimalist space. We enjoyed conversing with fellow diners, and reveled in the "communal dining" theme that Chef Paul Kahan promotes. We attended pre-theatre, and when our entrees arrived a bit late (we had not noticed), the waiter apologized and comped our dessert wine. The food is tremendous, having flavorful accents and quality ingredients (the sturgeon with oxtails still resonates in my mind). Extra credit from the experience at Avec next door.

4. Tru - There can't be enough said about this four-star mecca. While the price tag is through-the-roof, the same can be said for the food, with creative options abounding on the tasting menus. Example being the mint julep bridge between our dinner and dessert courses when we attended on the day of the Kentucky Derby. There were a couple of misses among the many courses served, but the hits far outpaced the disappointments. Service was impeccable and only heightened the experience.

5. North Pond - This has become our new holiday tradition. When the weather turns, I begin to look forward to exchanging gifts, but heading to North Pond is what really makes me excited. Probably the most comforting restaurant in a cold weather environment, we always request a seat next to the fireplace in December. Not to mention that the extensive list of game meats, such as last year's pheasant breast, always satisfies. While I'm enjoying the warm weather right now, the Bears and North Pond always keep the winter months enjoyable.

6. One sixtyblue - Ok, I admit, I'm biased. I chose to attend one sixtyblue after my wife and I just got engaged. I think the local burger joint would have made the top ten on a magical night like that. However, the service made our night that much more special, and the food did not disappoint. This "other-side-of Randolph" destination will always hold a special place in my heart, and I was thrilled to see it stay open after the rumored closure a short while ago. The chance to see Michael Jordan is always a plus!

7. Topolobampo - How does he do it? We have said this more than once after tasting Rick Bayless' haute Mexican cuisine. The flavors he introduces to his dishes always sing, and I particularly enjoyed his offering of halibut with a peanut-thickened red mole. Mmmmm... I'm regularly watching his WTTW show to try to cook like the master. Hasn't worked just yet.

8. Spiaggia - Known as "the beach" in Italian, life is just that at this fine-dining destination. Yet another scallop appetizer that had us swooning, this time with a slice of parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top. We loved our three course choice of appetizer-pasta-entree, and loved the wine pairing program even more. Beautiful room on a magnificent street.

9. Mirai Sushi - Here's the controversial choice. We loved the LTH-popular Katsu, and my wife's choice would be the trendy Japonais, but I love this spot on the now-reputable Division Street stretch. Creative sushi options in a hip environment, and I always find myself re-requesting a menu after ordering too little from its delicious offerings.

10. Sola - ESPN will sometimes air an "instant classic" days after a particularly memorable sporting event takes place. In the restaurant world, Sola would certainly fall into that category. Admittably, this spot is still fresh on the brain, but the chef's tribute to Nobu's Miso-glazed Cod will truly be memorable. We were also shocked by the quality to value quotient, as the prices were more than reasonable. Definitely a wonderful new option.

These represent the absolute best-of-the-best that we have experienced, and I look forward to discussing some of the "hidden finds" that I have enjoyed. I will also note that we have yet to try the much-discussed Alinea or Moto, but I feel that those may crack our top 10 in the near future. Finally, I wanted to post a tribute to the now-defunct Pluton, which would have certainly made the top 5 had it survived.

I want to thank everyone for their continued contributions to this great site, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences with all of you in the near future.

Ed

Ed, welcome to LTH.

Your top ten list would be a very good place to start for the many people who come to town for a few days and want to try Chicago's higher-end dining options. I went to Sola a few weeks after it opened, and I agree that it's a pretty good value (like the cod, too).

Hammond

Welcome to LTH!

Thank you for taking care to read posts to get a feel for the community before issuing your first missive. Time spent lurking and learning how to approach topics makes all the difference in the world.

Very impressive list as well as first post.

Best regards,

Thank you both for your responses. I am an avid fan of lists and rankings, and in that spirit, I thought it would be fun to rank the wonderful Chicago dining experiences I have enjoyed. We all have been asked "what's your favorite restaurant?", and this acted as a great introspective of my best-of-the-best list.

Again, I look forward to commenting on those lower profile restaurants that I enjoy frequenting, and I thank everyone for providing hours of appetizing reading.

Ed

eddie5721 wrote:I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences with all of you in the near future.

Ed,

We are on the same page with many on your list, though it's been a while since I've been to Spring, Tru or North Pond and have yet to try Sola. I'm firmly in the Blackbird "love it" category and don't seem to mind, or even notice once seated, proximity of other tables. On the other hand, much as I like Topolobampo, I find the close table spacing beyond my minimum requirement for personal space.

Couple of suggestions, try Avenues under GEB's direction, Schwa before Michael Carlson is lured away by 8 figure investors and, as you are obviously a scallop fan, Kuma's Corner for the scallop appetizer.

Great first post, looking forward to the list of lower profile restaurants you enjoy frequenting.

Enjoy,
Gary

I agree, this is a great first post.

Eddie, I just ate at Sola-- as posted here-- and as it happens I had the black cod. I've seen it raved about elsewhere as well, but... it was all right, texture was great but just not that much flavor, I thought. What do you find so special about it?

I'll be interested to find out your reaction to Avenues with GEB, eddie5721. I ate pre and post, and I think I preferred pre -- though I really loved the meal I had with GEB there. I think it was, in fact, a matter of expectations. I went expecting what I had had previously (less playful/experimental, but spectacular -- I'll never forget the garlic cream soup with the fried softshell crab, and I think the rack of lamb was the best I've ever had), and had to try to readjust expectations after they handed me the menu. So I'll look forward to the comparison by someone who knows what they're walking into, but who has also had pre-GEB food.

Great list.

I've done Avenues before and after GEB. Before, very good. Now, it is one of the best places anywhere.

The Pluton comment was interesting. A lot of people liked it much more than I did. For me, nothing about it worked. I don't recall the meal in detail, but I walked out thinking that it was one of the worst "fine dining experiences" I have ever had. I also put Crofton on Wells in that category, so my taste at times varies from many.

That may lead to a whole new thread: Most disappointing meal ever.

I would probably put Pluton first, since the meal and service were overall not very good. Second would be Taillevent in Paris (great food, but my expectations probably were not realistic. I expected it to blow places away, but it ended up being similar to Les Nomades -- very good most nights, but not worthing crossing the Atlantic for a meal). Third would be Crofton, which I found unimaginative and not all that successful with the relatively routine food they provided.

I'd say, if you want to be blown away in Paris, go to Les Ambassadeurs.

But on the whole, I'd say that the best Chicago French restaurants stand on pretty much the same footing as the famous Paris restaurants -- and I ate at Taillevent, Jules Verne, Les Ambassadeurs, and Le Grand Vefours, so pretty much the top of what Paris has to offer. There was more history and more fabulous surroundings, and certainly, everything was just a bit more over the top, but if we consider quality alone, Chicago's best can hold their own.

That said, I still think Les Ambassadeurs is a worthy destination, if you get to Paris. Figure $300 per person or more, but it's the most beautiful restaurant I've ever eaten in, the service is imperial, and there are so many extras and wonderful "touches" that it just can't be compared to anything else. (Such as the vast silver bowl of iced champagne bottles with which they greet you, the first course "degustation" of foie gras prepared 5 ways, or the after dinner herbal tea offering, where they bring out a cart with live, potted herbs, which they snip and prepare tableside, with an offering of several different honeys to sweeten.) But dish by dish, with all the amazing, over-the-top touches stripped away, Chicago has half a dozen chefs turning out food just as tasty.

I haven't tried Sola, but I've had a few other Nobu black cod facsimiles on the east coast. The recipe calls for soaking the fish for 3 days in mirin, sake and miso, which certainly can't help but give some flavor. I soaked mine for 24 hours, which was enough to make it come through (although my cooking technique failed to achieve the lacquer of flavor that really makes this dish). That said, it's a very subtle buttery fish, over-flavor it and you might as well have some salt cod.

It's a great list, and my list would include everyone that you've mentioned that I've been to (only about half of them). My list would include some other fine dining stars like Trotter's and Arun's, but I think they'd be placed towards the bottom of the list.

My list of defunct's would include Trio during the Tramonto/Gand era. #1 meal in Chicago to this day.

I'm with the negatives on Pluton, although it was near the close when I went. Any rumors about when he reopens? I'm just curious, the experience was such an expensive dissapointment that I probably wouldn't try it again, even in another location.

DML wrote:The Pluton comment was interesting. A lot of people liked it much more than I did. For me, nothing about it worked. I don't recall the meal in detail, but I walked out thinking that it was one of the worst "fine dining experiences" I have ever had.

Oh yes. I remember some good dishes, but the meal didn't work together. It wasn't a tasting menu, it was simply a selection of things taken from the menu in slightly smaller sizes so you could try more. But they weren't that small, and so it was a HUGE amount of food. It took us close to an hour to get our first food. Pacing was incredibly slow, with 15-20 minutes between courses. Most of the dishes had one ingredient too many. Funny that the place was packed when we went there, too. It was beautiful, they must have spent a fortune on it.

I found it interesting that Pluton went on to make a PBS series about golf, with cooking on the side, after closing his place. Then there was the Narra fiasco ...

Not a beef or a bicker here, but why is it that whenever a list of the top restaurants in Chicago, or any city for that matter, is compiled, it always lists the most exclusive/expensive/haute establishments? If you ranked on a "pound-for-pound" basis, surely there would be places that would be included based on overall quality execution of the menu it strives for. For example, people fall all over themselves in lauding Hot Doug's for its approach and success in serving sausage-related dishes. If true, is it not a "great" restaurant? And is there ever anything really new going on with food besides a continued dipping into the grab bag for new combinations, much like the shuffle of the deck? Or a structural engineering of the way a dish is presented? Just wondering.

vervante wrote:Not a beef or a bicker here, but why is it that whenever a list of the top restaurants in Chicago, or any city for that matter, is compiled, it always lists the most exclusive/expensive/haute establishments?

Well, this particular list is just based on one person's taste and experiences. It's the best for him, and that's fine for me.

Here's a few 10-best lists you might find interesting:

Post your 10 Best of 2005!
my best 10 meals of 2004

Best,
Michael

vervante wrote:Not a beef or a bicker here, but why is it that whenever a list of the top restaurants in Chicago, or any city for that matter, is compiled, it always lists the most exclusive/expensive/haute establishments? If you ranked on a "pound-for-pound" basis, surely there would be places that would be included based on overall quality execution of the menu it strives for. For example, people fall all over themselves in lauding Hot Doug's for its approach and success in serving sausage-related dishes. If true, is it not a "great" restaurant? And is there ever anything really new going on with food besides a continued dipping into the grab bag for new combinations, much like the shuffle of the deck? Or a structural engineering of the way a dish is presented? Just wondering.

That's why we have the Great Neighborhood Restaurants program.

vervante wrote:And is there ever anything really new going on with food besides a continued dipping into the grab bag for new combinations, much like the shuffle of the deck? Or a structural engineering of the way a dish is presented? Just wondering.

V.,

I agree that a lot of cooking 'innovation' these days looks like (and is) a strained attempt to find novel combinations of ingredients. Of course, new combinations of ingredients or new matches of ingredients to techniques are necessarily central to the development of cuisine and must remain so; the art is in finding combinations that aren't just (seemingly) novel but ones that work, ones that make sense and ultimately taste good. But there are other areas of innovation: Adrià (Bullí) or, more locally, our own Chef Cantu (Moto) experiment with cooking methods (and more), and there are then also innovations (and steps back to older practices that have been neglected) in food production.

So, I see your point but I do think there is real innovation along various parameters.

Antonius

nr706 wrote:Then there was the Narra fiasco ...

Fiasco? Oh my, what did I miss? We went and thought it was just OK. Not worth going when Pete Miller's is just down the street and has live Jazz

Thank you all for your thought-inspiring comments to my first post. I'll try to answer all of your comments here:

Mike G - I did read your post right after I raved about my first experience at Sola. It was interesting, because I did try the timbale of unagi as well as the miso-glazed cod, as you did. I will admit that I was intrigued by components of the timbale, especially the banana, but I thought that the flavors actually worked well together. I could see, however, how one could see the banana overpowering the dish.

I really thought the cod was well done. I had tried a miso-glazed cod at Nine previously (although I had never tried the Nobu version). I really enjoyed the sweetness that eminated from this version, as well as the moist interior coupled with the crisp exterior. What really impressed me was the burst of flavors that resulted from this normally-mild fish. The neutral cod took the flavors of the miso extremely well, making this dish sing. Was this the best fish entree I have ever had? No...I would certainly point in the direction of any entree from Spring. However, given the value of the restaurant's choices, I was extremely pleased overall.

Regarding Pluton, before its demise, I think this was the most volatile restaurant in terms of reviews I have ever experienced. Again, a love-it-or-hate-it place. What I enjoyed about it...This was a concept restaurant in that you could choose five of any item on the menu. You wanted five entree-style items? You got it. I will admit that this may have been why some people did not like it. It was likely not the smoothest transition between courses compared to other restaurants offering prix fixe menus. However, there were some great standouts, including the maine lobster salad with pineapple-pear chutney, bass with a foie gras sphere, and sea scallop around mushroom. In addition, when judging restaurants, I like reviewing the entire experience, and I appreciated Jacky Pluton meeting with us personally after our meal. This is a rarity in a star-chef world, as many do not even maintain an on-site presence. I also enjoyed the opportunity to tour the kitchen, and view his enormous and well-publicized stove (I wonder what happened to it).

Vervante, I am sympathic to your comments regarding those great restaurants that may not have the best service or atmosphere, but offer food that is unstoppable. I frequent many of those, including several I discovered on this site. I now crave Noon-o-Kabob on a regular basis, will drive miles to go to Spoon Thai despite the saturation of other Thai restaurants in my area, and I love to go to Goose Island for a buffalo burger and a couple of hand-crafted beers. Not to mention probably the best pizza I have ever had at The Art of Pizza on Ashland. I value these restaurants as much as any on my list. However, I do look at the entire experience, as service and atmosphere mean as much to me as the quality of food. That's why I looked at this list and included those that contributed to the best dining experiences that I have had. I do look forward to posting my reviews of lesser known places that I frequent and savor.

Thanks to all for the responses and suggestions related to Avenues...I cannot wait to go back.

Finally, I wanted to note that thanks to this site, I have started taking pictures of my food when I go to restaurants. I still have bruises from my wife kicking me under the table everytime this happens!

Ed

leek wrote:

nr706 wrote:Then there was the Narra fiasco ...

Fiasco? Oh my, what did I miss? We went and thought it was just OK. Not worth going when Pete Miller's is just down the street and has live Jazz

IIRC, Narra was opened with great fanfare as the next great showcase for well-known chef Eric Aubriot's creations, with Pluton consulting. Within a few weeks of the opening, Arbriot was out, PLuton was brought in to run the kitchen, but that didn't last long, either. I think he's still involved, though.

Apparently the current chef, Daniel Jacobs, has been there a while.

I'm not positive of these details; maybe someone with more knowledge can clarify.

I think the 'fiasco' refers more to the way the business-end of Narra was run. Pluton and Aubriot were brought in to consult and to put their name on the brand, but ultimately the hotel corporation that owns the property insisted on supplying the restaurant with Sysco-type products to maximize revenues. Neither of them have anything to do with it anymore.

It was Pluton who only made the brief appearance, Aubroit was there in the kitchen for quite awhile.

As far as Pluton's stove, they ripped out the wall to remove it. I drive past the building from my office, and I was amazed to watch them do it. I have no idea where he took it to.

For me a list like this takes consideration of the entire "dining experience". Although if I made a complete list, it probably would have a place or two where you'd be wise to wipe off your seat and table before sitting.