Season three is just-so, neither excelling nor faceplanting. It is a set-up job that can only be viewed as one half of whatever comes next.
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Maxwells Trading has come out of the gate swinging. Every dish is designed with thought and care. Asian influence is also felt throughout, interpreted through a local lens. However Maxwells is classified, one thing is certain: it is Chicago’s best new restaurant.
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Akahoshi Ramen, the new restaurant from Mike Santinover, opened recently in Logan Square to grassroots fanfare that few restaurants receive. It is ultimately the culmination of a deep-rooted culinary passion. It shows.
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Ummo offers nice dining in a spot to be seen at. The food is more than passable, and some of the dishes punch well above their weight. The restaurant is young yet refined, and the attention to detail elevates the entire experience. Ummo is a welcomed addition to Chicago’s Italian dining scene, even if it doesn’t quite reach into its upper echelon.
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Kyōten Next Door is one of the most unique and best restaurants in the city. The omakase is worth every penny, and then some.
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The West Loop is over: over as an innovative engine, over as a local destination, and over as Chicago’s hottest food scene.
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Smoque Steak has done something rare: it has put a new spin on an old concept and stuck the landing. It understands its own concept and infuses it throughout the menu and the restaurant. It is one of the best new openings in the city this side of Covid.
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The Bear is clearly the best show currently on television. It performs fan service without being indulgent and avoids giving the audience fully what it wants. Its faults are minimal, its sophomore season is better than the original, and it still has room to grow.
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The Bear is not just set in Chicago — it is of Chicago, too. The show is a true love letter to its host city, one that doesn’t deal as much in stereotypes as in the figures behind them.
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What Houndstooth has to offer is more than a great meal. It should be destination dining for anyone living or traveling through Benton Harbor.
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Rose Mary is the real deal. Its menu is original and growing and it is clearly a personal expression of Joe Flamm. His influence is everywhere but not overwhelming, and the restaurant feels established despite just opening. It is the perfect spot to forget the pandemic for a few hours and, ultimately, to move on.
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Give the customers what they want. Be consistent. Adapt to the times. This is the success formula Paulina Market has used for 70 years, and if Bill Begale and the staff at Paulina have their way, another 70 years of success is just around the corner.
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The execution is fun, the beer is good, and the atmosphere is unique. In a beer flooded city like Chicago, District Brew Yards stands out, and in time it may prove to be a pioneer of a new kind of beer hall.
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Entente is one of a rare breed of restaurants in Chicago. It knows exactly what it is, what it wants to be, and how it wants to get there. The restaurant already has one Michelin star for its efforts. Do not be surprised if it earns another sooner rather than later.
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Who — or what — will take home the title of Greatest Chicago Icon?
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If by “New American Classic” Bellemore means “Staple Fine Dining,” they have found their sweet spot. But if they are trying to be as intriguing, inventive, and inviting as they claim to be they have a long way to go.
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One Off and Underscore Hospitality’s newest restaurant brings the West Coast east. Does it live up to the hype?
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It is clear that chef Debbie Gold is using Tied House as an opportunity to make an entry into the Michelin Guide. So let me make a bold prediction: Michelin Guide in one year, Michelin Starred in two. In the meantime I will be happy to give Tied House my business again soon.
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