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One of the most popular restaurants in Chinatown, this delightful spot serves standard Cantonese and Mandarin fare in a clean, bright setting. Dim sum is doled out daily from 8am to 2.30pm. As a benefit to both hungry diners and dieters, many entrees are available in small and large portion sizes.
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This vibrant Nuevo Latino eatery is a neighbourhood favourite featuring tableside guacamole presentation – mashing up avocado to a desired spice level in a mortar made of volcanic rock. Entrees highlight traditional regional specialities like snapper Veracruzana and grilled quail on a sugar cane spear. Crowds can be thick at times so wait time can vary, despite reservations – the perfect opportunity for another killer margarita.
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Be prepared to either shout or stay quiet and people-watch at this always-bustling bistro located in the heart of the always- bustling Gold Coast neighbourhood. Authenticity here reaches from the red façade to the white-apron-wearing servers to the decadent chocolate crepes – perfect for dessert or a sweet weekend brunch.
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About the only thing black here is the fashion – it seems to be the colour of choice among the guests at this temple to slick, all-white minimalism (and of course, that black would be Prada). Inside, acclaimed chef Paul Kahan creates contemporary American cuisine that has won national awards and kept Blackbird at the forefront of the city’s fickle cuisine scene for years. Specialities include sautéed Maryland soft shell crabs, asparagus 'noodles’ and Vidalia onions and crispy suckling pig with red grapes.
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'Charlie Trotter’s is the best restaurant in America – discuss.’ If it’s not at the top, it’s unquestionably among a handful of the country’s most lauded dining destinations. The atmosphere here is surprisingly laid back – servers are genuine and friendly, and there’s no pressure to decide what to order, since chef Trotter offers only two, multi-course prixe fixe menu choices. Both change daily but always focus on fresh, seasonal fare and innovative techniques.
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This cheerful neighbourhood spot is the only French restaurant in Little Italy, and is reported to be a favourite of Mayor Richard Daley. Expect traditional fare like escargot, coq a vin, duck confit and steak frites – all impeccably prepared and beautifully presented. Dine indoors amidst art, gilded mirrors and antiques, or head outside and dine in a charming outdoor garden.
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It’s always a good sign when the chef’s [name] translates as 'generous’. But chef Genoroso 'Geno’ Bahena could also be known as the 'King of Moles’. His mastery of these complex sauces is complete, renowned and on full display at this upscale, white-table-cloth restaurant. There’s red mole, black mole and even a mole made with apricots. Although the atmosphere says street fair, the prices say uptown. No moles were hurt in the writing of this review.
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Like dinner and a show, but you provide the entertainment by cooking your own meal. It’s called 'shabu fondue’ – cooking thinly sliced beef and veg in hot water, seaweed and salt on a central burner included in each table. Rather leave the cooking to others? Opt for a ramen noodle dish or a selection from the sushi bar.
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Located on the top floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange, this sumptuous, four-star restaurant is also perched at the top of the city’s dining scene. Internationally renowned chef Jean Joho adds a touch of luxury to the fare of his native Alsace. The impressive wine cellar boasts the best of the region – trust sommelier Alpana Singh to make an inspired selection, she is one of the city’s rising culinary stars (see above). For a fairytale ending, indulge in the light-as-a-cloud chocolate soufflé.
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Chef/owner Rick Bayless has lead the charge to bring the authentic, healthy flavours of Mexican food to America’s table. Frontera Grill shows his casual side, with a fiesta-like atmosphere, a rustic offering of grilled fare and moles, and a no reservations policy for parties smaller than five. Next door, Rick ups the ante with Topolobampo’s fine dining format. There’s fine art on the walls, and the regional specialities are so special that many of ingredients were specially grown or prepared just for the restaurant.
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This is where Chicago’s men come to eat steak. Reservations are tough – regulars have first right to their favourite tables – but it’s worth the effort for no-nonsense steaks, chops and pastas served in a dim, clubby atmosphere. There’s also a good chance you’ll pick up some choice gossip – this is where many politicos and business leaders hang out, and celebrities often stop by when passing through.
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The words simple, rustic, affordable and good summarise this charming spot in the gentrifying South Loop neighbourhood, and it achieves particularly high marks for its seafood dishes. When the weather’s nice, grab a table on the outdoor patio. There’s also a lovely local twist: a hidden door in the back harks back to the city’s speakeasy gangster days, and there’s even a table for two crafted from a safe.
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Billed as an 'Italian steakhouse’ due to its prime steak and pasta dishes, most people recognise this restaurant by the famous [name] over the door. The bespectacled local personality was a play-by-play announcer for both the Sox and the Cubs baseball teams, and his love of the game is everywhere, from the baseball memorabilia to the bar, which measures the exact distance between the pitcher’s mound and home plate. A tad touristy, but the steak is great.
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If it were any fresher – well actually, it can’t get any fresher. This sleek, modern eatery specialises in 'fresh kill sushi’. To accomplish this, it boasts three giant fish tanks capable of handling 400 pounds of eel, grouper, spiny lobster, flounder and the like. If you’d rather opt out of reality dining, however, chose chef Kee Chan’s elaborate, seven-course prix fixe tasting menu, which can be paired with wine or saké.
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This chic spot burst onto the scene last year with a Japanese-French blend that is pleasing the critics and drawing the crowds. Chefs Jun Ichikawa and Gene Kato oversee a dual kitchen, with Ichikawa in charge of sushi and sashimi and Kato handling hot dishes. The dining room is also divided, into the Red Room, which boasts red patent leather chairs, and the Green Room, with multiple fireplaces. The cuisine isn’t the only draw here: the people-watching is also tops.
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This cosy neighbourhood favourite draws both a hip, artistic crowd and a sophisticated older set for chef Dirk Flanigan’s take on contemporary American cuisine. The emphasis here is on the Pacific Northwest region, especially seafood. Yet it’s impossible to go wrong with the nightly wild game selection like elk or bison. The all-American wine list is compact but strong, featuring selections from smaller vineyards in California, Oregon and Washington.
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'If there’s a better sushi restaurant’, writes Chicago Tribune food reviewer Phil Vettel, 'I haven’t tried it’. Many say this chic spot boasts fresh sushi, a hot lounge and a tough reservation challenge, although competition for its 46 seats has lightened up considerably since opening in 2000. The menu changes daily, but quality is always superb and presentation innovative. Even sushi virgins will appreciate the knowledgeable servers – and the entrée menu. Even cooler is the restaurant’s glass façade puts diners on display – like a fish bowl.
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This former warehouse has been given the luxury treatment, with exotic silk drapes, rich wall coverings and a technicoloured glass-enclosed wine cellar. The old film vaults have been turned into private dining rooms for the utmost in intimacy, or dine in the main room for unparalleled people watching. Then there’s the food: upscale presentations of traditional fare like Hunan pork, Cantonese roast duck and five-spice ribs. A well-composed wine list includes a variety of whites and Asian beers.
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[name]d for a North African hot pepper, the theme here is contemporary French Provençal with a Mediterranean twist, and the decor is simple, clean and inviting. Chef Francois de Melogue’s specialties include mussels in a pastis cream sauce, charcuterie and Mediterranean sea bass. The renowned wine list includes typical splurge-worthy selections like Chateau Palmer Margaux, but also includes a strong selection of reasonably priced bottles from the smaller French regions.
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What’s a trip to Chicago without partaking in the legendary Maxwell St. Dog? (A thick sausage on a steamed bun dressed with mustard, grilled onions, a pickle spear and peppers.) This two-storey monument to all things street food serves up some of the best dogs, Italian beef and Polish sausage, along with an impressive collection of Chicago memorabilia from the 1920s through the 1940s, including a 1928 Thompson submachine gun, a replica of an old barber shop and a 1930 Chevrolet.
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Chef Jackie Shen’s culinary background may be French, but she has proved she can turn out inspiring Asian at this hip, stylish spot. Specialities include the bird’s nest appetiser, where a nest of puffy rice noodles coddles tamarind-glazed quail, a crispy Peking duck sweetened with a cherry-cognac sauce and an Asian bouillabaisse with shellfish and soba noodles. Adventurous diners try the multi- course tasting menu, but everyone should save room Shen’s trademark 'chocolate bag’ – a chocolate container filled with white chocolate mousse and fruit.
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The too-perfect dining room décor is a monument to the brand that is Ralph Lauren, or is it the menu that’s the monument? Either way, this is the place to dine by classic American design, including thick sirloin steaks from Lauren’s private ranch, stiff martinis, ice-cold oysters, and tableside preparations of bananas Foster and crepe Suzette. Just be sure you pronounce the [name] correctly when you go – it’s Lor-en, not Loren.
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Located in the rather nice Peninsula Hotel, the theme is 1930s Shanghai supper club chic, and the guests dining in this intimate setting range from couples celebrating special occasions to business people with healthy expense accounts. Chef Richard Chen specialises in Asian food with a French twist. Dim sum is served daily, and when the weather’s warm, there’s an outdoor patio.
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For more than 20 years, the city’s only four- star Italian restaurant has offered refined dining complemented by sweeping views of the city and Lake Michigan. Chef Tony Mantuano’s award-winning specialities include diced raw Kobe strip steak with Piemontese white truffle essence and lemon, and hand made chestnut spaghettoni pasta with porcini mushroom sauce. Contemporary art and tuxedoed waiters add to the pageantry.
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This cavernous German-American restaurant will never win any culinary awards, but it’s been a Chicago institution for more than 100 years thanks to its hearty fare, it’s Dortmunder-style signature beer and its own private stock single-barreled Kentucky bourbon. There’s also quite a history here, and it’s on display throughout the restaurant. Look out for its 1933 liquor license: after Prohibition The Berghoff managed to get Chicago liquor license #1.
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A Chicago institution, this cosy, bustling spot is so Old Country Italian you almost expect to run into Sinatra here (indeed you can, in a way, thanks to a giant oil painting of Ol’ Blue Eyes). Bring your appetite, because portions here are huge, and the wine is reasonably priced. There’s also a location on Michigan Avenue, just off the Magnificent Mile, to attract the tourists, but locals appreciate the warm atmosphere at its original location, near the University of Illinois campus and the pizza parlours of Little Italy.
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Award-winning chef Grant Achatz, fresh from his sous-chef position at the famous French Laundry in Napa Valley, Calif., is shaking up the Chicago culinary scene from this elegant restaurant just outside the city. Achatz is best described as a 'deconstructionalist’, breaking down French cuisine to its component parts and then reinventing it in surprising, often whimsical ways. His approach is not for the faint of heart or wallet: a 20 course tour-de-force runs to $175 without wine.
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