Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Where to Dine
J
oke all you want about bratwurst and deep-dish pizza; Chicago is
a genuine culinary hot spot. One of the city's most creative dining
spots, Alinea, was even named the top restaurant in the United States
by
Gourmet
magazine in 2007 (take that, New York and San Fran-
cisco!). The city's top chefs consistently win national awards and
make appearances on the Food Network, while we locals try to keep
up with all the new restaurant openings.
What makes eating out in Chicago fun is the variety. We've got it
all: stylish see-and-be-seen spots, an amazing array of steakhouses,
chef-owned temples to fine dining, and every kind of ethnic cuisine
you could possibly crave. Plus—yes—some not-to-be-missed deep-
dish pizza places.
I've divided restaurants in this chapter into four price categories:
“Very Expensive” means that most entrees cost $25 to $30 (and
sometimes more); “Expensive” indicates that most entrees run from
$18 to $25; “Moderate” means that most entrees are $20 or less; and
at an “Inexpensive” place, they cost $15 or less.
To find out more about restaurants that have opened since this
book went to press, check out the
Chicago Tribune
's entertainment
website (
www.metromix.com
), the websites for the monthly maga-
zine
Chicago
(
www.chicagomag.com
) and the weekly
Time Out
Chicago
(
www.timeoutchicago.com
), and the entertainment/
nightlife website
http://chicago.citysearch.com
.
1 The Loop
In keeping with their proximity to the towers of power, many of the
restaurants in the Loop and its environs feature expense-account-
style prices, but it's still possible to dine here for less than the cost of
your hotel room.
VERY EXPENSIVE
Everest
ALSATIAN/FRENCH Towering high above the
Chicago Stock Exchange, Everest is an oasis of fine-dining civility, a
place where you can taste the creations of one of Chicago's top chefs
