"American, to me, means stepping out of the United States for influence, flavor, spices, technique,” says Zoe Schor, the 34-year-old owner of the soon-to-open Humboldt Park spot Split-Rail.

Take, for instance, Schor’s homage to the stuffed baked potato, which she renders as a pasta dish: gnocchi mixed with crème fraîche, aged cheddar, scallions, bacon, onions, garlic, and—to anchor it in the American vernacular—a sprinkling of crumbled deep-fried potato skins.

2500 W. Chicago Ave.