Photography by Bob Coscarelli
Just look at the unlikely homes of this year’s top freshmen: an old printing shop (Sepia). A 1920s mobster’s hideout (Room 21). A former hat factory (The Gage). An erstwhile strip club (Anteprima). Heck, we’ve even got a new restaurant where there used to be only sky (Sixteen). Where ordinary people like us might have seen dilapidated old buildings and clouds, creative chefs and restaurateurs saw potential. As a result of their imagination and talent, we are now 21 terrific dining destinations richer. From Brasserie Ruhlmann, a steak-house stunner in the historic Montgomery Ward building, to Pete Balodimas’s scorching Fahrenheit way out in St. Charles, our 2008 list proves what we’ve known all along: The kitchen is the most important room in the house. PLUS: Restaurants on the radar and best of the rest
A MANO >> 335 N. Dearborn St. 312-629-3500 |
THE GAGE >> 24 S. Michigan Ave. 312-372-4243 |
POWERHOUSE >> 215 N. Clinton St. 312-928-0800 |
TABLE FIFTY-TWO >> 52 W. Elm St. 312-573-4000 |
ANTEPRIMA >> 5316 N. Clark St. 773-506-9990 |
LA CASA DE ISAAC >> 431 Temple Ave., Highland Park 847-433-5550 |
REEL CLUB >> 272 Oakbrook Center Oak Brook 630-368-9400 |
TAKASHI >> Best New Restaurant 1952 N. Damen Ave. 773-772-6170 |
BRASSERIE RUHLMANN STEAKHOUSE >> 500 W. Superior St. 312-494-1900 |
MAIJEAN >> 30 S. Prospect Ave., Clarendon Hills 630-794-8900 |
ROOM 21 >> 2110 S. Wabash Ave. 312-328-1198 |
TALLULAH >> 4539 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-942-7585 |
CAFÉ 103 >> 1909 W. 103rd St. 773-238-5115 |
OLD TOWN BRASSERIE >> Best New Dessert 1209 N. Wells St. 312-943-3000 |
SEPIA >> Best New Chef 123 N. Jefferson St. 312-441-1920 |
UNCOMMON GROUND >> 1401 W. Devon Ave. 773-465-9801 |
FAHRENHEIT >> 1890 W. Main St., St. Charles 630-444-1350 |
OTOM >> 951 W. Fulton Market St. 312-491-5804 |
SHIKAGO >> 190 S. LaSalle St. (entrance on Adams) 312-781-7300 |
ZAK’S PLACE >> 112 S. Washington St., Hinsdale 630-323-9257 |
SIXTEEN >> Best New Dish Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago 401 N. Wabash Ave. 312-588-8000 |