Chicago Chicago Food and drink— — Food and drink Dinner Top tables Food and drink — Taste of Chicago To outsiders, Chicago’s food scene is known for a few things: gargantuan deep-dish pizzas, hot dogs decked out with tomatoes and pickles (anything but ketchup) and, on the flip side, a highly regarded fine-dining culture. To Chicagoans, the city’s food scene is all that and so much more. It’s a city that offers Pacific Standard Time, delicious dining at River North every price point, where California dreaming cheeseburgers are as highly sought after as California is chef Erling brown butter-basted rib- Table, Donkey and Stick, Wu-Bower’s major source of eye steaks. The city has a Logan Square inspiration and he transports large Mexican population Alpine state it to Pacific Standard Time and, as such, tacos by emulating the state’s free- are an art form. Chefs The sparing tagline for this spirited vibe and vegetable- from elsewhere have restaurant is “Crusty Bread, focused food. The design of contributed global dishes Brandy, Fire” and it sums the light-filled space – with such as Roman pizza, up the place perfectly. “The terrazzo and wooden floors, Louisiana fried chicken seasonal menu is built around lots of foliage, and white walls and Vietnamese coffee old-world traditions of bread- – completes the West Coast and banh mi. baking, charcuterie and feel. This place is equally suited Much of Chicago’s preservation, applied to to a lively dinner with friends dining scene is centred products of the Midwest,” as a business lunch with clients. around the two hubs of says proprietor and sommelier Two wood-burning ovens the West Loop and Logan Matt Sussman, who has turn out fluffy pitta served with Square, where you’ll find assembled an excellent wine list hummus or marinated ahi tuna, a mix of restaurants along drawn from the Alpine regions. as well as blistered pizzas such with excellent coffee On the menu are dishes such as as a margherita accented with shops and cocktail bars potato latkes with horseradish preserved giardiniera (a zingy – so they’re great places aioli, duck-liver mousse, and Italian relish). Fresh salads to start your culinary a burger with fontina and and perfectly cooked seafood explorations. But to truly cranberry mostarda (an Italian and meat dishes round off the eat like a Chicagoan, all condiment) tucked into a menu, enhanced by a wine list you need to do is arrive pretzel bun. that leans toward the Golden with an open mind and 2728 West Armitage Avenue, State and Old World tipples. an empty stomach – then 60647 141 West Erie Street, 60654 dig in. 11 773 486 8525 11 312 736 1778 tabledonkeystick.com pstchicago.com 026 027 Chicago Chicago Food and drink— — Food and drink Proxi, West Loop World tour Chef Andrew Zimmerman made his name at the excellent West Loop restaurant Sepia; next door is Proxi, his second restaurant and a visual stunner with flavours to match. “Proxi’s menu was inspired by both my travels abroad and my time right here in Chicago,” he says. “I’ve always been drawn to bold, vibrant flavours, and regularly find new dish ideas while exploring Chicago’s rich culinary scene.” The menu includes Asian, Middle Eastern and Mexican influences in dishes such as tempura elotes (grilled corn) and black-pepper pork, and Sarah Mispagel’s tempting desserts are equally inventive. The design is sleek, with floor- Elske, West Loop to-ceiling windows, antique Scandi crush mirrors, leather booths and vibrant tiles. One for a must- Elske means “love” in Danish impress meeting or sealing and Denmark is at the root that business deal. of chefs Anna (pictured) and 565 West Randolph Street, 60661 BoeufHaus, Humboldt Park David Posey’s West Loop 11 312 466 1950 Steak a claim restaurant. Complete with proxichicago.com exposed brick walls and mid- Chicago is a steak town and no century modern furniture, one does the job quite like chef it’s a lovely minimalist spot Brian Ahern (pictured). His for lingering over a meal that intimate BoeufHaus takes cues draws from both Scandinavian from traditional French and and Midwest traditions. German recipes for dishes such Whether you choose the as short-rib beignets or the beef tasting menu or order à la tartare stirred up with capers, carte, the dishes are seasonal shallots and Dijon, and served and beautifully presented – with brioche. from the slice of duck-liver tart The 55-day, dry-aged served with salted ramps (wild ribeye comes with Bordelaise, garlic) to the soft-scrambled béarnaise or au poivre sauces; eggs with mushrooms and pescatarians, meanwhile, have kale, and the sunflower-seed options such as celery-cured parfait drizzled with sour Arctic char and Alaskan halibut honey. Toast your meal with a with chanterelles, mussels and glass of homemade schnapps, ginger. Be sure to grab a seat which comes in flavours such at the cosy copper-topped bar as dill or black raspberry. for a pre-dinner martini or 1350 West Randolph Street, German draft beer. 60607 1012 North Western Avenue, 11 312 733 1314 60622 elskerestaurant.com 11 773 661 2116 boeufhaus.com 028 029 Chicago Chicago Food and drink— — Food and drink Fat Rice, Logan Square Pizza perfection Ticket to Macau 01 Pizzeria Bebu, Goose If you haven’t tried Macanese Island: The crust at cuisine – which fuses Chinese, Pizzeria Bebu is a work of Portuguese, African and other art; crispy on the bottom influences – Fat Rice is a with a chewy edge, it’s great place to start. Chef Abe the perfect vessel for Conlon serves dishes such as toppings that range from chilli prawns with garlic and classic (a pitch-perfect fermented black beans, pork- margherita) to creative and-ginger dumplings with (an everything-bagel sweet soy and chilli oil, and crust pie with caramelised arroz gordo (the eponymous fat onion, house-cured rice, which comes packed with pancetta and an egg). curried chicken, barbecued Can’t decide? Try a half- pork, linguiça and more). and-half option with two Fat Rice also has an adjacent different toppings. bakery – try the snickerdoodle bebu.pizza (a cookie) with salted-yolk 02 Spacca Napoli Pizzeria, custard filling – and a bar, Uptown: With an oven Ladies’ Room, where globally straight from Naples, the inspired cocktails are created pizzas at Spacca Napoli with homemade ingredients. are a worthy ode to the 2957 West Diversey Avenue, Neapolitan style: thin pies 60647 with soft centres and 11 773 661 9170 restrained toppings that eatfatrice.com are all about quality. The cheeseless marinara puts tomatoes front and centre Parachute, Avondale Daisies, Logan Square while the puttanesca gets Korea highlight Fresh from the farm some salty funk from anchovies, black olives At Parachute, Beverly Kim and The succinct menu at Daisies and capers. Johnny Clark put a satisfying comprises handmade pastas spaccanapolipizzeria.com spin on traditional Korean (think beetroot agnolotti with 03 Bonci Pizzeria, West food, with plates such as dill), daily-changing starters Loop: Roman pizzaiolo bibimbap with yellowfin tuna and crowd-pleasers such as Gabriele Bonci opened or kale-and-beef stew with crispy fried mushrooms and his first US outpost in sweet potatoes. The seasonal cheese curds with buttermilk- Chicago in 2017 and menu changes regularly tarragon dipping sauce. serves his Roman-style but the baked-potato bing Owner and executive chef pizzas al taglio (by bread – stuffed with spring Joe Frillman (pictured, on left) weight). Choose from the onions, cheddar and bacon, sources much of the produce 20 pizza options regularly and served with sour-cream for his vegetable-focused dishes on offer – with toppings butter – is a firm fixture. from his family farm, and such as nduja and burrata A communal table runs adheres to what he calls the or spicy aubergine – and down the middle of the long “Italian philosophy” of using a pizza-maker will snip a and slender space, which is what’s in season in a simple slice for you with scissors. lined on one side with exposed way. “Our daily inspiration is You can select the size so bricks. The drinks list is stellar, derived from the question: If it’s easy to try a number with wines, ciders, sakés and the Midwest were a region in of different-flavoured more helping to make a night Italy, what would the food look slices in one sitting. at Parachute a convivial one. like?” he says. bonciusa.com 3500 North Elston Avenue, 2523 North Milwaukee Avenue, 60618 60647 11 773 654 1460 11 773 661 1671 parachuterestaurant.com daisieschicago.com 030 031 Chicago Chicago Food and drink— — Food and drink Pequod’s Pizza, Lincoln Park Dive into deep dish This Lincoln Park staple has been serving its thick- pan pizzas for more than 25 years. The secret to the continued success (and the long wait for a table) is in the caramelised crust: a thin layer of cheese along the exterior gives the pie a chewy edge and extra flavour. For toppings, sausage and pepperoni are classic Chicago. Or you can cut down on the Lula Café, Logan Square wait by sneaking in for the Firm favourite $4.95 weekday cheese-pizza lunch special. Since opening in 1999, Lula 2207 North Clybourn Avenue, Café has anchored Logan 60614 Square’s dining scene with its 11 773 327 1512 ever-changing all-day menu, pequodspizza.com thoughtful drinks list and cult- favourite brunch. “Lula is built on the foundation of the farm- to-table movement but we consistently challenge ourselves to push the boundaries of what that philosophy can mean,” says owner Jason Hammel.