Sofia
Sure, you can book a table at Sunda or Underground in hopes of catching a glimpse of the rich and famous, but why go to the trouble when you can shop alongside them? Everyone from Nicole Richie to Carey Mulligan has signed the dressing-room wall of this haute shop on Oak Street and famous faces such as Winona Ryder have been known to wander in off the street at a moment’s notice. Leighton Meester chose a head-to-toe ensemble from Sofia for her Chicago performance at Underground this January and the guys like it, too: rockers Cisco Adler and Joe Perry have also worked with Sofia.

72 East Oak
(312)640-0878
sofiavintage.com

Best of Chicago 2010

L’Appetito

With two nearby locations, this is an Italian deli where you can buy sandwiches (one of meats and cheeses between two focaccia called la bomba), arancini (fried rice balls stuffed with meat or spinach), bowls of soup, lasagna, slices of pizza or imported groceries or just an espresso and a sweet.

30 East Huron
(312)787-9881

875 North Michigan, John Hancock Center
(312)337-0691
lappetito.com

Best of Chicago 2010

Drawing Room
Chef Nick Lacasse did what Richard, the faux-hawked Wonka and Lisa, the whiny toque, couldn’t do in the finale of “Top Chef”: he bested Stephanie Izard in a head-to-head cooking competition. One of the dishes he won with: a seared lobe of foie gras over toasted brioche with pickled fennel and kumquat gastrique, a perfect prep of duck liver, featuring a palate-encompassing spectrum of sweet, tangy and salty flavors.
937 N. Rush

(312)266-2694
lepassage.com

Audience choice:
Hot Doug’s
3324 N. California
(773)279-9550

C-House

Featuring fatty pastrami-cured pork belly, killer BBQ smoked eel with crunchy eel-skin chicharon, crunchy zingy mini-yellowtail ceviche tacos and some of the best fish and chips this side of the Atlantic, this place proves Chicago ain’t a meat-and-potatoes town anymore.
166 E. Superior (312)523-0923

Audience choice:

Devon Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago
(312)440-8660

Best of Chicago 2008

South Loop

Three little words: location, location, location. When the going gets tough in the investment world, the world takes flight to quality. And in real estate, quality is virtually synonymous with location. The South Loop may suffer disproportionately in the near term due to its enormous supply of new housing units coming onto the market over the next few years, but you can’t take away its location: along the lakefront, at the hub of all mass transit lines and within walking distance of Grant Park, Museum Campus and the Art Institute, shopping and Soldier Field. Those who can buy on price weakness and hold will do quite well.

Audience Choice
Gold Coast; Logan Square (tie)

Best of Chicago 2007

The Peninsula Spa
Is there such a thing as a pain-free bikini wax? No, not without anesthetic, but the Peninsula Spa comes closest to making the experience downright pleasant. Done with almost loving care, The Peninsula’s is gentle and long lasting, while the posh robes, sandals and fruit-water treatment makes you wish you could get your pubic hair ripped out every day.

108 East Superior (312)573-6860

Best of Chicago 2002

Foodlife
If all food courts were this good, this diverse and charming, we’d have world peace. Or something. Creator Rich Melman’s innovation extends beyond the tasty offerings—from pizza to stir-fry to barbecues, wraps and much more—and into the process itself. They’ve overcome two challenges that baffle many a food-court family-the problem of four people wanting to buy food at four shops, but out of one pocketbook; and the potential frantic chase for a table afterward. We’ll let you see for yourself how they did it.

Mezzanine Level, Water Tower Place, 835 North Michigan (312)335-3663

Best of Chicago 2002

Newberry Library
Though the Newberry provides a modicum of activities for those not part of academia’s research world, its sheer presence as one of the country’s premier libraries for the humanities makes it part of Chicago’s essence. Established in 1887 and placed into the building designed by Henry Ives Cobb, the library houses an impressive array of original sources for those studying literature, American History, anthropology and even cartography, as well as serving as home to the Chicago Genealogical Society. The Newberry also hosts the traditional Bughouse Square debates, throwing modern Chicago back into the days of street oration and debate.

60 West Walton (312)943-9090

Best of Chicago 2002

International Museum of Surgical Science
Even if you’re not a museum or history buff, go here. Boasting thirty-two rooms full of pieces of medicine’s past, a walk through the museum can alternate from fascinating to horrifying in a matter of feet. Evil dental equipment, samples of tumors, an old iron lung, the antiquated apothecary and spine-chilling exhibits on plastic surgery and anesthesiology make for as interesting a museum experience as is possible. Leave the squeamish at home however.

1524 North Lake Shore Drive (312)642-6502

Best of Chicago 2002

Vision
While most new nightclubs these days are actually hybrid restaurant-lounge-dance spaces, Ala Carte Entertainment transformed their Aura into Vision, and over the course of the year, carved space out of the adjacent Excalibur in order to further increase the scale of this new undertaking. The web site proclaims “5 SEPARATE MUSIC ENVIRONMENTS, 4 BANGIN’ NEW SOUND SYSTEMS, 3 LUXURIOUS LOUNGES and 2 GIANT DANCE CLUBS,” and the whole thing is more than you can take in on one visit. The main room is a three-story atrium, with a modest dance floor on the ground that spills onto the entire first floor as the night gets kicking. Up above, each floor features bars and lounge spaces, all overlooking the dance scene below. Although the overall vibe remains mainstream, no doubt reflecting the influence of its Excalibur heritage and River North location, they’ve recently upped the ante by partnering with West Coast promoters Spundae. The result is that Vision has become a venue for some of the world’s most popular club acts, with recent appearances by Sasha, Crystal Method and Dirty Vegas.

632 North Dearborn (312)266-1944

Audience choice: Le Passage and Swank (tie)
Le Passage, 1 Oak Place
Swank, 710 North Wells
(Le Passage and Swank are both closed)

Best of Chicago 2002