M Burger
Lettuce Entertain You’s answer to West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger makes one mean grilled patty and is the tastiest local fast-food invention since Wow Bao.
161 East Huron
(312)254-8500
5 W Ontario
(312)428-3548
mburgerchicago.com
Best of Chicago 2010
Spicy plum glazed lamb ribs at Viand
It’s no surprise Chiappetti Lamb and Veal scion chef Steve Chiappetti knows his way around a sheep, however he must have done some time in Chinatown too, because his spicy Asian flavors are so good, you’ll tip the porcelain serving bowl holding the ribs into your mouth to sop up every last drip of remaining spicy plum sauce.
155 East Ontario
(312)255-8505
viandchicago.com
Best of Chicago 2009
Chicago Shakespeare Theater for $20
Finally, a deal for those of us who are out of school but aren’t retired yet. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater now offers $20 tickets for those 35 and under, and it doesn’t require a membership. Simply type in the code “Under35” in the promo box on their website and you’ll be instantly hooked up. There are no early birds required, but with this year’s repertoire of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Macbeth” and “Twelfth Night,” it’s probably a good idea to act fast.
800 E. Grand
(312)595-5600
chicagoshakes.com
Best of Chicago 2008
C-House
Featuring a runny, poached duck egg shrouded in curry-perfumed hollandaise nested on a bed of sweet, spiced braised greens with a side of sherry and mustard-cured pork belly, C-House’s single best dish is basically what you’d get if an Eggs Benedict had a head-on collision with a soul-food buffet.
166 E. Superior
(312)523-0923
Audience choice
Blackbird
619 W. Randolph
(312)715-0708
Best of Chicago 2008
Mies van der Rohe’s Lake Shore Drive apartments
Louis Sullivan’s cast-iron filigree adorning Carson’s was at the top of the list until it was boarded up again once Carson’s vacated. Mies, though, never fails to impress. Following on the heels of the successful Crown Hall restoration, Krueck & Sexton Architects and Gunny Harboe were asked to do it again. The Lake Shore Drive apartments have so far been treated with a shiny coat of black paint and windows have been returned to their perfection of shiny transparency. The master of minimalist severity rises again.
Best of Chicago 2007
Fox & Obel
When this gourmet grocer opened last year, food lovers rejoiced over its glorious offerings of quality meats, fresh breads, and gourmet everything. But its cheese department is its epicenter. With more than 300 varieties, including an unsurpassed offering of artisanal cheeses from around the globe, Fox & Obel puts new meaning into the word cheesemonger.
401 East Illinois (312)410-7301
Audience choice: Whole Foods
30 West Huron, (312)932-9600
3640 North Halsted, (773)472-0400
3300 North Ashland, (773)244-4200
1550 North Kingsbury, (312)587-0648)
1101 South Canal, (312)435-4600
1640 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, (847)733-1600
Best of Chicago 2002
Navy Pier
Just because you have a McDonald’s doesn’t make you a McMall, and just because Boston had a super-sized waterfront amusement-for-pay complex first doesn’t make Navy Pier any less impressive. Is it a monstrosity? You bet. Yet there’s the Chicago Children’s Museum, an Imax theatre, Shakespeare, tons of food, a brilliant view of the skyline and the lake, and only seven or eight million visitors underfoot at any given time, um, any given year. So have some cotton candy, stick your tongue out at the bratty privileged children from five to fifty and just chill, dude.
600 East Grand at Lake Michigan (312)595-PIER
Best of Chicago 2002
Pizzerias Uno and Due
Chicago-style pizza is an American legend, and it all started in these two Near North mansions-turned-restaurants. While Uno has become a national chain based, ironically, in Boston, its sister shop Due is a Chicago standalone, still very much the way it was when Ike Sewell set it up those many decades ago. And the deep-dish pizza, with a thick crispy crust and tangy tomato sauce, still delivers on the reputation established within these walls.
Uno, 29 East Ohio, (312)321-1000; Due, 619 North Wabash, (312)943-2400
Best of Chicago 2002
Tru
No one ever expected anyone in Chicago to give Charlie Trotter a run for his money, but former spouses Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand have managed to exceed their Lincoln Park culinary rival in the eyes of some. But where Trotter’s is a study in formal elegance and studied excellence, Tru conveys the essence of bacchanal, a celebration of the art and craft of creation and cuisine. From the caviar-staircase appetizer, on through to the renowned dessert decadence of Gand, Tru is an experience to be savored.
676 North St. Clair (312)202-0001
Best of Chicago 2002
John Hancock Center
Not even Chicago’s tallest; this majestic 100-story skyscraper is certainly among the world’s prettiest. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and completed in 1970, it stands as monument to a time when we just knew mankind’s ascent was unquestionably upward. Its sleek tapering shape and crossing steel beams draw the eye skyward, effortlessly, toward the cocktail lounge near its peak, where those in the know take visitors for the tastiest view of the city.
The Signature Lounge, 95th floor, 875 North Michigan (312)787-9596
Best of Chicago 2002
