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Phil Vettel recommends

A roundup of restaurants reviewed in 2012 by critic Phil Vettel. Acadia ✭✭✭ 1639 S. Wabash Ave., 312-360-9500. Ryan McCaskey's gamble to place a luxury restaurant in the South Loop is, so far, paying off. People are crowding into...

Tags: Shrimp, Belly Shack, Music, Customs and Tradition, Foods and Beverages

Your tables are ready

If we knew exactly what made restaurants successful, then there would be no unsuccessful ones. But the business is unpredictable and customers fickle; some mediocre concepts seemingly last forever, while genuinely worthy enterprises wither on the vine....

Tags: Credit and Debt, Shrimp, Bars and Clubs, Wicker Park, Restaurant and Catering Industry

Let's break out the old crystal ball

Time once again for my annual exercise in humiliation, as I try to predict the star recipients in the 2013 Michelin Chicago Guide, which hits bookstores Wednesday. This is the third year that Michelin has published a Chicago guide, and if there's one...

Tags: Bonsoiree, Ria, Sixteen, Spiaggia, Lifestyle and Leisure

Flying high on a new day

The question for me is whether Blackbird is a four-star restaurant with three-star amenities, or a three-star restaurant with four-star cuisine. For though the food at this 14-year-old restaurant is exemplary (more on that in a moment), there are aspects...

Tags: Mushrooms, Soups, Mussels, Foods and Beverages, Lifestyle and Leisure

Alinea, Ria, Charlie Trotter's among Michelin-starred restaurants in 2012 Chicago guide

Tribune reporters

In Chicago’s dining scene, there is Alinea, and there is everybody else. That’s the message being conveyed in the 2012 Michelin Guide Chicago, whose star ratings were announced Tuesday afternoon. Only Alinea, which also earned three stars...

Tags: Bonsoiree, Graham Elliot, Spiaggia, Topolobampo, Tru

The Charlie Trotter launch pad

Charlie Trotter was kidding when he cracked, "I thought it was a law in Chicago that you couldn't open a restaurant without working here first," but the truth is that one could assemble a formidable culinary all-star team consisting solely of chefs who...

Tags: Graham Elliot, Charlie Trotter's, Charlie Trotter, Boka, Grant Achatz

2012 James Beard Foundation Awards nominees have roots in the Chicago suburbs

James Beard awards includes one Florida chef nominee

Stargazing: Phil Vettel handicaps Michelin-star winners

As the second Michelin Guide for Chicago prepares to hit bookstores next week, one thing is for sure: There will be change. There has to be. Among the 23 restaurants that received one or more stars, Sixteen (one star) saw chef Frank Brunacci depart,...

Tags: Bonsoiree, Ria, Sixteen, Spiaggia, Tru

Restaurant review: The Strand House in Manhattan Beach

Los Angeles Times Restaurant Critic

The Strand House in Manhattan Beach commands an enviable position at the edge of the ocean-side town overlooking the pier. No accident, since owner Michael Zislis is already a big presence here with his Shade Hotel and a number of casual restaurants,...

Tags: Mushrooms, Doughnuts, Salads, Onions, Pizzas

Reservations now taken for Phillip Foss' six-seater

Tribune reporter

A couple of months ago we reported that chef Phillip Foss would be opening a bricks and mortar fine dining restaurant called El, next to his Meaty Balls Mobile food truck kitchen at 2419 W. 14th St. Today the chef announced that he will start taking...

Tags: Metal and Mineral, Lifestyle and Leisure, Building Material, Restaurants, Dining and Drinking

Making Chicago's top chef

Tribune reporter

Grant Achatz moved up the aisle of the plane, his carry-on draped over his gaunt frame. It was October at Reagan National Airport, a rare moment of calm for Chicago's top chef, whose wary eyes belong to a man older than 36, and whose life has been blessed...

Tags: Science and Technology, Beyonce, Cancer, James Beard, Elections