FINEST SICILIAN BAKERY
Pasticceria Natalina
Beautiful pastries, beautiful owner
5406 N. Clark St.         773-989-0662       

BEST USE OF HEARTS OF PALM
Palmito
The Costa Rican spot’s huge ensalada de palmito 
3605 N. Ashland Ave.               773-248-3087       

COZIEST COFFEE SHOP
Blue Max Coffee Roasters & Cafe
Has thought of everything: a couch, a fireplace, and even a play area for the kids
26 Lathrop Ave., Forest Park               708-366-9224       

MOST UPSCALE DELI
Eleven City Diner
Serves Mighty Leaf tea and charges $1.85 for a side of dill pickles.
1112 S. Wabash Ave.               312-212-1112       

MOST MEMORABLE SANDWICH SPOT
Brown Sack
Serves grilled organic peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches
3706 W. Armitage Ave.               773-661-0675  

     

GREAT GOURMET CARRYOUT
Bonsoirée Cafe & Delicacies
The fancy foods are gorgeous and affordable.
2728 W. Armitage Ave.              773-486-7511    

   

BIGGEST IDENTITY CRISIS
Bat 17
Deli, or pub?
1709 Benson Ave., Evanston               847-733-7117       

GREAT SANDWICH
Simply It
The Saigon-style banh mi is more Potbelly’s than Pasteur, but it’s terrific.
2269 N. Lincoln Ave.               773-248-0884 

      

TERRIFIC FRENCH TOAST
Meli Cafe
The from-scratch challah number
301 S. Halsted St.              312-454-0748       

COOLEST RETRO DINER
Depot American Diner
A perfectly restored vintage spot in Austin
5840 W. Roosevelt Rd.               773-261-8422       

Courtesy: Chicago Magazine

10 places everyone’s talking about-and dining at-in December. In order of heat:

OLD TOWN BRASSERIE The good old days are back: Roland Liccioni creates magic in the kitchen and Nan Mason holds court in the bar. 1209 N. Wells St.;               312-943-3000       

 Table 52

TABLE FIFTY-TWO Wanna see Mayor Daley? How about Joan Cusack? Robert Redford? Gotcha. 52 W. Elm St.;               312-573-4000       

BRASSERIE RUHLMANN Expectations are high for this NYC offshoot, and so are prices-$19 for a steak tartare appetizer? 500 W. Superior St.;               312-494-1900       

SEPIA Emmanuel Nony’s West Loop stunner has the look and taste of a classic. Food’s not bad, either. 123 N. Jefferson St.;               312-441-1920       

LA MADIA Nothing like newfangled pizza to excite the River North foodies. 59 W. Grand Ave.;               312-329-0400       

ARIRANG Just when we thought we’d seen it all, along comes a clean, stylish Korean BBQ place. In Niles. 741 Civic Center Dr., Niles;               847-966-7072 

 MACELLO    

MACELLO Rustic décor meets parsley-flecked Italian-big win for Match.pasta. 1235 W. Lake St.;               312-850-9870       

A MANO Dan Sachs is a little smartypants. Now he can send the Bin 36 overflow downstairs for panini and gelati. 335 N. Dearborn St.;               312-629-3500       

THALIA SPICE Seems the whole city is taking advantage of this modern Asian spot’s BYO policy. How long will it last? 833 W. Chicago Ave.;               312-226-6020       

ANTEPRIMA This trattoria, with an unabashedly Italian menu and chic bric-a-brac décor, is still loud, proud, and crowded. 5316 N. Clark St.;               773-506-9990 

Courtesy: Chicago Magazine   

Meritage Café & Bar closes January 1st after a long run as a regional American pioneering the cuisine of the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, owner Chris Peckat is keeping busy by opening side-by-side spots in Wrigleyville. In late December, his Risqué Café debuts in the former Improv Kitchen (3419 N. Clark St.); expect a funky-casual “American smokehouse” serving BBQ favorites, cheesecake, hundreds of microbrews and decor that’s “risqué,” not the menu. Then in early ‘08 comes a designer thin-crust pie pusher named Purgatory Pizza next door (3415 N. Clark St.).  Courtesy: Zagat Buzz

 

In Chicago, where the streets are lined with countless Italian dining options, being the chef of the only four-star Italian restaurant is nothing to scoff about. And Tony Mantuano knows it.

Focused on serving authentic Italian cuisine and offering casual, welcoming hospitality, Mantuano puts Spiaggia in a class of its own. Mantuano did not set out to achieve culinary greatness.

Growing up Italian in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Mantuano’s family was all about food. His grandparents owned an Italian grocery, and as a result Mantuano spent a lot of time soaking up the importance and culture of food.

Realizing he needed to make ends meet after studying music in college, Mantuano took a job in a restaurant. He’s been cooking ever since.

After several years in cooking, Mantuano drew the interest of a restaurant owner in Chicago. He moved in 1982 for a job at (now extinct) Pronto restaurant.

Before rolling up his sleeves in the Spiaggia kitchen, Mantuano and his wife spent a year in Italy, courtesy of the restaurant’s owner Larry Levy. While there, Mantuano studied authentic Italian cuisine and put in time at 3-star Michelin Dal Pescatore as well as renowned Da Romano.

After the opening of Spiaggia in 1984, Mantuano quickly became one of Chicago’s most acclaimed Italian chefs. Today, the kitchen at Spiaggia churns out simple dishes that focus on three or four terrific ingredients.

“People try to add more ingredients to make them seem like they are worth more,” he says. “It becomes muddled tasting.”

Spiaggia is known for its pasta, which is made on site every day. One of Mantuano’s favorites, the veal agnolotti, consists of handcrafted veal-filled pasta with fennel pollen and crispy veal breast.

In addition, the menu’s expansive offerings of meat and fish center on the kitchen’s wood burning oven, which brings a smoky flavor to the food. The seafood for Mantuano’s creations is imported fresh from Italy, including the poached Mediterranean sea bass with braised fennel and the roasted turbot with sunchoke puree, mushrooms and a veal reduction.

Along with the high quality of the food, Mantuano believes that both the service and location of Spiaggia, on the Magnificent Mile overlooking the lake, contribute to its four-star ranking.

“It’s a stunning place to be,” Mantuano says. “Even if you’re a long time Chicagoan, when you dine here you are jilted.”

Mantuano also heads up Café Spiaggia, the more casual neighborhood restaurant located in the same building. As Mantuano describes it, “The dining room [at Spiaggia] is like driving a Ferrari, the dining room at the café is driving a Fiat. Both are fun to drive, they are just different experiences.”

Mantuano notes that even though Spiaggia is a four-star restaurant, the service is never stuffy and no guests ever feel out of place. “Hospitality is something Italians have perfected over the years,” he says. “Even in a four-star restaurant, we make you feel welcome.”

Tony Mantuano is the James Beard 2005 Best Chef: Midwest winner and was nominated in 2002, 2003 and 2004. His Spiaggia cookbook was also nominated as a top cookbook by the James Beard Foundation in 2004.

Courtesy: Style Chicago

 

Terrance Brennan
Best known for introducing the cheese course into contemporary American dining with his 15-year-old NY restaurant Picholine, and building an entire bistro/wine bar around cheese in his six-year-old Artisanal (also in New York).
Big plans for Artisanal Bistro and Wine Bar, featuring cheese flights with paired wines and a Mediterranean “sushi bar” where diners can order charcuterie and small plates like crisp brandade cakes and bone marrow toast.
Look for it downtown along the Mag Mile in September.

Frank Brunacci
Best known for a 20-year career in Australia, England and AAA Five Diamond restaurants at the Ritz Carlton in both New Orleans and Atlanta.
Big plans for an upscale all-day eatery dubbed Sixteen (for its 16th-floor location) that’s outfitted with 30-foot-high curved windows and a multitiered chandelier of Swarovski crystals. An updated tea service is called “Champagne High,” the wine list is said to be world-class, and the New American menu includes dishes such as quail breast with leg confit, beet puree and cilantro salad.
Look for it by March in Trump Tower at 401 N Wabash Ave.

Jose Garces 

Best known for the two-year-old tapas restaurant Amada and the brand-new Spanish wine bar Tinto, both in Philly. Prior to opening these, he worked for years under Douglas Rodriguez, considered by many to have fathered the Nuevo Latino movement in America.
Big plans for a spacious Spanish tapas spot called Mercat a la Planxa. The menu is inspired by Catalan cuisine, so expect dishes like crispy bluefin tuna with ham-olive escabeche and black cod confit with blood sausage potatoes. Sangria supplements the Spanish wine list, and the design is said to reference the hexagonal shape of Barcelona’s famed outdoor market Mercat Boqueria.
Look for it in the soon-to-be renovated Blackstone Hotel at 600 S Michigan Ave in March.

Marcus Samuelsson
Best known for serving creative takes on classic Scandinavian cuisine at NY’s Aquavit, where the Ethiopian-born native of Sweden has been executive chef and co-owner for 12 years.
Big plans for C-House, a modern seafood-focused restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. An extensive raw bar joins entrees like soy-glazed yellowfin tuna with an onion tart and fennel salad. The year-round rooftop deck and C-Bar will focus on cocktails and small plates, which include fish and chips and a lobster club; plus the C-Bar will have a front-row view of the show kitchen.
Look for it in the Affinia Hotel at 166 E Superior in March.

Courtesy: Time Out Chicago