Anthony Bourdain’s "No Reservations" in Chicago
February 3 2009
Allow me to veer off topic to brag on my hometown. Last night, on the Travel Channel in the US, Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" highlighted all that is great and wonderful about the Chicago culinary scene. It was an amazingly well-produced episode, both in terms of the subject matter as well as visually. If I was ever to visualize a travel show capturing the essence of Chicago and its food, this was it.
You'll get no argument from my waistline that restaurants in Chicago are among the best in the world. While dining at one of the best restaurants in town, if not in the world -- L2O -- Bourdain, chef Eric Ripert, and local writer Louisa Chu discussed why. The answer was essentially that Chicagoans are happy to enjoy what chefs turn out here, rather than project our expectations or dictate our experiences. That resonates with me. My wife Deborah and I have dined at L2O as well as Moto, both featured on the show -- and in both cases, we went with a tasting menu completely out of our control. That's also been our approach at another of our local favorites, Sweets 'n Savories, the first place I ever actually ate foie gras (when it wasn't supposed to be sold in Chicago...they made it "complimentary" to get around the ban). In all three scenarios, we had some of the most incredible food we've eaten, anywhere in the world -- and it just took a short drive (and, well, a bit of cash) to experience it. You don't have to get pricey, though, to get good -- Burt's pizza was a worthwhile hole-in-the-wall, and through local foodie chat boards like lthforum.com, we've discovered amazing Chinese cuisine and shared our own local discoveries.
What's even more interesting is how far Chicago has expanded beyond some of our stereotypical staples -- hot dogs or deep-dish pizza -- to a worthy spectrum of everything. Among the 20 best places Deborah and I ate locally in 2008 were everything from seafood to Spanish, Mexican to Memphis barbecue, Chinese to chops. When even Tony Bourdain, a New Yorker if there ever was one, goes on TV and says the hot dogs are better here, though, you know you're going to be eating well in the windy city.
Years ago, before the term "foodie" was on everyone's, er, tongues, I had a hard-and-fast rule about my travel -- no chain restaurants (at least no national chains...a local place with ten outlets in a metropolitan area was OK). In some parts of McMerica, that was a difficult rule to abide by. If you are visiting Chicago, though, I'm here to tell you -- skip the chains. Don't eat at Cheesecake Factory in the John Hancock building. Skip the Chili's on State Street. Pay no attention to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company with the pretty view of the river. Be thankful that the Red Lobster on Grand has closed. And send me mail instead -- I will give you twenty good restaurants to choose from, in any price range, pick your genre. After last night's "No Reservations", though, I realize there are probably twenty more I'd love to recommend -- we will be making reservations for those, soon.
Link: Chicago Sun-Times: Tony's kind of menu (what Bourdain ate on last night's show) >
Post a Comment
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Rory Wohl http://www.rorywohl.us | 2/4/2009 8:19:37 AM
Several years ago, I was in Chicago on business (from Cleveland) dining with some other colleagues from Cleveland.
When the waitress overheard us talking about restaurants in Cleveland, she commented, "Yes, there can be some fine restaurants in those small towns."
No real point to that story, other than I still think it's funny all these years later.
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Paul Gagnon | 2/4/2009 11:41:40 AM
Check out Bourdain's blog too, he's been in my reader for a while, everything he writes is interesting. { Link }
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Bill E | 2/4/2009 5:15:34 PM
No Alinea? That actually _is_ one of the best places in the world to eat. /bonk for not mentioning it, Ed.
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John Head http://www.johndavidhead.com | 2/4/2009 5:41:13 PM
@4 I find Alinea to be over-rated, just like Blackbird. Stuffy service that can't get the wine pairings to come out at the same time as the dishes. Avec is better. None of them have the service or polish of L2O, Everest, Moto, Tru, or Trotters. Lots of work to do there.
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Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 2/4/2009 7:34:33 PM
@4 OK, -1 for us -- we have not been to Alinea yet. I absolutely agree it should be on the list.
@5 With all due respect, Alinea is not in the same class as Blackbird at all. Neither of us have been, we should reserve judgment...I mean, the place has been on dozens of great restaurant lists. And you have to respect a chef who fights through a cancer that could have put him out of the business. Also I wouldn't call Moto "polished" -- in fact I think they try hard to follow rule #6.
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Charles Robinson http://www.cubert.net | 2/5/2009 10:02:04 AM
I've never been to Chicago but I have a friend there (outside this readership) who raves about the dining scene. His favorites are Alinea and Moto. One thing that drives me absolutely crazy is Moto's website. It's a study in what NOT to do!
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Ken Lin http://www.kenlin.com | 2/6/2009 9:55:52 AM
@I will give you twenty good restaurants to choose from, in any price range, pick your genre.
If you're in the Philadelphia area, I've mapped local critic, Craig LaBan's picks. It makes it easier to decide where to go based on location
{ Link }
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Adam LAkritz | 2/6/2009 7:48:14 PM
Thanks Ed, with the Gartner Wireless Conference in Chicago I will be visiting later this month and appreciate the dining update!
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Louisa Chu http://www.movable-feast.com | 2/9/2009 11:59:37 AM
Thanks Ed. It was a fun episode to make and I'm so happy with the way it turned out too.
BTW I've been to Alinea and highly recommend that you go too.
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Corey Davis http://www.conxsys.com/blog | 2/11/2009 4:27:59 PM
I'm glad you posted this. It took my wife and I until just a couple days ago to get around to watching the episode, but I couldn't help thinking the whole time "I wonder if Ed or John have opinions on <insert restaurant name here>." I have only ever been through Chicago, but I do have a large customer there now. If I ever visit I will be sure to ask you where to go!
What was best about the show is that they went to the two best (well, two of the top four for sure, with Everest and Tru the other two) and two of the biggest dives, with some stuff in the middle. He covered all the levels of food levels of Chicago.
I also love that so many people give Lettuce Entertain You so much crap about being corporate or chains .. and they have 3 of the top places in the city (everest, l20, tru). Nice to see Eric and Anthony gush over L20.