Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008 - (Page 79)

The Gucci and Prada stores are in good company with many fine dining options. Two with fabulous views are The Signature Room atop the John Hancock, which serves contemporary international cuisine, and the stylish NoMi inside the Park Hyatt Hotel, which offers French cuisine with a creative twist. Both are also good choices for a leisurely Sunday brunch. For more casual meals, try deep dish pizza from where it originated at Uno Chicago Grill, or Johnny Rockets for burgers and thick malted milk shakes (another Chicago invention). Just west of the Gold Coast is the popular restaurant Green Zebra, named after an heirloom tomato. This mostly vegetarian restaurant ser ves internationally inspired dishes of small plates. Reserve weeks in advance for a Saturday night dinner. building . Reser vations are a must. North Pond, set in a renovated park district building in Lincoln Park itself, is another wonderfully elegant option with a fantastic view of the river and skyline. For a casual breakfast, The Original Lou Mitchell’s is a longstanding favorite Chicago diner. AUTHENTIC ETHNIC EATS Chicago is a city historically built by immigrants and as such has many eateries tucked within traditional ethnic neighborhoods. Just west of downtown is Greek Town. Among the more popular restaurants is Pegasus, where the musthave appetizer is a flaming plate of Saganaki (Greek cheese set aflame and extinguished with lemon.) On the northwest side is an Indian/ Pakistani neighborhood. It’s locally referred to as Devon Avenue. Here you can buy fun Indian jewelry, silk saris, exotic spices, and even get a temporary henna tattoo and eyebrow threading. Tiffin Kitchen is the most upscale Indian restaurant on the strip, though the prices are still quite reasonable. Entrees include many tandoori and curry dishes and the ever popular saag paneer, a mild curried spinach with cubes of fresh homemade cottage cheese. On the city’s South Side, Chinatown holds tight to many traditions and is a haven for newly arriving Chinese immigrants. Chinese families crowd into area rest aurants for steaming servings of dim sum. Three Happiness in particular attracts many who enjoy the steamed dumplings and other bite-sized specialties, particularly on Sundays. In River North, the Frontera Grill, the creation of renowned Chef Rick Bayless features regional Mexican cuisine with authentic spices, mole sauces, awesome guacamole and high-quality meats and produce sourced from local farmers. All told, whether you go out for ethnic cuisine or high-end gourmet, you’ll find Chicago a feast for the senses. ■ WEST LOOP Seeking the trendy experience? Check out this neighborhood where a restaurant row literally popped up within the city’s meat packing district. Area art galleries and boutique shops provide exploration opportunities. For gourmet Pan-Asian dining, there’s Red Light; for an interesting variety of sushi choices in an oh-so-hip met al and exposed brick interior, there’s Sushi Wabi. For a sleek wine bar restaurant with an unpretentious waitstaff try Avec, serving inventive gourmet items to share paired with wine from an impressive wine list. Spring Restaurant is LINCOLN PARK A longtime zone of restaurants, bookstores, antique and boutique shops, as well as theaters and nightlife, this popular Chicago neighborhood is chockablock with delicious restaurants that offer cheap eats as well as elegant dining. The only shortage you’ll find here is parking. Among the most notable restaurants are Charlie Trotter’s, an internationally renowned restaurant with elegant dining inside a traditional Chicago brownstone 2008 Chic a go L i ving housed in the former Luxor Bathhouse, a Russian “schvitzbed” r e s ta u r a n t p h o t o s b y j e f f k a u c k served families and immigrants of that the neighborhood. c h i c a g o l i v i n g m a g. c o m 79 http://www.chicagolivingmag.com

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Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008

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