Chicago has evolved over the decades as a major player on the culinary scene. This town chews up and spits out traditional "celebrity chefs", instead embracing talent over personality. The Chicago chefs at these top fine-dining restaurants have taken their menus, styles, and cooking methods to a new art form. These Chicago restaurants are once-in-a-lifetime dining experiences, just be prepared to get out that gold card and suit jacket if you want to sample some of their unique cuisine.
1. Alinea
Chef/Owner Grant Achatz is a culinary wunderkind and is pushing the envelope with food ingredients and presentation -- think truffle-juice ravioli with melted leek and bison with multiple preparations of Iranian pistachios. Chef Achatz's 24-course tasting menu (which takes 5 hours to complete) has quickly become legendary.- Cuisine: Contemporary American
- Address: 1723 N. Halsted St.
- Phone: 312-867-0110
- Transportation: CTA Red Line to North/Clybourn
- Average tab per diner: $200
2. Charlie Trotter's
Many will argue that Charlie Trotter's is the best restaurant in America -- while that may be debatable, Chef Trotter certainly put Chicago on the fine dining map with his painstakingly complex food creations that often use dozens of ingredients.- Cuisine: American Contemporary
- Address: 816 W. Armitage Ave.
- Phone: 773-248-6228
- Transportation: CTA Brown Line to Armitage
- Average tab per diner: $235
3. Custom House
Shawn McClain is a James Beard award winning chef who seems to be taking over the city -- Custom House marks his third entry (his others being the wildly popular Spring and Green Zebra) to the Chicago dining scene, and does so with a meat-heavy menu that includes standouts like a braised short rib dish, and veal cheeks with tomato anchovy preserves.- Cuisine: American Contemporary
- Address: 500 S. Dearborn St.
- Phone: 312-523-0200
- Transportation: CTA Red Line to Harrison
- Average tab per diner: $100
4. Everest
The service, food, and prices are as high as this restaurant's location on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. Chef Jean Joho's seven course tasting menu can feature items like roasted Maine lobster, medallion of venison, and imported Russian caviar.- Cuisine: French
- Address: 440 S. LaSalle St.
- Phone: 312-663-8920
- Transportation: CTA Blue Line to LaSalle
- Average tab per diner: $165
5. Moto
When you realize that the waiters are chefs, and the phrase "molecular gastronomy" is being bantered about, you know you're in for an intense culinary experience. Your magnetic cutlery may be a clue, too. A word to the hungry -- Moto takes contemporary portions to a whole new level of small.- Cuisine: Global/Fusion
- Address: 945 W. Fulton St.
- Phone: 312-491-0058
- Transportation: Cab or car recommended
- Average tab per diner: $180
6. Naha
Chef Carrie Nahabedian delivers the goods with her creative and complex dishes that live up to her impressive resume. Naha also might be the only fine dining restaurant that offers a hamburger on its lunch menu (to be expected, it's insanely good). Her cousin Michael Nahabedian, also a culinary veteran, heads up operations.- Cuisine: American Contemporary/Fusion
- Address: 500 N. Clark St.
- Phone: 312-321-6242
- Transportation: CTA Red Line to Grand
- Average tab per diner: $70
7. Spiaggia
"Four star Italian cuisine" may seem like an oxymoron in the United States, but Chef Tony Mantuano will convince you otherwise in this Magnificent Mile hotspot. Entrees like braised lobster and strip steak with 50-year-old balsamic vinegar entice, as well as these two words: cheese cave.- Cuisine: Italian
- Address: 980 N. Michigan Ave.
- Phone: 312-280-2750
- Transportation: CTA Bus #146/147 to Delaware/Michigan
- Average tab per diner: $100
8. Tru
The brainchild of the married team of Chef Rick Tramonto and Pastry Chef Gale Gand, Tru was planned and designed from the ground up to be the ultimate sacred ground of fine dining. The "collections" (tasting menus), whose composition is decided on by the kitchen when you order, are a gastronomical delight.- Cuisine: French, Global/Fusion
- Address: 676 N. Saint Clair St.
- Phone: 312-202-0001
- Transportation: CTA Red Line to Chicago Ave
- Average tab per diner: $160
