Eat out in style when visiting the Windy City: Chicago's Dining Guide to Nation's Restaurant News' Hall of Fame

Nation's Restaurant News, May 8, 2000

This dining guide to Chicago begins with the 15 local establishments previously inducted into the Nation's Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. Advance reservations during conventions are essential for all 39 restaurants listed.

Ambria

2300 N. Lincoln Park West

(773) 472-5959

Since opening in a vintage building across from scenic Lincoln Park many years ago, Ambria has been recognized among the top echelon of Chicago's finest dining establishments. Diners enjoy Gabino Sotelino's French-inspired, contemporary cooking in an Art Noveau d[acute{e}]cor. The menu includes boneless rack of lamb with black trumpet mushrooms and baby leeks; roasted squab with compote of pearl onions and lemon confit; and lightly smoked halibut with sauteed bok choy, and arugula jus. Degustation menus are available. Dinner only Monday through Saturday. Owner: Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Chef-partner: Gabino Sotelino.

Arun's

4156 N. Kedzie Ave.

(773) 539-1909

This elegant Thai restaurant features a $75 degustation menu with no printed offerings. Dishes are customized for desired spice levels and other taste preferences. Examples of some specialties include a rice dumpling filled with shrimp, chicken and jicama served on a sweet and sour chili-shallot vinaigrette; a thin pancake with shiitake mushrooms and chrysanthemum leaf served with a soy vinaigrette; catfish curried casserole; zucchini and bitter melon stir-fried with minced garlic, fresh shrimp and scrambled egg; roast duck medallions with a raspberry-peach sauce; and crispy veal medallions with a ginger-miso sauce and fried shiso leaf. Dinner only Tuesday through Sunday. Chef-owner: Arun Sampanthavivat.

Cape Cod Room

Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Pl.

(312) 787-2200

With a history that spans more than 30 years, this New England-style seafood eatery, which is located in the venerable Drake Hotel, continues to draw crowds. A few favorites include mini-crab cakes; clam chowder; oysters; lobster sandwich with aioli on fresh-baked croissant; shrimp Creole with green pepper, zucchini, pimiento, onions, celery and tomato; scrod; whole lobster; and saut[acute{e}]ed striped bass with potato-champagne sauce, julienne of celery and sun-dried tomatoes. Non-fish dishes range from filet mignon to blackened chicken Creole. Lunch and dinner. Owner: Hilton International. Chef: Leo Waldmeier.

Carlos'

429 Temple Ave.

Highland Park

(847) 432-0770

This contemporary French restaurant, located on Chicago's North Shore, serves top-notch cuisine in an intimate setting. Diners can choose from selections such as escargots in brioche with artichoke hearts and a Roquefort-Pernod cream sauce; pan-caramelized red snapper on lemon grass, infused with lentils and a vanilla-lime emulsion; and tournedos of venison on truffled-herb potato puree with baby artichokes, carrot and a blueberry-star anise sauce. Degustation menus are available. Dinner only. Closed Tuesday. Owners: Carlos and Deborah Nieto. Chef: Ramiro Velasquez.

Charlie Trotter's

816 W. Armitage Ave.

(773) 248-6228

At this renowned Chicago institution, located in a charming Lincoln Park brownstone, chef-owner Charlie Trotter -- named 1999 James Beard Foundation Chef of the Year -- prepares nightly degustation menus using the finest and freshest ingredients available. The multi-course dinners range in price from $90 to $150. Although the same dish rarely is offered twice, previous menus have featured such creations as roasted elephant-garlic soup with fennel, cumin-scented eggplant and fennel emulsion; quail with white-corn grits, crispy pancetta and yellowfoot mushrooms; and buffalo tenderloin with porcini mushrooms. Dinner only. Closed Sunday and Monday. Chef-owner: Charlie Trotter.

The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton

160 E. Pearson St.

(312) 266-1000

An elegant setting is the backdrop for this restaurant's contemporary French cuisine. Although the menu changes daily, examples of some dishes served recently include a confit of duck cake with a quail egg and spring onions; duck liver terrine rolled in truffles with warm galzed apples and toasted brioche; venison loin with a puree of butternut squash, pearl onions, roasted salsify and glazed baby carrots, and saut[acute{e}]ed ono over black rice, braised fennel and tomato reduction. Several degustation menus are available. Dinner and Sunday brunch only. Owner: Four Seasons Hotels. Chef: Sarah Stegner.

Eli's the Place for Steak

215 E. Chicago Ave.

(312) 642-1393

Eli's club-like atmosphere is a perfect setting for the restaurant's American menu. Selections include jumbo shrimp baked with sherry, lemon, garlic butter and seasoned bread crumbs; milk-fed calves liver sauteed with onions, green peppers and mushrooms; barbecued baby-back ribs; broiled salmon seasoned with lemon and pesto sauce; and a wide selection of prime steaks. For dessert the restaurant, features its signature Eli's Famous Cheesecake in many varieties. Lunch Monday through Friday and dinner nightly. Owners: Esther and Marc Schulman. Chef: Justin Bender.

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