The votes are in. Oh, boy, are the votes in.
When we launched the Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll four weeks ago, we confidently expected a few thousand votes, given the general interest in the subject, the $1,000 in prizes and the enthusiastic participation by WGN-TV, WGN Radio, CLTV and Metromix.
A few thousand? More than 13,000 dining fanatics from 39 states and Canada cast votes in our 20-category dining poll, anointing the city’s best chef, snazziest bathrooms and most overrated restaurant, among others.
I’ve been handicapping these races in my columns for the last several weeks. In many cases, the voters agreed with me; not surprisingly, in most categories the voters had other ideas – though with valid alternatives for the most part.
Given Chicago’s reputation for creative balloting, we expected several get-out-the-vote campaigns on restaurants’ behalf, and indeed that did happen. However, as long as each ballot bore the name of an individual voter, and each voter voted but once (we had to discard some multiple votes), it conformed to our rules and was counted.
Special mention in the screw-the-vox-populi sweepstakes goes to the fine folks at Maryville Academy, a charitable organization; Harry Caray’s has been incredibly generous to Maryville for more than 10 years, and Maryville responded with hundreds of handsomely printed ballots filed on Harry Caray’s behalf. Hoxie’s, a restaurant that reopened in the Ravenswood neighborhood at about the time our Dining Poll was launched, did suspiciously well in two categories. And Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House, a new spot on the burgeoning Near West Side, struck a blow for visibility with a coordinated voting effort that garnered hundreds of votes.
These technically legal but somewhat misleading efforts (to paraphrase a sentiment of the times) managed to win several categories – though, happily enough, in a couple of instances the ballot stuffers competed with each other, and so gummed up only one category.
Not all campaign voting was so effective. A hardy band of pranksters clogged our mailboxes with votes for Denny’s – specifically, the Denny’s in south suburban Mokena (every ballot specified “Denny’s of Mokena”), but their efforts were insufficient to win any category. Similar nice-try’s were noted in bulk support for Nancy’s Pizza, Joanne and Sons (a Ravenswood breakfast-lunch spot) and Cheese to Please Pizza on the North Shore.
But while the vote-mongers did manage to insinuate themselves to a certain extent, a ballot is a ballot is a ballot, and the difference between unseemly campaigning and aggressive marketing is probably in the eye of the beholder.
Here, now, the winners:
Best Asian Restaurant:
Ben Pao, which opened to critical shrugs in 1996 but has been improving steadily since, is the surprise winner in a hotly contested category. In second place is another surprise, Thai Little Home Cafe, a cosmetically challenged hangout in Albany Park. There were strong showings by Arun’s, the four-star Thai restaurant that I supported; Pasteur and Le Colonial, two tony Vietnamese restaurants; and casual spots Penny’s Noodle Shop and Big Bowl.
Best Bistro:
Though more than a dozen serious casual-French concepts have opened in the last two years, readers chose an 11-year-old veteran as their favorite. Bistro 110 was the winner, besting Brasserie Jo (my favorite) by 30 votes. In third and fourth place, respectively, was relative newcomer Bistrot Zinc and the veteran KiKi’s Bistro. Bistro Banlieue was the top suburban vote-getter, and Le Bouchon and the new Trocadero received strong support, as did Clark Street Bistro.
Best Breakfast:
Walker Bros., whose extraordinary pancakes are legendary at its four North and Northwest suburban locations, was the overwhelming favorite in the breakfast category, finishing comfortably ahead of Lou Mitchell’s, Ann Sather, Original Pancake House, JoAnne and Sons, Pauline’s, Wishbone (my fave) and the inordinately popular Denny’s of Mokena.
Best Restaurant Bathroom:
Support trickled down for the facilities at Gordon, Hudson Club, Marche, Planet Hollywood, Scoozi, Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room. But Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House received an astounding – and somewhat suspicious – 652 votes, nearly 30 percent of all votes cast, more than doubling the tally for second-place finisher Pasha (whose ladies’ room features a functioning bar). Carmichael’s lavatories are done in green and white tile with handsome wood vanities, but its 4-to-1 ratio of ladies’ to mens’ facilities (inspired, rumor has it, by long restroom lines experienced by one partner’s girlfriend) no doubt contributed mightily to its support.
Other royal flushes: Cheesecake Factory, Marche, the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, Scoozi and Hudson Club. A mere three voters agreed with my choice, Patrick & James’ in Glencoe.
Best Chef:
For three weeks, this was a tight race between Rick Bayless and Charlie Trotter, pitting a former James Beard Chef of the Year winner (Bayless) against a perennial finalist. Trotter had moved comfortably ahead, until a last-minute blitz by Harry Caray’s devotees gave Abraham Aguirre (a veteran Chicago chef) more votes than Trotter and Bayless combined. Other chefs with strong (and apparently unsolicited) support included Suzy Crofton (Crofton on Wells), Jean Joho (Everest, Brasserie Jo), Paul Larson (Hudson Club) and Priscila Satkoff (Salpicon). Roland Liccioni of Le Francais should have received much more support than he did.
Best Cheap Date:
Hoxie’s, a barbecue joint that closed its Elmhurst location last year and reopened on Lawrence Avenue a few days before this Dining Poll launched, SOMEHOW got enough votes to swamp the competition, which included runnerup Penny’s Noodle Shop along with The Berghoff, Ed Debevic’s, Portillo’s/Barnelli’s in various locations, Cafe Iberico, Mia Francesca and, of course, McDonald’s (best place for a cheap LAST date?)
Best Decor:
A battle of the ballot-stuffers, with Harry Caray’s emerging triumphant over Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House and scores of worthier competitors. Those with significant support were Rainforest Cafe (third-place finisher), Ambria, Ben Pao, The Cheesecake Factory, Hudson Club, Le Colonial, Marche and Meritage.
Best Italian Restaurant:
Ironically, the balloteers working on behalf of Harry Caray’s failed to conjure up enough votes in the category in which Caray’s is arguably most qualified. Caray’s 800-plus votes were overrun by the more than 1,100 tallies cast (with no apparent organizational effort) for Rosebud, the longtime Taylor Street spot. Italian restaurants with more than 50 votes included Coco Pazzo, Como Inn, Francesca’s on Taylor, Giannotti’s, Italian Village, Louisa’s Pizza and Pasta, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Mia Francesca, Rose Angelis and Spiaggia.
Best Restaurant for Kids:
Voters stuck to the tried-and-true for this category, bestowing clusters of votes on Chuck E. Cheese, Dave & Buster’s, Ed Debevic’s, McDonald’s (nearly 50 votes for the Rock ‘n’ Roll McDonald’s in particular) and Planet Hollywood. But the runaway winner, with more than 300 votes, was the Rainforest Cafe. There were scattered votes for Old Country Buffet, Hard Rock Cafe, Michael Jordan’s, Cheesecake Factory and, ahem, Denny’s of Mokena, but very few for my favorite, Mantuano Mediterranean Table.
Best Place to Celebrate Winning the Lottery:
Some people just aren’t comfortable spending money however much they have – witness the votes (fewer than 3 each) for Al’s Italian Beef, Baker’s Square, Red Lobster and Ripples in Darien – but the majority stuck with the classy and acclaimed haute-cuisine spots, giving Charlie Trotter’s more than double the votes of second-place Ambria. Other spots with more than 60 votes were Everest, Le Francais, The Signature Room at the 95th and the postage-happy folks at Carmichael’s.
Best Mexican Restaurant:
It’s clear the voters believe, as do I, that the best Mexican food can be found at 445 N. Clark St. However, because of divided loyalty between Frontera Grill and Topolobampo (same address, same chef, different menus), neither restaurant came away with the Golden Taco. Cafe Salsa, a somewhat ambitious restaurant in west-suburban Countryside (killer margaritas, by the way), used an ambitious get-out-the-vote campaign to edge Frontera Grill by exactly ONE vote. Other top vote-getters were Don Juan’s, El Jardin, Lalo’s, Lindo Mexico (fourth-place finisher) and Salpicon.
Best Dining after Midnight:
Chicago night owls gave Pasha, the hot restaurant/nightclub in River North, top marks for after-hours dining, though its 300-plus votes clearly were the result of heavy vote-mongering. (Had I voted, I would have gone with 56 West.) Denny’s of Mokena, another ballot-stuffing recipient, finished a strong second. Bijan, Iggy’s, Nookies, Omega House (87 votes split between its Niles and Downers Grove locations), Weiner Circle and White Castle all had more than 40 votes.
Best New Restaurant:
Another ballot-stuffing duel between month-old Hoxie’s, whose supporters apparently started voting while the paint on its walls was still wet, and Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House. Hoxie’s pulled in nearly 1,000 votes to finish first. Third place went to Harvest on Huron, an excellent restaurant that garnered more than 400 votes (I’d have made it 401) without any apparent multiple-mailing effort; fourth place went to Pasha, whose 300-plus votes, enough to win the previous category, were inadequate here. Other popular new restaurants were Aubriot, Blackbird, Crofton on Wells, Meritage, North Pond Cafe, Pappadeaux, Savarin, Thyme, Toque, Trocadero, Wildfire in Oak Brook and one sixtyblue. Mango and Spago received considerable support, but neither are new restaurants per our definition.
Suspiciously, Parker’s Ocean Grill, a Downers Grove restaurant that hasn’t opened yet, received two votes. There was also considerable support for Fratelli Pizzeria, a storefront pizza joint along Ill. Hwy. 59 in Warrenville.
Best Pizza:
The big names of Chicago pizza – Gino’s East, Giordano’s, Lou Malnati’s (my pick), Nancy’s and Pizzeria Uno and Due – predictably scored highly in this category, with Nancy’s, perhaps surprisingly, comfortably leading that pack. But south suburbanites, voting mostly via Internet, gave overwhelming support – nearly 600 votes – to the winner, Louisa’s Gourmet Pizza and Pasta in Crestwood. Historic note: Owner Louisa DeGenero worked at Pizzeria Due for 21 years before opening her own restaurant.
Many votes were cast for Aurelio’s, Bacino’s, Cheese to Please Pizza in Wilmette, Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co., Edwardo’s, Marciello’s Down and Under Pizza and Pat’s Pizza.
Most Overrated:
The question in this category is, overrated by whom? Because I do most of the restaurant evaluating around here, the obvious answer is: Me. Thus it was hard not to take personally the anointing of Spago, a restaurant I love (I gave it three stars last year) as the most overrated restaurant in town. Spago received 251 votes; only two other restaurant received more than 50 votes, namely Charlie Trotter’s (winner in the Winning-Lottery category) and Maggiano’s Little Italy (I agree with that one).
Other restaurants receiving the raspberry from the people were Ambria, The Berghoff, Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse (but Bob will feel better a few categories from now), Carson’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Everest, Gene & Georgetti, Gibsons, Le Francais, Michael Jordan’s, Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe (a winner in another category) and The Signature Room at the 95th.
A mere two voters found highly regarded Arun’s overrated. Four cast votes for Carlos’. And there was but one vote for Trio.
Most Romantic:
Most of the top vote-getters in this category are very expensive restaurants, giving support to the notion that “romance without finance got no chance.” Those receiving the most votes included Ambria, Everest, Le Francais, The Pump Room and The Signature Room at the 95th. But the easy winner, while hardly a bargain-basement operation, is at least affordable: Geja’s, the dark and moody Lincoln Park fondue restaurant that has been a date destination for a generation. Also supported, and affordable, was The Village, the upstairs restaurant in the Italian Village in the Loop.
Best for Spicy Food:
It was the Asians versus the Cajuns in this duel between traditionally spicy fare. There were lots of votes cast for Arun’s, Red Light and Star of Siam, and for Crawdaddy Bayou, Louisiana Kitchen and Redfish. The runaway winner, with a 166-vote margin over its nearest competitor, was Heaven on Seven, the Cajun-Creole with locations on Michigan Avenue and the Loop.
Also with strong support was Blue Mesa, Frontera Grill, Maple Tree Inn, Salpicon, Soul Kitchen and Starfish.
Best Steakhouse:
Eight steakhouses received more than 100 votes each in a hotly contested category dominated by familiar names. The relative newcomer, Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House, nearly stole the title with an exhaustive, 950-vote effort. Carmichael’s didn’t reckon, however, with the dedicated people at Maryville Academy, whose balloting on behalf of Harry Caray’s produced an astonishing 1,319 votes.
Otherwise, there was, remarkably, a tie for third place between Gibsons and Morton’s of Chicago. About 100 votes behind, but closely bunched together, were Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Chicago Chop House and Gene & Georgetti, in that order. In a what’s-wrong-with-this-picture surprise, the Outback Steakhouse chain pulled in 108 bloomin’ votes, and Lawry’s the Prime Rib, a restaurant that does not serve steak, got votes from 81 confused diners.
Best Suburban Restaurant:
This category had the most nominees, and relatively few enjoyed strong support. Only a few restaurants got 20 or more votes, and just four received 30 or more. Discounting the ballot-stuffing by the hopeless devotees of Denny’s of Mokena (110 votes) and the strange cult worshipping Fratelli Pizzeria (46 votes), two restaurants were clearly at the top. Le Francais garnered 93 votes (94 if we count the vote for Le Francois, 95 had I voted), but the undisputed winner, with 125 votes, was Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse in Wheeling. Considering that Chinn’s is the highest-volume restaurant in the Midwest, its victory ought not be too surprising.
Those with 20 or more votes were Biloxi Grill in Wauconda, Carlos’ in Highland Park, Millrose Brewing Company in South Barrington, Pappadeux in Arlington Heights (voters specified this location), Tallgrass in Lockport and Trio in Evanston. And let’s give a mention to 302 West in Geneva and Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights, which received 19 votes apiece.
Best for Wine Lovers:
Oenophiles know where to go for a good bottle (rarer still, a premium glass) of wine. Chicago’s top gourmet restaurants – Ambria, Charlie Trotter’s, Everest, Le Francais – all received strong support, as did the wine-friendly Geja’s Cafe. A pleasant surprise was the recognition accorded such places as Meritage and Salpicon, and of course Webster’s Wine Bar and Pops for Champagne were mentioned frequently – though at a paltry 36 votes, Pops is underrated.
But the winner was Hudson Club, the River North restaurant that features more than 100 wines by the glass, about 200 by the bottle and two dozen wine flights (samplings of related wines), and also sponsors monthly wine-tasting events. I sip and nod my approval.
THE WINNERS’ TABLE
Three voters – drawn at random from entrants who mailed in ballots or cards or cast votes online – win cash prizes guaranteed to finance a feast.
They are:
$500 Grand Prize
Vincenzina Milana, 31, of Woodstock
$250 Prizes
Thomas Thele, 31, of Addison
Clare Conerty, 32, of Mt. Prospect
———-
MORE ON THE POLL
On WGN-TV: Dining editor Leigh Behrens digests Chicago’s Choice trends with Paul Konrad on Friday’s “WGN Morning News.”
On CLTV: Behrens and restaurant critic Phil Vettel highlight winners in reports airing Friday and throughout the weekend.
On WGN Radio: Vettel joins Dean Richards for “Foodtime” from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday.
On metromix.com: Peruse the full menu of winners and offer your feedback on the poll results.
Coming in January: Our Chicago’s Choice Nightlife and Entertainment Poll.
