Has it been a year already?
Last October, we launched the first Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll, asking for your preferences in such hotly debated categories as Best Steakhouse, Most Overrated Restaurant and Best Restaurant Bathroom. Readers responded in unanticipated numbers; more than 13,000 cast ballots by mail and online.
And so we’re back again, with new questions, fabulous prizes and one or two rule changes that will, we hope, discourage ballot-stuffing.
Just fill out the handy ballot and mail it in, or vote online at metromix.com/go/choice.
One randomly selected grand prize winner will receive $500, and two randomly selected runnersup will receive $250 each.
Enter by Nov. 1 and we’ll report your responses on Nov. 12 and 19.
To get the ball rolling, here are some of our choices:
– Favorite new restaurant
“New,” for purposes of this poll, is any restaurant that opened on or after Oct. 1, 1998. This includes such late-’98 arrivals as Savarin, Mossant, La Strada Highwood, Mas, Nacional 27, David’s French Country Bistro, McCormick & Schmick’s and MK.
Restaurants that have opened in 1999 include Atlantique, Brio, Caliterra, Chapultepec, Coast, Cru Cafe, ESPN Zone, Fahrenheit, Grace, Ixcapuzalco, La Petite Folie, Lovells of Lake Forest, Les Deux Gros, Plaza Tavern, RL, Sophia’s, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Tizi Melloul, Tonic 661, Tru, Vintage, Vong and Watusi.
Any year that includes the likes of MK, Savarin, Grace, Vong and Caliterra is an outstanding one.
But we think it’s hard to surpass Tru, the fine-dining masterpiece by Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand and Rich Melman.
– Favorite place for sushi
An easy category to define, at least, and one with no clear front-runner. We like Sushi Wabi, but expect plenty of support for Sai Cafe and Kamehachi. And Naniwa counts lots of chefs among its loyal customers.
– Favorite place for vegetarian food
You need not focus solely on vegetarian restaurants in this category, because plenty of places that aren’t exclusively vegetarian offer interesting and varied vegetarian fare, including Campagnola, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and even the CHIC Cafe at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. We vote for Earth, which has meat on its menu but also serves plenty of vegetarian and even vegan dishes.
– Snootiest restaurant
Nobody wants to win this award. Sure, you have to have a certain amount of swank to be considered in this category, but that’s not much consolation. Call this category The Diners Strike Back.
– Favorite server
And here’s the flip side — your chance to heap glory on that waiter/waitress who makes the dining experience particularly enjoyable.
If there were a Server Hall of Fame, Willi at Le Francais would be one of the first inductees. We also hear good things about Mark MacCracken, who impresses even the demanding chef/customers at trendy Blackbird.
– Favorite place to pop the question
This is not the same thing as Most Romantic Restaurant, a category Geja’s Cafe won last year. This is the restaurant you’d choose when everything is riding on the mood.
Would you pick a luxurious room, such as Seasons? Or something dimmer and more intimate, such as Crofton on Wells? Or suburban stalwarts such as Courtright’s, or Le Titi de Paris?
If we were proposing more than just a toast, Gordon would be one of the top contenders for the location.
But don’t forget that McCormick & Schmick’s has secluded “snug” seating if you want a perfect way to ward off distractions.
– Favorite place for Latin food
There’s more to south-of-the-border than Mexican cuisine these days. Cuban, South American, West Indies and Caribbean dishes can be found all over — sometimes all in the same restaurant.
Nacional 27 packs them in downtown, Julio’s Latin Cafe is equally popular in the northwest suburbs, and in the west suburbs Copa Cubana has a bulging reservation book. We’d also give strong consideration to Mas, Watusi and Mambo Grill. But what of Cafe Bolero, Rinconcito Sudamericano and others?
– Favorite dining neighborhood or community
Here’s where you can express your civic boosterism or frank admiration. What area of the city or suburbs has the best concentration of great dining? Bucktown? Wicker Park? The Milwaukee Avenue corridor in Wheeling? The glut of fine dining along Green Bay Road in Highwood? The restaurant-hogging municipality of Evanston?
Naperville has a burgeoning restaurant scene and the Fox Valley area is growing as a dining destination.
Our vote goes to the Randolph Street corridor, which has style and substance.
– Favorite all-you-can-eat place
Break out the fat clothes; we’re going for volume in this category, seeking the best bets for never-ending consumption. We’ll take the high (and expensive) road and vote for the Sunday buffet at the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room, but we expect the winner will be a lot more budget-friendly.
– Favorite place for exotic dining
That’s exotic dining, not dancing, though sometimes you can do both. Whether your idea of exotic involves ethnic adventure or just extra hot mustard with your chicken McNuggets, tell us where you’d go to dine on the edge.
Choices to consider: Chinatown’s Penang (serving Malaysian fare) and Souk, a Middle-Eastern (and beyond) restaurant in Wicker Park.
– Favorite landmark restaurant
This category is for restaurants that have stood the test of time. For example, since 1942, Biasetti’s has been drawing crowds devoted to its steaks and ribs. And Zaven’s, on Chestnut Street, has been pleasing discriminating palates for more than 24 years.
– Favorite BYOB restaurant
Another budget-friendly choice. Where do you eat when you’re toting the beverages? Obvious choices include Thai Classic near Wrigley Field (the reason why the neighborhood convenience store stocks Thai beer in the cooler) and Savoy Truffle and Soju in Bucktown, along with suburban BYOBs such as Salbute in Hinsdale and Chinoiserie in Wilmette.
The BYOB field became smaller this year with the closing of Twilight and L’Olive’s acquisition of a liquor license along with a new Halsted Street location.
Our vote goes to Tomboy, a special rarity — a BYOB that wants to stay that way.
– Favorite place for appetizers
The best appetizers tantalize and delight the palate and leave you ready and eager to sample more. Or, if abundant, they can be a satisfying (and budget-friendly) main course.
Vong has terrific starting courses and its Black Plate appetizer sampler is spectacular.
Diners in the bar at Brio can choose from more than 20 appetizers (including tapas); in the bar at McCormick & Schmick’s there are 15.
– Chef to watch
A modification of last year’s Best chef category, the Chef to watch award should go to a talented chef who has yet to break into the food-media consciousness. So forget Trotter and Bayless; let’s hear about culinary masters who are going places but haven’t yet arrived.
Michael Taus, of the soon-to-reopen Zealous, comes to mind. So does Marshall Zeihm, of the underappreciated Ena restaurant.
– Favorite burger place
The last time we conducted a best-burger competition, the winner was Pete Miller’s Steakhouse in Evanston. We don’t expect Pete’s to win again, because there are so many great burgers out there.
The burgers at Come Back Inn in Melrose Park and Goldyburger’s in Forest Park both are impressive hunks of beef on a bun.
LAST YEAR’S WINNERS
Best Asian Restaurant: Ben Pao
Best Bistro: Bistro 110
Best Breakfast: Walker Bros.
Best Restaurant Bathroom: Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House
Best Chef: Abraham Aguirre, Harry Caray’s
Best Place for a Cheap Date: Hoxie’s
Best Decor: Harry Carry’s
Best Italian Restaurant: Rosebud
Best Restaurant for Kids: Rainforest Cafe
Best Place to Celebrate Winning the Lottery: Charlie Trotter’s
Best Mexican Restaurant: Cafe Salsa
Best Dining after Midnight: Pasha
Best New Restaurant: Hoxie’s
Best Pizza: Louisa’s Gourmet Pizza and Pasta
Most Overrated: Spago
Most Romantic: Geja’s
Best for Spicy Food: Heaven on Seven
Best Steakhouse: Harry Carary’s
Best Surburban Restaurant: Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse
Best for Winer Lovers: Hudson Club
CHICAGO’S CHOICE DINING POLL
Vote for one choice in any or all categories.
Restaurants must be in the Chicago area.
Send your ballot, or a 3 x 5 card, with your name, address, phone number, and your choices, to:
Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll,
P.O. Box 802048,
Chicago, Ill., 60680-2048, or vote and enter on the Internet at metromix.com/go/choice.
1. Favorite new restaurant
2. Favorite server
3. Favorite place for burgers
4. Favorite place for sushi
5. Favorite place to pop the question
6. Favorite place for vegetarian food
7. Favorite place for Latin food
8. Favorite dining neighborhood or community
9. Favorite all-you-can-eat place
10. Favorite place for exotic dining
11. Favorite landmark restaurant
12. Favorite BYOB restaurant
13. Favorite place for appetizers
14. Chef to watch
15. Snootiest restaurant
THE RULES
Send your entry ballot, or a 3 x 5 card, with your name, address, phone number and your choices in any or all categories listed on the accompanying ballot to: CHICAGO’S CHOICE DINING POLL, P.O. Box 802048, Chicago, Ill. 60680-2048, or enter on the Internet at metromix.com/go/choice. No purchase is necessary, but you must be a United States resident to enter. All entries must be received by noon on Nov. 1, 1999. Only one entry per person. All entries must be made individually and stamped individually. No metered mail. No electronic reproductions or copied files. (Tribune Company employees and their families are not eligible.) No entrant can be compensated for filling out a ballot. Rhode Island residents are not eligible. One Grand Prize winner and two runnerup winners will be selected at random from eligible entries and their names will be published in the Chicago Tribune and metromix.com/go/choice on or about Nov. 12, 1999. Winners will also be notified by telephone. The Grand Prize winner will receive $500. The runnerup prizes are $250 each. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Entries become property of Chicago Tribune and will not be returned. Entrants agree that disputes will be resolved by Chicago Tribune, and that Tribune’s decisions are final. Entrants agree to allow use of their name, photograph, likeness and all information submitted with their entry ballot, in print or any other medium of communication, without additional compensation. Winners must execute an affidavit of eligibility prior to receiving their prize. Winners assume all applicable tax liability for the prize. Winners must claim their prize within 60 days of being notified of winning. Sweepstakes is sponsored by Chicago Tribune Co., P.O. Box 802048, Chicago, Ill. 60680-2048. For the names of the winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope after Nov. 19, 1999, to: Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll Winners, Chicago Tribune Co., P.O. Box 802048, Chicago, Ill. 60680-2048. The Chicago Tribune is not responsible for lost, incomplete, damaged, illegible, late, postage due or misdirected entries, or for errors in mechanical transmission, technical difficulties, or the inability to transmit Internet entries. Void where prohibited or restricted. Any attempt, including but not limited to ballot stuffing, which Chicago Tribune determines in its sole discretion to damage or undermine the fair and legitimate operation of this poll will result in disqualification from the sweepstakes.
Mail to: Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll, P.O. Box 802048, Chicago, Ill., 60680-2048, or vote and enter at metromix.com/go/choice.
MORE ON THE POLL
Dean Richards and Dining Editor Leigh Behrens consider category contenders at 12:30 p.m. Sunday during “Food Time,” part of “Dean Richards Sunday Morning.”
Larry Potash kicks off the dining poll during Friday’s broadcast of “The WGN Morning News.”
“Around Chicagoland” highlights the exotic dining category during broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday.
Vote for your favorites and get voting updates at metromix.com/go/choice
