Voting irregularities, suspect results, cries of “unfair” from all corners — but enough about the national news.
The 2000 version of the Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll, not without its controversies in its first two years, looked like a Boy Scout show-of-hands election compared to the soap opera dominating the nation’s headlines for the last two weeks.
Of the 5,000-plus voters in this year’s poll, not one has called to complain that he/she accidentally voted for Hans Bavarian Lodge instead of Zweig’s. (Then again, Charlie Trotter’s racked up 17 votes in the Favorite Deli category; darn those butterfly ballots!)
Spirited get-out-the-vote drives (dominated by two restaurants) certainly were apparent in the balloting. But all the leading vote-getters played by the rules, which included bans on mass mailings (one entry per envelope) and duplicated ballots; we also verified that online ballots weren’t coming in from a small number of computers.
So here are the results, which mercifully identify clear winners in all 10 categories.
And we’re not doing any recounts.
Favorite New Restaurant
The last year has been a good one for new Chicago restaurants, and that was reflected in the widely divided voting. More than 85 restaurants received mentions, including some that were barely alive when the contest launched Oct. 20. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, which opened on Oct. 19, still pulled in 25 votes; Chilpancingo, which has been open two months, pulled in 10. And a single, optimistic vote was cast for Naha, a new restaurant that opens, well, today. Not to worry; all will be eligible for next year’s poll.
Other new restaurants with significant support included Atlantique, Atwood Cafee, Bin 36, Bistrot Margot, Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill, 437 Rush, Francesca’s Bryn Mawr, Mirai, Nine, NoMI, Rambutan, She She, Technicolor Kitchen and Zealous.
But for all the evenly divided loyalty, this was a two-horse race between Echo and D’Vine, two neighboring Bucktown restaurants whose fans turned out in force. D’Vine held a shaky lead among the votes cast via Internet, but when the handwritten ballots were added in, Echo was the very narrow winner. MOD, another popular restaurant a stone’s throw away from Echo and D’Vine, finished a distant but very respectable third.
Chef to Watch
It was payback time for D’Vine, whose chef, Michael Kerwin, won handily over second-place finisher Jonathan Harootunian of Meritage and Echo’s Dirk Flanigan. Other top finishers, in order, were Patrick Concannon of Don Juan, Paul Meccia of Technicolor Kitchen, Kelly Courtney of MOD, Dean Zanella of 312 Chicago, Michael Taus of Zealous, Scott Harris of Mia Francesca (and assorted sequels), Jennifer Aranas of Rambutan and Geno Bahena of Ixcapuzalco.
Carrie Nahabedian of Naha pulled in a dozen votes, even though the balloting closed before her restaurant opened. But her inclusion seems appropriate in a category aimed at identifying potential stars.
Favorite Server
Anybody could have won this category, and anybody nearly did, given the non-specific votes for “anybody at the Chicago Diner,” “Anybody at Tizi Melloul,” “Anybody at Arun’s” and so on. More than 175 servers tallied votes, most of them in the single-digit range.
But there were votes aplenty for Wendy Lehnert of Echo and Michele of Pepper Lounge, whose duel came down to the final day of voting. Both amassed more than 400 votes, but in the end, a surge of handwritten ballots pushed Lehnert to victory.
Don Dauksha, a fixture at Tuscany on Taylor since it opened 10 years ago, received more than 200 votes to finish third. Kevin Bellie of MK also received significant support.
Favorite Dessert
More than 130 restaurants were nominated in this wide-open, sweet-tooth category. Well-known names such as Bittersweet, Eli’s Cheesecake and the Cheesecake Factory got a lot of support, as did Technicolor Kitchen, a mild surprise. A couple of places polled well for a specific dessert, namely the tiramisu at Mia Francesca and the signature chocolate cake at D’Vine. But the clear winner was Meritage, whose Ranier cherry soup has become something of a summertime staple in Bucktown. Mindy Segal’s outstanding pastry work earned MK a second-place finish.
Favorite Place to Take Out-of-Town Visitors
This category intrigued us. When locals are showing off their town, where would they take their visitors to eat?
Not surprisingly, the votes were varied; more than 210 restaurants were mentioned. What was surprising was the comparatively modest support for such city icons as Pizzeria Uno and Gino’s East. Nor was there any big push for Chicago’s top-rated restaurants; Ambria, Everest, Spiaggia and Tru collected just a handful of votes total, and some four-star dining rooms got no votes at all. Even steakhouses, which typically fill to overflowing during convention season, didn’t receive overwhelming support, though quite a few steakhouses pulled in one to five votes each.
And strangely, some Chicagoans can’t wait to give their out-of-town guests an out-of-town experience; Buca di Beppo, Coco Pazzo, Spago and Vong all received votes — and all are copies of restaurants that originated in other cities.
Trendy restaurants did respectably as a group; Blackbird, Grace, MK, MOD, Nine and Sushi Wabi all received votes. But when Chicagoans take visitors out to eat, the odds are it’ll be an ethnic restaurant; Athena, Cafe 28, CafEBa-Ba-Reeba!, Cafe Iberico, Evergreen, Greek Islands, Heaven on Seven, Hi Ricky, Joy Yee’s, Kotobuki, Las Bellas Artes, Las Cazuelas, Las Tablas, Louisiana Kitchen, Mi Tierra, the Parthenon, Pegasus, Penny’s Noodle Shop, Rambutan, Red Light, Reza’s, Ron of Japan, Russian Tea Time, Samba Room, Siam Cafe, Souk, Tango Sur, Teresa’s Cucina, Tizi Melloul and Yoshi’s Cafe were among the ethnic restaurants mentioned.
The top two finishers feature ethnic flavors, as well. Frontera Grill/Topolobampo pulled in more than 150 votes, an impressive total totally eclipsed by Salpicon, whose nearly 250 votes left Frontera in the dust.
Favorite place for Wine Slobs and Snobs
This category recognized restaurants whose wine programs were deep enough for connoisseurs and accessible enough for novices — a tricky balance. Our early touts were for well-known wine bars such as Cru Cafee and Hudson Club, and our personal favorite, Bin 36. But what did we know? Voters passed over these and other big names and made it a two-horse race between Salpicon, a Mexican restaurant with a substantial wine list and an impressive array of fine tequilas, and Webster Wine Bar, the popular De Paul-area watering hole. Salpicon had the most online votes, but mail-in ballots pushed Webster Wine Bar over the top. D’Vine was a distant third.
Most Daring Restaurant
Many voters used this category to laud the eye-catching creativity of Trotter’s, Tru and Zealous, or the anything-goes flavors of Technicolor Kitchen; support also came in for Mashed Potato Club, Soul Kitchen and Rambutan, three concepts clearly playing by their own rules. But the category eventually became an echo, you’ll forgive the pun, of the Favorite New Restaurant race, once again featuring Echo and D’Vine in a close race, once again won by Echo. MOD finished third, well in back of the leaders but well ahead of the rest of the pack.
Favorite Place for Customer Perks and Pampering
When it comes to thoughtful, customer-appreciative touches, apparently you get what you pay for. Three of the most expensive and lavish restaurants in town — Ambria, Charlie Trotter’s and Tru — were the leading vote-getters in this category (though there was some support for bargain hangouts Ann Sather’s and the Weiner’s Circle, both of which outpointed The Dining Room and Les Nomades. Tru won comfortably — how else? — followed by Ambria and Trotter’s.
Favorite Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurant
At the opposite end of the pricing spectrum was this category, which recognized fine restaurants that are a bit lacking in atmosphere. Winning this category might be viewed as a mixed blessing; we imagine that Bistrot Zinc, for instance, would be happy to renounce the seven votes it received. But most of the votes went to deserving hangouts, such as Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder, the Billy Goat Tavern on lower Michigan Avenue, Leo’s Lunchroom and, of course, Francesco’s Hole in the Wall in Northbrook. The winner, however, was Jubilee Juice and Food, a West-of-Loop spot on Halsted Street. Second place went to Division Street rib house Smoke Daddy; the cave-like Half Shell in Lincoln Park finished third.
Favorite Deli
Dissatisfaction with Chicago’s deli selection (aficionados have complained for years that Chicago lacks a true deli) may explain why the top vote-getters in this category are all relative newcomers. The big pickle goes to the 5 Boroughs Deli, which opened mid-2000 in River North. The second-place winner is the local concept Potbelly Sandwich Works, whose multiple locations undoubtedly contributed to its strong showing. Clustered behind these leaders were a handful of restaurants, including Cold Comfort, Jubilee Juice and Food, L’il Guys and the venerable south-of-loop favorite, Manny’s.
LAST YEAR’S RESULTS
Favorite New Restaurant: Grace
Chef to Watch: Priscilla Satkoff
Favorite Place to Pop the Question: The Signature Room at the 95th
Favorite All-You-Can-Eat Restaurant: Flat Top Grill
Favorite Dining Neighborhood or Community: Bucktown
Favorite Place for Vegetarian: Blind Faith Cafe
Favorite Place for Sushi: Sushi Wabi
Favorite Place for Exotic Dining: Tizi Melloul
Favorite Server: Mark Modeo of Sapicon
Favorite Place for Latin Food: Copa Cubana
Favorite Place for Burgers: The Country House
Favorite BYOB Restaurant: Salbute
Favorite Place for Appetizers: Cafe Iberico
Favorite Landmark Restaurant: The Berghoff
Snootiest Restaurant: Charlie Trotter’s
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WINNING VOTERS
Winners were chosen at random from among online and print ballots.
GRAND PRIZE: $500
Marj Abrams
FIRST RUNNER UP: $250
Anne Bonovich
Second prize: $250
Maral Poladian
