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Does anyone in Chicago really care what Zagat thinks about its restaurants?
Chicagoist has never gotten the impression that anyone around here pays the rankings any mind. We certainly don't. Give us Phil Vettel, Pat Bruno and our friends at eGullet. The Zagat survey has always seemed like a New York thing.
Yesterday Zagat released its 2006 survey of the best restaurants in the country and, according to Crain's, forty Chicago restaurants made the list, and none are surprises, including:
- Tallgrass
- Carlos'
- Tru
- Ambria
- Mirai Sushi
- Seasons
- Charlie Trotter's
- Le Titi de Paris
- 302 West
- Everest
- mk
- Arun's
- Topolobampo
- Le Vichyssoise
- Bistro Banlieue
- Oceanique
- Kevin
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Despite what Crain's says, Zagat did not release a list of top restaurants in the country -- it released its guide to top Chicago restaurants, including its Top 40 list, headed by the above 17 restaurants.
I'm not in love the Zagat guide, but I do find it useful (especially its online "Advanced Search"). Thanks to Zagat, I just discovered Oceanique in Evanston, one of the best meals I've ever had, and I probably never would have tried it -- or found it -- otherwise.
ZAGAT zucks. Having lived in Chicago my whole life and eaten at most venues throughout the entire metropolitan area, I find ZAGAT pretentious and elitist. Anyone in the know knows I am correct; would Gene and Jude's make the list? How about Jim's Original Maxwell street? ZAGAT would turn their long WASPY nose up at such `low-brow' eateries and stick with venues that cost $100 per head and you leave hungry. To hell with that. If ZAGAT is what you want, knock yourself out. They never even heard of the east side. Me, I like good portions, at a fair price. Chicago has several of those, for people willing to live a little out of the envelope. Read the Street and Sanitation Man's Guide to Chicago Eats and find out what a real meal is for a fraction of the cost.
Joe:
That's a lot of venues, and I find it hard to believe that you have eaten at most venues in the Chicago area, unless you are 75 years old who dines out every night. And I highly doubt it, as I am unsure how many 75-year olds are on Chicagoist.
Yes Zagat may be "WASPY" and elitist (although not as elitist as the Michelin rankings, coming to Chicago soon, I hear). But there are a lot of good restaurants in the book, restaurants that may normally go unnoticed by the average Chicago resident.
But, humor me, Joe: what would you rank as your top ten restaurants in the area?
Well, to name a couple, Neuvo Leon on 18th street has been a staple since I was a kid. I'm 32, not 75, and being Mexican and having family all over Chicagoland and being single until not-too-recently gives me a swath of locales. NL used to be a single room diner until the Guteirrez family acquired the room next door and expanded. For under $5 you get a breakfast of eggs, rice, beans, and tortillas that fill ya up without bloating up. The nice touch here is that in addition to the requisite nachos and salsa upon sitting down, most times you'll get a small complimentary plate of something off the menu, like meatballs, shredded steak, anything, really. Just a sampler to get you to try something from their expansive and tasty menu. Want lunch/dinner? Under $10 and you roll out of the joint. Like breakfast? Leif's on 103rd and Torrence gives you a pancake breakfast that would make the ladies at your church benefit feel faint. The two of them measure, easily, 14 inches across and come with a half stick of butter, whether for garnish or application I'm not really sure. The Denver omelette is best split between two people, for sure. Under $10. Getting pricey, now, is Bobak's, on Archer and Cicero, about $14-$17. This Polish all-you-can-eat buffet features everything that makes Polish food soooo worth coming back for, in all its artery clogging goodness. And having a vegetarian wife, it accomodates her well. Vince's, on Harlem and Lawrence, is a damn good Italian eatery if ever there was one. As you sit down, you get your water, basket of bread, and a PLATE of bruschetta. Then the menu. As you munch away, pondering your choices, the wait person arrives and asks for you what kind of soup you like and what dressing for your salad. Not either/or, like some places, but AND. You get both. The main course, is, of course, filling and delicious, and the bill is easy on the wallet, and they wash their napkins. Most places I've mentioned don't. I'm not trying to flout street creds or anything, but these are the places I go. Biasettis, on Irving and Ashland is good Italian also, my wife having gotten a pasta dish in a bowl about the size of a spare tire.
Svea, on Clark and Foster, is a great Swedish eatery, but sparse on seating. The food is fantastic, and inexpensive, but seating is, well, limited. There used to be a great Persian place next door, but they closed. Reza's is good, but after they became popular, it was too crowded, and I prefer the off-the-beaten track since I want to sit down quickly and eat. So don't spoil any of these places for me, ok? I know I won't see anyone at some joints, but leave a table open for me. Thanks.
Zagat's is not inherently elitist and WASP-y. On the contrary, it is the most democratic restaurant guide in the world. This is because Zagat ratings are based upon surveys submitted by thousands of people, not a select few "trained" critics.
It is true that those who fill out the surveys is a self-selecting group that tends to highly rate popular, high end restuarants. So the highest ratings tend to go to the Tru's and Everest's of the city. On the other hand, if you wanted to get your favorite restaurant mentioned, all you have to do is write it in. Zagat's covers all sorts of restaurants and many "outside the envelope" places make the list. So it's a useful guide for the metaphor mixing crowd too.
In any case, I find it ironic that Joe rips into Zagat's for being "elitist" and then talks about being "in the know" and looks down his snubby blue collar nose at the gullible effetes who prefer foie gras to pierogis.
Oh, boy, I've done it now; I've upset the ZAGAT crowd. First, allow me to sigh and explain: I have used ZAGAT on occaison, and it is useful, democratic, and not entirely elitist, but, for those that need it to find places it to eat and have their mothers pin lunch money on their underwear, knock yourselves out. Second, I don't look down on anyone eating foie gras, I just don't understand paying through the nose for the privelege. Again, if that's your thing, g'head. My disappointment with ZAGAT was that I paid a lot of money for a meal and left the establishment hungry. I do apologize; they have some good recommendations. I was a bit off the cuff on that regard. But c'mon, DB "Chicago" (did you get a new Bucktown apartment and are impressing your college friends, or are you still in your parents Wheaton home trying to sound Big Time. Hell, I've lived in Chicago my whole life and don't need to refer to myself as "CHICAGO JOE" or "606JOE", c'mon DB "CHICAGO"
I look at it this way; when I travel, what do the Romans eat. Don't care if its bug on a stick, if I wanted Hard Rock Cafe London/Canberra/LA/New York/ I'd go to McDonald's. My guideline is to eat what the natives eat, and that's what I hoped to offer with my choice of eateries for the un-initiated. Again, my apologies: if you want to pay a lot of money for little food, be my guest. I just want to be a good Chicago host and show you places that give you the most bang for your buck, y'know, like Wild Chicago? Been to most of those places, and their not all ZAGAT rated. Sorry, sorry, sorry.