Remember That Dinner We Went To Where They Only Served Us ONE JUMBO SHRIMP in a Bed of Risotto? Yeah, But Dessert Was Good!
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 29, 2006 7:25PM
New Year's Eve is always a huge night for dinners out. For diners and foodies, it's a chance to don some clean togs and expect nothing less than being pampered and fed like Romans. For restaurateurs, it's the motivation of profit, and the pride in preparing a good spread. And, if you're the type of person who waited until the last moment to make dinner reservations, well, throw some of that money our way, would you?
We've had some great meals the past year, from haute cuisine, to banned foods, to cheap eats galore. It's hard to put together a list of what we really liked or disliked the past twelve months. And, on those rare opportunities where the four Chicagoist foodies are in the same room together, we're rarely in agreement on anything, except how disappointed we were in Patty Burger.
Following the jump, we've compiled a list of our favorites of 2K6, taking in both north and south sides of the city.
The Best:
- Fonda del Mar: This Logan Square favorite received much love from Andrew when he visited in November, and we know we were late to the party on singing Fonda del Mar's praises.
- Koda: The newest French bistro in the city is also one of the best and most inexpensive, giving the Beverly neighborhood a reason to be proud besides the South Side Irish. We're going back this evening with some out-of-town friends and can't wait to get their reactions.
- Piazza Bella: As Laura wrote in her review, this Roscoe Village establishment is perfectly tailored for lovers. Any place that'll make her venture out of her own kitchen for Italian is worth checking out.
- Haro: Haro stands out in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood not for its facade, but its cuisine. Pintxos - the small sandwich tapas of Spain's Basque region - rule here. Haro also has some of the best standard tapas in the city, all served in a cozy atmosphere that encouraes social interaction.
- Cafe Bionda: Another Italian offering, this one from former Rosebud executive chef Joe Farina, who brought his meatball salad and other favorites to the South Loop/Historic Prairie District area. Bionda is packed on the weekends, and business is so good that Farina is opening a Cafe Bionda in Bucktown sometime in 2007.
- Salpicon: This Old Town "Nuevo Latino" mainstay keeps on keeping on. Some excellent food is served here.
- May St. Café: Mario Santiago and Lupe Aguilar finally got some much overdue love from foodies for their Pilsen eatery in 2006. We reviewed their lunch menu in February, then went back for dinner a month later with friends and were floored by the food. Since then, May Street Café has been featured on "Check Please", and their tables are full in the evenings. That's OK; lunch is pretty good here, as well.
- Turkish Cuisine & Bakery: Caroline took some time out of the kitchen to check out this Andersonville/Edgewater favorite. While she had some issues with the service, the food was unparalleled in its excellence.
- Zapatista: The story: In early November, the Chicagoist staff gathered at Zapatista for dinner. Though the foodies on staff are rarely in agreement, we all found the service to be impeccable. Two waiters and a food runner were assigned to our party - there were twenty-five of us in attendance - and they had us seated, fed, and cleared out for the next reservation in two hours flat. Simply amazing! Zapatista does serve some good food, but if you want impeccable service, you couldn't do any better if you went to Trotter's.