We Fail To Predict The Time Out Chicago 2012 Eat Out Awards

By Anthony Todd in Food on Apr 17, 2012 5:20PM

Time Out Chicago has released another year's worth of awards, chosen by both their critics and their readers. The Readers' Choice rewards were not particularly surprising (Next/Aviary won a ton, and Doughnut Vault and Goosefoot were selected) but the Critics' Choice awards were entertaining and interesting. Time Out also asked for our predictions in advance, which were almost completely incorrect. Either we have no idea what good food looks like, or everyone else in Chicago is wrong. Or both.

The Readers' Choice awards were open to voting. You should go read the complete list, but a few highlights include Aviary as Best New Bar, Perennial Virant as Best New Restaurant Cocktails, Goosefoot as Best New BYOB and Doughnut Vault as Best New Sweet Shop. It should be noted that we got ALL of those wrong in our predictions - we voted for Telegraph, Acadia, El and Toni Patisserie for those categories. This is particularly notable as there was no need for people to have been to restaurants in order to vote for them, and nationally famous restaurants (Next, Aviary, Pump Room, Doughnut Vault, Perennial Virant) won out over quieter options. Anyway, there were some selections that were spot-on, including Pleasant House Bakery for Cheap Eatery of the Year and Southern Mac and Cheese for Best New Food Truck.

The Critics' Picks were fun and reflected a slightly more nuanced view of the restaurant scene. The esoteric categories (chosen to let Tamarkin, Kramer and Shouse highlight whatever they wanted) include Best Use of Egg Yolks (Cai), One Man Show (Bill Talbot, Sommelier at El), Best Old Country Buffet (Tre Kroner) and Most Palatable Evangelism (Soup and Bread). Be sure to take a look at the complete list, as it includes some places you may not have heard of before.