Diners in Chicago
Posted by mark
Diners rank fine food tops, but some go to the dogs
Since the ST wont display articles after some time, I have copied the full text here:
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Since the ST wont display articles after some time, I have copied the full text here:
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Diners rank fine food tops, but some go to the dogs
June 29, 2004
BY JANET RAUSA FULLER Staff Reporter
Chicagoans are going out more and shelling out more money for dinner, according to the latest Zagat survey of Chicago restaurants, out in stores today.
The restaurants that people voted "most popular" -- those considered their overall favorites -- are among the city's priciest.
Tops on the list is Tru, where the average per-person dinner tab runs $107, followed by No. 2 Charlie Trotter's, which will set you back $119, and No. 4 Everest, where a meal averages $86.
ZAGAT'S OWN GUIDE
Tim Zagat, co-founder of the "Zagat Survey" restaurant guide, usually lets his readers suggest where to eat. But we asked, so he told us where he's eaten on recent visits to Chicago:
Frontera Grill
Gibsons Steakhouse
Trio
Tru
Walker Bros. Original Pancake House
Also, some Chicago restaurants he wants to visit:
Avec
Gabriel's
Kevin
NoMI
Spring
But peruse the "best bangs for the buck" category, and it is evident Chicagoans haven't fully succumbed to the fine-dining bug. Four of the top 10 eateries on that list are classic hot-dog stands that include Superdawg and Wiener's Circle. Others include Margie's Candies and Potbelly Sandwich Works.
Sixty-two percent of Chicagoans say they're spending more at restaurants than two years ago, according to the popular guide, which surveyed more than 4,700 residents.
Rising food costs may have something to do with that. The average cost of a meal in Chicago rose 4 percent over last year to $31.64 -- higher than the national average of $30.73.
Or, says the guide's co-founder Tim Zagat, it could be that we know how good we have it in the Windy City.
"Chicago is one of the two or three best places to eat in the country," Zagat said Monday.
He noted the city's incredible diversity of cuisines, saying, "Literally every day of the week you can go to a different genre." And he declared Arun's on North Kedzie -- in the top 40 for best food and most popular -- the "best Thai restaurant in the country."
The Chicago survey, now in its 19th year, is based on visits by consumers who rate restaurants on a 30-point scale.
The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton scored a culinary trifecta this year, taking the top spot for best food, service and decor.
Ritz officials did not want to comment Monday, but raters described it "in a class by itself" where "patrons are treated like royalty" and chef Sarah Stegner's food "consistently excites the palate."
Wicker Park hotspot Mirai Sushi, which Zagat admitted he had never heard of, broke into the top 10 for best food, the only sushi place to do so.
"That speaks to the dining public's changing taste," said Zagat's Chicago editor Alice Van Housen. "Sushi isn't just this eclectic genre of dining anymore. They have a serious fine dining food score there."
