Phil Vettel

(Down from 8) Paul Kahan's Randolph-corridor restaurant was something of a neighborhood pioneer when it debuted. More than two decades later, it's still vital, in the capable hands of executive...

Pilsen might not be the first neighborhood you'd scour in search of Vietnamese cuisine, but Thai and Danielle Dang could put their restaurant on the dark side of the moon...

(Down from 7) More than a few people raised eyebrows eight years ago, when Ryan McCaskey spurned the Randolph Street and Fulton Market area and opened his fine-dining restaurant in...

(Up from 10) Michael Lachowicz' brilliant contemporary-French dining room returns to the list (it was on hiatus when my last list came out) following a three-month remodeling project that added...

(New) After winning the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Great Lakes award earlier this year, chef/spouse duo Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim (who also own Parachute restaurant) could have reveled...

Gene Kato's excellent Sumi Robata Bar might have been ahead of his time, but luckily for Chicago, when Sumi closed, Kato wound up in Fulton Market, maintaining and even elevating...

Chef/owner Martial Noguier not only keeps tradition alive but maintains a dauntingly high standard of excellence at this Gold Coast bistro. The elegant atmosphere more than backs up Noguier's superior...

Chef CJ Jacobson already had a successful restaurant in Ema in River North, but Aba, in the heart of mega-hot Fulton Market, is popular beyond belief. The fight for coveted...

Frontera Grill and Topolobampo alums Brian Enyart and Jennifer Jones Enyart are behind this superb contemporary Mexican restaurant, whose food might include echoes of Asia and the American South. Vegetable...

Maybe executive chef Lee Wolen ought to thump his chest harder, or more often; then more people might recognize the jewel that is Boka, the flagship restaurant in the formidable...