20 restaurants listed in order of Chicago Magazine's rankings are:

1. Tru
2. Charlie Trotter's
3. Topolobampo & Frontera Grill
4. Everest
5. Trio
6. Les Nomades
7. Spiaggia
8. Ritz-Carlton Dining Room
9. Carlos'
10. Spring
11. Lex Deux Gros
12. Ambria
13. Arun's
14. MK
15. One SixtyBlue
16. Kevin
17. Blackbird
18. Le Titi de Paris
19. Gabriel's
20. Printer's Row

Thanks for posting this!

I've already stated previously that I believe Charlie Trotter's and Frontera Grill are overrated ... Ambria is excellent - I can perhaps agree with that...

One of the problems I have with these big media rating surveys is that there are just SO MANY really excellent places for food/dining in Chicago, that saying Le Titi de Paris better than, say, Lou Malnati's or Greektown Gyros, when it's cold out and you want hearty, filling, greasy food like pizza or a gyros sandwich with tzatziki sauce rather than a mesclun salad, pasta primavera and baguette at Le Titi, is not fully accurate. I think I mentioned about my Charlie Trotter's experience that when we were all finished, we went outside and said, okay, now should we get something to eat?

Also, consider this: would you want to eat at the Como Inn every day (or any of the restaurants on the list)? I recall reading an interview with Christy Turlington, the model, and leading the glamorous, jet-set life she had, she ate out at four start restaurants almost all the time, and I remember when asked what she liked to eat most, she said, anything at home, that she got very tired of eating out at restaurants all the time. I thought that was kind of interesting...

[This message has been edited by anonplz (edited 10-25-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by anonplz:
I've already stated previously that I believe Charlie Trotter's and Frontera Grill are overrated ... Ambria is excellent - I can perhaps agree with that...</font>

Please don't get me started about some on the list being overrated! It's almost as if the "critics" pan over the same mix of restaurants, over and over and over and.....

The only one I'm not familiar with is Kevin.
Anyone been?

From Zagat online regarding a sommelier at Everest

"At 26, sommelier Alpana Singh has become the youngest-ever Master Sommelier, recently passing the intensive exam held by the Court of Master Sommeliers in San Francisco."

Also from Zagat online regarding Ambria:

"Ambria: Breaking with tradition, this 23-year-old dining destination will be open for Mother's Day, offering a special $50 three-course prix fixe menu along with its regular offerings (May 11, 5:30-9 PM)."

[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 05-06-2003).]