May 5, 2025 • 23 mins
Hosts John Kessler and Amy Cavanaugh dive into "The Best New Restaurants" list, discuss what didn't make the cut, and describe the best thing each ate this week.
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John Kessler (00:00):
I think my next, you know, fake reservation name
(00:02):
so people don't know me is goingto have to be Garibaldi banger,
Amy Cavanaugh (00:05):
yes, no, no one will find you out.
(00:28):
Welcome to Dish from Chicagomagazine. This is the first
episode of what is going to be abiweekly podcast covering
Chicago's dining scene. I'm AmyCavanaugh, Chicago magazine's
dining editor, and I'm going tobe joined each week by John
Kessler, Chicago magazine'sdining critic. We're going to be
covering stories that are in themagazine. We're going to be
(00:50):
providing greater context, andthen we're going to be sharing
other things that we haven't yetcovered in the pages, and this
could be the first place youhear about them. John, what are
you looking forward to talkingabout?
John Kessler (01:00):
What am I looking forward to talking about? Kind
of just what's on top of my headat any given moment. But that's
kind of how my brain works. Idon't know, it'd be nice if,
like, when we do this, we couldget that vibe we have when we
have an editorial meeting andwe're just running down all the
food we ate and, you know, justletting people in on the
(01:22):
conversation.
Amy Cavanaugh (01:23):
Yes, I love that.
You know, one of my favoritethings is, you know, when I'm
like, all right, we're talkingabout the next issue. What, what
do you want to review? Do youhave any neighborhood finds?
What are some things that youwant to cover? Just kind of
talking about restaurantscasually, is, you know, my
favorite part of the job. Thisweek, we're going to be talking
about our Best New Restaurantslist, which came out last month.
(01:43):
In the list, John named his 11favorite new openings of 2024
and so we are going to digdeeper into that. We're going to
talk about some details thatcouldn't quite make it into
print, and some trends he'snoticed. So we'll get into that.
And then we'll wrap with thebest things we ate this week,
which includes a baked treatfrom a buzzy new bakery.
(02:10):
Best New Restaurants is one ofour most anticipated food
features of the year. It's oneof my favorite ones to work on.
And John, you had the reallyhard task of picking all of your
favorites from 2024 so we wantto dig into that a little bit
more. One of the things thatstands out, first of all, is
that you picked 11 restaurants.
Why 11?
John Kessler (02:28):
Because I believe prime numbers are magic. No,
because, because, when I lookedat the list, I probably went to
about, Lord, probably about 30,35 restaurants to narrow it
down, and the cutting off pointfor me seem to be— are these
places I'd want to go back to,like the ones at the top, are
(02:50):
the ones that I just want to goback to over and over and over
again, because there's so manydishes that I kind of obsess
over, and things I haven't triedyet. The others maybe down
towards the bottom of the listthere are places that are really
promising. Maybe, you know, somethings are better than others,
but I would definitely sendreaders there, and I just want
(03:13):
to get to know all theserestaurants better.
Amy Cavanaugh (03:16):
Yeah, you've got a lot of restaurants here that I
also return to time and timeagain. So that's really
exciting. There I, I've been toeight of the 11, so I haven't
been to 9, 10, or 11. They'reall on my list to get to really
soon. At number 11 is Stumara,which is a Georgian restaurant
out in Wheeling.
John Kessler (03:35):
Yeah, get thee to a Georgian nunnery, Amy. You
know, it's, it's very cool.
It's, you know, there aren't alot of Georgian restaurants. It
has incredibly different oldfood traditions. And there are
some dishes there, like, haveyou ever had khachapuri?
Amy Cavanaugh (03:53):
I have. I love it.
John Kessler (03:54):
Oh, my God. So, you know, khachapuri is this
Georgian-style, like flatbread.
I guess you could call it pizza,but it's filled with just this,
like cheese and egg, and it justswirls into goo at the table.
And it's just goo you can'tresist. Plus, they're these
wonderful soup dumplings calledkhinkali, and just a lot of
other dishes that are just superbright with lots of fruit and
(04:18):
nuts and herbs, and then, ofcourse, Georgian wines are
pretty amazing and are veryinfluential in the world right
now. Orange wines are superpopular now, and in Georgia,
they've been doing it forcenturies. They call them amber
wines. So you know, it's inWheeling — get a designated
driver.
Amy Cavanaugh (04:38):
Yeah, I feel like orange wines have been
everywhere, and between that andthe khachapuri, that's gonna be
high on my list.
So, number 10 is Fire, which isthe revamped Roister, which was
one of my favorite restaurantswhen it first opened. I feel
like this has been one of yourmost contentious picks.
John Kessler (04:54):
It has. I've definitely gotten some shit
about that pick from friendswhodidn't like it as well as I
did, but I had kind of fun.
There were hits and misses, forsure, on the menu, but I feel it
really taps into somethingthat's big right now, which is
live fire cooking. And also, forpeople who want to, maybe can't
afford Alinea, but are verycurious about it, I think it's a
(05:17):
little bit of an, you know, anentry point to Grant Achatz's
brain. So I stand by it.
Amy Cavanaugh (05:26):
The next spot we have, the one I'm probably most
excited about visiting,actually, that I haven't yet
been to, is Sanders BBQ andSupplyCo.
John Kessler (05:34):
Love that place.
It is across from the Metrastation down there on 99th
Street, which is just thisbeautiful, old building. So you
feel like, you know, you've justwandered into the set of Fried
Green Tomatoes or something whenyou get there. And then it's
just this wonderful, greatenvironment inside, really
bright. It's all tiled, and it'sjust legit barbecue. The thing
(05:54):
to get is the big ol' short rib.
It's like just this huge thingwhere you just want to pick up
that, you know, the bone, andjust go all Flintstones on it.
Amy Cavanaugh (06:07):
And our next spot is a restaurant I've been to,
Oliver's, which is in the SouthLoop and has kind of like an
American supper club-ish vibe.
John Kessler (06:17):
Yeah. So it's in the old Acadia space. The supper
club thing. They're trying tosay that they're like, a, you
know, L.A. supper club from the30s, you know, trying to get
that whole zoot suit, you know,era, yeah, I find that a little
bit of a hard sell in a placethat's, like, completely made
out of engineered concrete.
They've got a great bar guythere, Luke DeYoung, who makes
(06:39):
great cocktails. The food issuper expensive, but it's kind
of classic American in a greatway. The chicken, I think, is
the best in town. And the chef,Alex Carnovale, is really a
talent to watch.
Amy Cavanaugh (06:55):
Yeah, the chicken was the standout when I went as
well. And then yes, Luke isdoing such an incredible job
with the drinks there. I keepwanting to go sit at the bar and
just have some of those and havea have a bar dinner.
John Kessler (07:08):
Have you had the, I haven't had it yet, but, you
know, he has this, like,milkshake machine, and he makes
Ramos Gin Fizzes in like, threeminutes in it, you know, like,
that's that drink that you takeslike, 20 minutes to make. But he
can just whip those things up. Ireally want to try one.
Amy Cavanaugh (07:23):
Our number seven restaurant is one that I
particularly like, too. I thinkthey're just doing such a fun
job with Italian Americanclassics. Can you tell us about
Void?
John Kessler (07:32):
Void is really cool. It's in Avondale, but it
feels like you've wandered intosome weird neighborhood in
Milwaukee you've never been to,and found this place that's like
a Wisconsin supper club that'salso an Italian restaurant. The
food is really punchy anddifferent. It's kind of funny.
(07:53):
You know, they do thoseSpaghetti Uh-O's out of a can.
They do this huge chicken parm.
The flavors are nostalgic, andit's just, it's got a nice
neighborhood vibe. I love it forjust when I'm around there and I
need dinner, and I know I canget in and eat at that big, long
bar. I'm there.
Amy Cavanaugh (08:11):
Our number six restaurant is still within the
Italian cannon, but goes in avery different direction. Tre
Dita is from Lettuce EntertainYou, and Evan Funke, and is in
the St. Regis. And so this isreally the most gorgeous
restaurant that has opened, Ifeel like, in years. And I agree
that the food also, you know,warrants its inclusion on this
(08:31):
list.
John Kessler (08:32):
I thought it was really good. I mean, it's a
beautiful place, so it's fun tobe there. And though I did not
try the namesake, three fingersthick, you know bistecca
Fiorentina, which is, you know,what is it like, $750or
something? No.
Amy Cavanaugh (08:49):
It's alarmingly high.
John Kessler (08:50):
It's alarmingly high. It's not that high, but
it's very expensive. We did nottry that. We did try some steaks
and some pastas that are very,very good. Love the wine by the
glass program.
Amy Cavanaugh (09:00):
Yeah, the drink program is really good. Tre Dita
has the rare privilege of beingthe only place that also appears
on my Best New Bars list that Iworked on with Karl Klockars
earlier this year, and I putthem on the best bar list
because even though I've haddinner in the dining room, I've
gone back to sit at the bar,have some cocktails, have a
pasta, and it's fantastic. Sothe cocktails are really great
(09:24):
as well. Diane Corcoran is thebeverage director, and probably
my favorite drink in Chicagoright now is the Garibaldi
Banger, which is a mash upbetween a Garibaldi and a Harvey
Wallbanger.
John Kessler (09:35):
Okay.
Amy Cavanaugh (09:36):
Ridiculous. Yes, very, super fun.
John Kessler (09:38):
Also, I think my next, you know, fake reservation
name so people don't know me isgoing to have to be Garibaldi
Banger.
Amy Cavanaugh (09:44):
Yes. No, no one will find you out. All right. So
for our number five restaurant,this one's fun because I came
with you to a lunch to assessthis one. Minyoli is a Taiwanese
restaurant in Andersonville, andI really loved it. I thought
that. You know, the food wassuper fun, but I'd love to hear
your take.
John Kessler (10:02):
Yeah, I felt that restaurant had a weird opening
because, you know that hypemachine that is so prevalent in
dining culture these days, youknow, those super long lines
that people, you know, want to,you know, torture themselves in.
So, every— when it opened,everyone went and waited away.
They waited and said it wasfine, and they didn't see the
(10:22):
place evolve. They, you know,the signature items are these,
you know, hand-rolled noodles,and they're very good. But
there's so much more on themenu. The service is just
impeccable. They really teachyou about Taiwanese cooking. I
love all the small plates that,just like the best cabbage I've
had, is there.
Amy Cavanaugh (10:42):
The cabbage was fantastic.
John Kessler (10:43):
Wasn't that good?
Yeah, I know. So good. Yeah,it's serious. And then they do a
nice version of lu rou fan,which is that, you know, very
basic Taiwanese lunch of a ricebowl with meat and egg and
pickled vegetables on top. Andit's delicious.
Amy Cavanaugh (10:59):
Let's talk about Cariño.
John Kessler (11:00):
Yeah, and we've eaten there together a couple
times. So Cariño is therestaurant from Norman Fenton,
who had previously been in thesame space with Brass Heart, and
then before that, was a chef atSchwa. Very, very talented guy
got a much deserved Michelinstar. It's a small dining room,
(11:21):
and he serves the tasting menu.
It's flavors of coastal LatinAmerica. His wife and kid are
near Tulum, where he runsanother restaurant, and he lives
there. Beautiful, beautifulfood. Just a very intricate,
very talented guy. But what Ilove, and I what I think you
love too, is the taco omakasethat happens at night. It's at
(11:44):
the seating counter. It's just,I don't know, six or seven
seats, so not as expensive. Itcomes with two drinks. You go in
at 10, you're out at 11, boom,boom, boom. And it's super fun,
delicious tacos, fun smallplates and just something like
you don't see anywhere else inChicago.
Amy Cavanaugh (12:03):
Yeah, I am here for that taco omakase, the
suadero taco is incredible. Idon't live too far from Cariño,
and I wish he would have, like,a taco window so I could just,
like, go pick up a few, becauseI was obsessed with, like, that
one suadero taco.
So we are now down to our topthree spots. Our number three
(12:24):
one is a really interesting one.
I have joined you for a dinnerhere. It has gotten perhaps more
online buzz than any otherrestaurant, and the chef here,
Jake Potashnick, also received aBeard semi finalist nod. And
there's a lot to talk about withFeld.
John Kessler (12:46):
Oh, my God is there a lot to talk about. So
Jake was somebody, he was onTikTok under the handle
@notyetachef. And he built a lotof anticipation through this
very well attended TikTokchannel for the restaurant. And
soon after it opened, like aReddit review came in just
talking about how much theyhated it. And then pretty soon,
(13:07):
some local reviewers also chimedin. Hated it too. And the thing
about Feld is it — he's, he'skind of cocky. It's his first
restaurant. Jake Potashnick hascooked in, really trained in a
bunch of restaurants, goodrestaurants in Europe and other
places. And it's very, he callsit relationship to table, which
sounds, it's kind of twee. Youknow, I get, I mean, it's easy
(13:30):
to hate on that, but what he'ssaying is, you know, his
relationships with farmers, withfishers, with chocolate
suppliers, with all kinds ofpeople — like he gets to know
the people who make the food forhim, who grow it, who, you know,
cure it, do whatever else, andthen he brings that to you in
just this series of about like,30 small bites. And it's the
(13:52):
most un-Instagramable foodyou've ever seen. I mean, like
people go to it, oh my god, youknow. So everything looks just
like a little, you know, bit ofgoo in a little dish. Not
everything, but there is a lotof goo in little dishes, but,
but yummy goo, right?
Amy Cavanaugh (14:07):
I think that what I really liked about Feld is he
has a real perspective. I, youknow, we go to every tasting
menu in town. We eat at everynew restaurant. I feel like
there are a lot of tasting menusthat could be perhaps
interchangeable, you know, whatchef is making them. But I find
that the food at Feld is justthis, is very much his. It's his
(14:29):
perspective. It's his take, andhonestly, it's like, just really
fun. I had a blast in thatdining room. I felt like the
servers were really energeticand really fun. I just remember
getting just this beautifulslice of tomato. And I was just
like, This is how I want to eattomato. This is the simplicity.
It's so beautiful.
Well, our number two is also afavorite of mine. I've been a
(14:50):
few times. It's Mariscos SanPedro, which is from the crew
behind Taqueria Chingon andObélix and Le Bouchon and all
the places that are just reallyfun to eat right now. John, what
did you love there?
John Kessler (15:05):
What really nailed it for me there was going to
brunch. Oh, my God, the brunchis good because the—
Amy Cavanaugh (15:11):
I have not done the brunch yet.
John Kessler (15:14):
Girl, get you there. You know, you really need
to try that brunch, becauseAntonio Incandela's pastries are
amazing. And it's just they dothese great breakfast tacos, a
really nice like fish pozole atbrunch, which you know may not
be everyone's idea of what youwant to wake up to, but it's
definitely mine. It's a placewhere you get a bunch of plates
(15:37):
and you share them. You get abig, whole fried fish. You get a
seafood tower. You get lots oflittle tacos. You get like, an
octopus hot dog, and you justget all — it's just like, super,
super creative. So I'm alwayshappy to go back there.
Amy Cavanaugh (15:54):
Yeah, they they just do, they really kind of
think outside the box in termsof what their offerings are.
That fried fish is reallyremarkable, too.
John Kessler (16:02):
That fried fish, yeah. And it's because it's
just, like, super high-qualityingredients, you know, and
that's really what makes thatplace work, you know, the the
recipes for sure, maybe some ofthe dishes they they could, you
know, remove a thing or two, youknow, Coco Chanel it. But other
than that, I just think it's,yeah, great. Are we ready for
number one? Drum roll?
Amy Cavanaugh (16:20):
like, waiting with bated breath to find out
what you were going to say. Andthen you just said, it's
Maxwell's Trading, which is fromErling Wu-Bower, Chris Jung,
Josh Tilden. And I was like,that's it. That's perfect. That
is completely the right choice.
Tell me about what makes thisnumber one.
John Kessler (16:42):
Okay, well, everybody, she lied. What I said
was Portillo's, but she made medo this. No, so Maxwell's
Trading (16:50):
When I first reviewed it, I liked it. The menu was all
over the place. It felt veryinconsistent, but I did like it.
I love Erling Wu-Bower and ChrisJung and their perspective, they
both have Asian heritage. Theyboth know different kinds of
Asian cooking really well.
Erling's mom, Olivia Wu, is avery well known Chinese food
(17:10):
writer. Chris Jung's heritage isKorean, and they show a really
kind of deep understanding offlavors that they bring into,
kind of like American bistrodishes. So it doesn't feel, I
mean, you know, it's a stupidcomment every food critic makes,
but it doesn't feel fusion-y. Itdoesn't feel like they're, you
(17:34):
know, pouring ponzu and srirachaonto something.
Amy Cavanaugh (17:38):
I think the food is great, but I think that what
I like most about Maxwell's isjust like the overall experience
being in that room, which Ithink is beautiful. I think that
the service is excellent,whether you're sitting at the
bar or whether you're sitting atthe table, and it's just like a
place you want to be.
John Kessler (17:56):
Kristina Magro, the beverage director, has done
such a good job with bothcocktails and the wine list.
It's a really fun place to sitat a table with a group, order
nice, big dinner and drink abottle of wine, and it's a great
place to sit at the bar with anamazingly delicious cocktail and
just have a couple small plates.
Amy Cavanaugh (18:18):
Well, 11 restaurants is not a lot, and a
lot more restaurants opened inChicago in 2024. I'm sure that
everyone has their restaurantsthat they're like, "Why didn't
he include this one?" Mine isBrasero. Brasero is one of my
favorite openings of the year.
Big fan of the food there. Ithink it's gotten better each
time I've gone. Love the drinkprogram and the wine program,
always super fun. Why isn't ithere?
John Kessler (18:41):
Gosh, I tried with Brasero. I went four times,
honestly, and I— it is a funplace. I think the world of John
Manion as a chef and a humanbeing, there is something about
the food I can't connect to.
It's all so rich. There's just,like nuts over everything. I
found the kitchen to to be veryinconsistent, so I'll keep
(19:05):
trying. I know people love it,but you know, gotta be me, gotta
be honest on it. And it justdidn't, didn't work for me.
Amy Cavanaugh (19:15):
Putting together this list, visiting dozens of
restaurants, I'm sure that youknow, you have some kind of
overall takeaways. What hasstood out for what's going on in
Chicago's dining scene rightnow, besides, you know, specific
restaurants, what are sometrends you've seen?
John Kessler (19:29):
God, they're a lot of sweet potatoes. Everyone
loves them some sweet potatoes.
Amy Cavanaugh (19:33):
There are.
John Kessler (19:33):
But they're really good. I mean, you know,
Maxwell's has a good sweetpotato, Fire has a good sweet
potato, Brasero has a good sweetpotato. A lot of that sort of,
you know, center-of-the-platevegetable stuff. Shorter tasting
menus, I've noticed. What else.
Yeah, right? Ones that are like,not $200 and, you know, three
hours, but are like $125 in anhour and a half. So. Oh, yay to
(19:59):
that. I don't know. What elsehave you noticed?
Amy Cavanaugh (20:03):
We definitely see a lot of independent restaurants
on this list, which isfantastic. You know, we've got
Tre Dita, which is LettuceEntertain You. We've got Fire,
which is Alinea Group. But otherthan that, like, these are,
like, indie groups which, youknow, I love to see. And they
all just kind of feel like, youknow, they're pushing things a
little bit. We've had what feelslike a lot of steak houses and
French restaurants open in thepast couple years, which I love
(20:27):
those too. But for the majorityof the places here, it feels
like they're doing somethingoutside the box, Which I really
appreciate.
John Kessler (20:33):
Yeah, which Chicago has kind of needed for a
while, right? We do genre reallywell. We do tasting menus well.
Street food is like, you know,classic, But it's just those
places that, small, independentrestaurants with chefs thinking
out of the box (20:46):
Yes to that.
Amy Cavanaugh (20:51):
We're gonna end with the best things we each ate
lately. John, what's the bestthing you had?
John Kessler (20:56):
Finally checked out Cafe Yaya, the new
restaurant from the team atGalit, it's right next door.
Really, really delicious porkschnitzel. They serve it at
night. It's got like, thiscreamy, tarragon-y, lemon-y
mushroom sauce over the top ofit, and that was a plate-licker.
How about you?
Amy Cavanaugh (21:18):
That's fantastic.
Well, I waited in line at DelSur. I went, I waited 45
minutes. I went on a Friday whenthe weather was gonna be nice,
and honestly, like, I'm not abig wait-in-line person, but I
really didn't think this wasthat bad. So I got one of
everything that was in the casewhen I got there. I think that
was nine pastries. And therewere some real highlights. And I
(21:38):
could have picked a coupledifferent ones, but I'm gonna go
with Basque cake with pandancream and rhubarb jam on top. It
is so good, like I'm alreadythinking about going back,
particularly because I know thathe swaps out that jam
seasonally. And so rhubarb, Ithink, was his second offering,
(21:59):
really fantastic. There's someother gems there too, but I know
lines are not for everyone,yeah, and, you know, I'm sure
that they'll also, you know,once they've been open for a
little bit, they'll probably —the lines won't be as intense,
but he's doing a really good jobat Del Sur so I'm super excited
about that spot.
John Kessler (22:17):
Wow, that sounds great. I, ugh, maybe I'll do it.
Amy Cavanaugh (22:24):
Thanks for joining us for this episode of
Dish From Chicago Magazine. Yourhosts are dining editor Amy
Cavanaugh and critic JohnKessler, editing by Sarah
Steimer and music by BillHarris. You can find us online
at chicagomag.com. We'll see younext time.
I think my next, you know, fake reservation name
(00:02):
so people don't know me is goingto have to be Garibaldi banger,
Amy Cavanaugh (00:05):
yes, no, no one will find you out.
(00:28):
Welcome to Dish from Chicagomagazine. This is the first
episode of what is going to be abiweekly podcast covering
Chicago's dining scene. I'm AmyCavanaugh, Chicago magazine's
dining editor, and I'm going tobe joined each week by John
Kessler, Chicago magazine'sdining critic. We're going to be
covering stories that are in themagazine. We're going to be
(00:50):
providing greater context, andthen we're going to be sharing
other things that we haven't yetcovered in the pages, and this
could be the first place youhear about them. John, what are
you looking forward to talkingabout?
John Kessler (01:00):
What am I looking forward to talking about? Kind
of just what's on top of my headat any given moment. But that's
kind of how my brain works. Idon't know, it'd be nice if,
like, when we do this, we couldget that vibe we have when we
have an editorial meeting andwe're just running down all the
food we ate and, you know, justletting people in on the
(01:22):
conversation.
Amy Cavanaugh (01:23):
Yes, I love that.
You know, one of my favoritethings is, you know, when I'm
like, all right, we're talkingabout the next issue. What, what
do you want to review? Do youhave any neighborhood finds?
What are some things that youwant to cover? Just kind of
talking about restaurantscasually, is, you know, my
favorite part of the job. Thisweek, we're going to be talking
about our Best New Restaurantslist, which came out last month.
(01:43):
In the list, John named his 11favorite new openings of 2024
and so we are going to digdeeper into that. We're going to
talk about some details thatcouldn't quite make it into
print, and some trends he'snoticed. So we'll get into that.
And then we'll wrap with thebest things we ate this week,
which includes a baked treatfrom a buzzy new bakery.
(02:10):
Best New Restaurants is one ofour most anticipated food
features of the year. It's oneof my favorite ones to work on.
And John, you had the reallyhard task of picking all of your
favorites from 2024 so we wantto dig into that a little bit
more. One of the things thatstands out, first of all, is
that you picked 11 restaurants.
Why 11?
John Kessler (02:28):
Because I believe prime numbers are magic. No,
because, because, when I lookedat the list, I probably went to
about, Lord, probably about 30,35 restaurants to narrow it
down, and the cutting off pointfor me seem to be— are these
places I'd want to go back to,like the ones at the top, are
(02:50):
the ones that I just want to goback to over and over and over
again, because there's so manydishes that I kind of obsess
over, and things I haven't triedyet. The others maybe down
towards the bottom of the listthere are places that are really
promising. Maybe, you know, somethings are better than others,
but I would definitely sendreaders there, and I just want
(03:13):
to get to know all theserestaurants better.
Amy Cavanaugh (03:16):
Yeah, you've got a lot of restaurants here that I
also return to time and timeagain. So that's really
exciting. There I, I've been toeight of the 11, so I haven't
been to 9, 10, or 11. They'reall on my list to get to really
soon. At number 11 is Stumara,which is a Georgian restaurant
out in Wheeling.
John Kessler (03:35):
Yeah, get thee to a Georgian nunnery, Amy. You
know, it's, it's very cool.
It's, you know, there aren't alot of Georgian restaurants. It
has incredibly different oldfood traditions. And there are
some dishes there, like, haveyou ever had khachapuri?
Amy Cavanaugh (03:53):
I have. I love it.
John Kessler (03:54):
Oh, my God. So, you know, khachapuri is this
Georgian-style, like flatbread.
I guess you could call it pizza,but it's filled with just this,
like cheese and egg, and it justswirls into goo at the table.
And it's just goo you can'tresist. Plus, they're these
wonderful soup dumplings calledkhinkali, and just a lot of
other dishes that are just superbright with lots of fruit and
(04:18):
nuts and herbs, and then, ofcourse, Georgian wines are
pretty amazing and are veryinfluential in the world right
now. Orange wines are superpopular now, and in Georgia,
they've been doing it forcenturies. They call them amber
wines. So you know, it's inWheeling — get a designated
driver.
Amy Cavanaugh (04:38):
Yeah, I feel like orange wines have been
everywhere, and between that andthe khachapuri, that's gonna be
high on my list.
So, number 10 is Fire, which isthe revamped Roister, which was
one of my favorite restaurantswhen it first opened. I feel
like this has been one of yourmost contentious picks.
John Kessler (04:54):
It has. I've definitely gotten some shit
about that pick from friendswhodidn't like it as well as I
did, but I had kind of fun.
There were hits and misses, forsure, on the menu, but I feel it
really taps into somethingthat's big right now, which is
live fire cooking. And also, forpeople who want to, maybe can't
afford Alinea, but are verycurious about it, I think it's a
(05:17):
little bit of an, you know, anentry point to Grant Achatz's
brain. So I stand by it.
Amy Cavanaugh (05:26):
The next spot we have, the one I'm probably most
excited about visiting,actually, that I haven't yet
been to, is Sanders BBQ andSupplyCo.
John Kessler (05:34):
Love that place.
It is across from the Metrastation down there on 99th
Street, which is just thisbeautiful, old building. So you
feel like, you know, you've justwandered into the set of Fried
Green Tomatoes or something whenyou get there. And then it's
just this wonderful, greatenvironment inside, really
bright. It's all tiled, and it'sjust legit barbecue. The thing
(05:54):
to get is the big ol' short rib.
It's like just this huge thingwhere you just want to pick up
that, you know, the bone, andjust go all Flintstones on it.
Amy Cavanaugh (06:07):
And our next spot is a restaurant I've been to,
Oliver's, which is in the SouthLoop and has kind of like an
American supper club-ish vibe.
John Kessler (06:17):
Yeah. So it's in the old Acadia space. The supper
club thing. They're trying tosay that they're like, a, you
know, L.A. supper club from the30s, you know, trying to get
that whole zoot suit, you know,era, yeah, I find that a little
bit of a hard sell in a placethat's, like, completely made
out of engineered concrete.
They've got a great bar guythere, Luke DeYoung, who makes
(06:39):
great cocktails. The food issuper expensive, but it's kind
of classic American in a greatway. The chicken, I think, is
the best in town. And the chef,Alex Carnovale, is really a
talent to watch.
Amy Cavanaugh (06:55):
Yeah, the chicken was the standout when I went as
well. And then yes, Luke isdoing such an incredible job
with the drinks there. I keepwanting to go sit at the bar and
just have some of those and havea have a bar dinner.
John Kessler (07:08):
Have you had the, I haven't had it yet, but, you
know, he has this, like,milkshake machine, and he makes
Ramos Gin Fizzes in like, threeminutes in it, you know, like,
that's that drink that you takeslike, 20 minutes to make. But he
can just whip those things up. Ireally want to try one.
Amy Cavanaugh (07:23):
Our number seven restaurant is one that I
particularly like, too. I thinkthey're just doing such a fun
job with Italian Americanclassics. Can you tell us about
Void?
John Kessler (07:32):
Void is really cool. It's in Avondale, but it
feels like you've wandered intosome weird neighborhood in
Milwaukee you've never been to,and found this place that's like
a Wisconsin supper club that'salso an Italian restaurant. The
food is really punchy anddifferent. It's kind of funny.
(07:53):
You know, they do thoseSpaghetti Uh-O's out of a can.
They do this huge chicken parm.
The flavors are nostalgic, andit's just, it's got a nice
neighborhood vibe. I love it forjust when I'm around there and I
need dinner, and I know I canget in and eat at that big, long
bar. I'm there.
Amy Cavanaugh (08:11):
Our number six restaurant is still within the
Italian cannon, but goes in avery different direction. Tre
Dita is from Lettuce EntertainYou, and Evan Funke, and is in
the St. Regis. And so this isreally the most gorgeous
restaurant that has opened, Ifeel like, in years. And I agree
that the food also, you know,warrants its inclusion on this
(08:31):
list.
John Kessler (08:32):
I thought it was really good. I mean, it's a
beautiful place, so it's fun tobe there. And though I did not
try the namesake, three fingersthick, you know bistecca
Fiorentina, which is, you know,what is it like, $750or
something? No.
Amy Cavanaugh (08:49):
It's alarmingly high.
John Kessler (08:50):
It's alarmingly high. It's not that high, but
it's very expensive. We did nottry that. We did try some steaks
and some pastas that are very,very good. Love the wine by the
glass program.
Amy Cavanaugh (09:00):
Yeah, the drink program is really good. Tre Dita
has the rare privilege of beingthe only place that also appears
on my Best New Bars list that Iworked on with Karl Klockars
earlier this year, and I putthem on the best bar list
because even though I've haddinner in the dining room, I've
gone back to sit at the bar,have some cocktails, have a
pasta, and it's fantastic. Sothe cocktails are really great
(09:24):
as well. Diane Corcoran is thebeverage director, and probably
my favorite drink in Chicagoright now is the Garibaldi
Banger, which is a mash upbetween a Garibaldi and a Harvey
Wallbanger.
John Kessler (09:35):
Okay.
Amy Cavanaugh (09:36):
Ridiculous. Yes, very, super fun.
John Kessler (09:38):
Also, I think my next, you know, fake reservation
name so people don't know me isgoing to have to be Garibaldi
Banger.
Amy Cavanaugh (09:44):
Yes. No, no one will find you out. All right. So
for our number five restaurant,this one's fun because I came
with you to a lunch to assessthis one. Minyoli is a Taiwanese
restaurant in Andersonville, andI really loved it. I thought
that. You know, the food wassuper fun, but I'd love to hear
your take.
John Kessler (10:02):
Yeah, I felt that restaurant had a weird opening
because, you know that hypemachine that is so prevalent in
dining culture these days, youknow, those super long lines
that people, you know, want to,you know, torture themselves in.
So, every— when it opened,everyone went and waited away.
They waited and said it wasfine, and they didn't see the
(10:22):
place evolve. They, you know,the signature items are these,
you know, hand-rolled noodles,and they're very good. But
there's so much more on themenu. The service is just
impeccable. They really teachyou about Taiwanese cooking. I
love all the small plates that,just like the best cabbage I've
had, is there.
Amy Cavanaugh (10:42):
The cabbage was fantastic.
John Kessler (10:43):
Wasn't that good?
Yeah, I know. So good. Yeah,it's serious. And then they do a
nice version of lu rou fan,which is that, you know, very
basic Taiwanese lunch of a ricebowl with meat and egg and
pickled vegetables on top. Andit's delicious.
Amy Cavanaugh (10:59):
Let's talk about Cariño.
John Kessler (11:00):
Yeah, and we've eaten there together a couple
times. So Cariño is therestaurant from Norman Fenton,
who had previously been in thesame space with Brass Heart, and
then before that, was a chef atSchwa. Very, very talented guy
got a much deserved Michelinstar. It's a small dining room,
(11:21):
and he serves the tasting menu.
It's flavors of coastal LatinAmerica. His wife and kid are
near Tulum, where he runsanother restaurant, and he lives
there. Beautiful, beautifulfood. Just a very intricate,
very talented guy. But what Ilove, and I what I think you
love too, is the taco omakasethat happens at night. It's at
(11:44):
the seating counter. It's just,I don't know, six or seven
seats, so not as expensive. Itcomes with two drinks. You go in
at 10, you're out at 11, boom,boom, boom. And it's super fun,
delicious tacos, fun smallplates and just something like
you don't see anywhere else inChicago.
Amy Cavanaugh (12:03):
Yeah, I am here for that taco omakase, the
suadero taco is incredible. Idon't live too far from Cariño,
and I wish he would have, like,a taco window so I could just,
like, go pick up a few, becauseI was obsessed with, like, that
one suadero taco.
So we are now down to our topthree spots. Our number three
(12:24):
one is a really interesting one.
I have joined you for a dinnerhere. It has gotten perhaps more
online buzz than any otherrestaurant, and the chef here,
Jake Potashnick, also received aBeard semi finalist nod. And
there's a lot to talk about withFeld.
John Kessler (12:46):
Oh, my God is there a lot to talk about. So
Jake was somebody, he was onTikTok under the handle
@notyetachef. And he built a lotof anticipation through this
very well attended TikTokchannel for the restaurant. And
soon after it opened, like aReddit review came in just
talking about how much theyhated it. And then pretty soon,
(13:07):
some local reviewers also chimedin. Hated it too. And the thing
about Feld is it — he's, he'skind of cocky. It's his first
restaurant. Jake Potashnick hascooked in, really trained in a
bunch of restaurants, goodrestaurants in Europe and other
places. And it's very, he callsit relationship to table, which
sounds, it's kind of twee. Youknow, I get, I mean, it's easy
(13:30):
to hate on that, but what he'ssaying is, you know, his
relationships with farmers, withfishers, with chocolate
suppliers, with all kinds ofpeople — like he gets to know
the people who make the food forhim, who grow it, who, you know,
cure it, do whatever else, andthen he brings that to you in
just this series of about like,30 small bites. And it's the
(13:52):
most un-Instagramable foodyou've ever seen. I mean, like
people go to it, oh my god, youknow. So everything looks just
like a little, you know, bit ofgoo in a little dish. Not
everything, but there is a lotof goo in little dishes, but,
but yummy goo, right?
Amy Cavanaugh (14:07):
I think that what I really liked about Feld is he
has a real perspective. I, youknow, we go to every tasting
menu in town. We eat at everynew restaurant. I feel like
there are a lot of tasting menusthat could be perhaps
interchangeable, you know, whatchef is making them. But I find
that the food at Feld is justthis, is very much his. It's his
(14:29):
perspective. It's his take, andhonestly, it's like, just really
fun. I had a blast in thatdining room. I felt like the
servers were really energeticand really fun. I just remember
getting just this beautifulslice of tomato. And I was just
like, This is how I want to eattomato. This is the simplicity.
It's so beautiful.
Well, our number two is also afavorite of mine. I've been a
(14:50):
few times. It's Mariscos SanPedro, which is from the crew
behind Taqueria Chingon andObélix and Le Bouchon and all
the places that are just reallyfun to eat right now. John, what
did you love there?
John Kessler (15:05):
What really nailed it for me there was going to
brunch. Oh, my God, the brunchis good because the—
Amy Cavanaugh (15:11):
I have not done the brunch yet.
John Kessler (15:14):
Girl, get you there. You know, you really need
to try that brunch, becauseAntonio Incandela's pastries are
amazing. And it's just they dothese great breakfast tacos, a
really nice like fish pozole atbrunch, which you know may not
be everyone's idea of what youwant to wake up to, but it's
definitely mine. It's a placewhere you get a bunch of plates
(15:37):
and you share them. You get abig, whole fried fish. You get a
seafood tower. You get lots oflittle tacos. You get like, an
octopus hot dog, and you justget all — it's just like, super,
super creative. So I'm alwayshappy to go back there.
Amy Cavanaugh (15:54):
Yeah, they they just do, they really kind of
think outside the box in termsof what their offerings are.
That fried fish is reallyremarkable, too.
John Kessler (16:02):
That fried fish, yeah. And it's because it's
just, like, super high-qualityingredients, you know, and
that's really what makes thatplace work, you know, the the
recipes for sure, maybe some ofthe dishes they they could, you
know, remove a thing or two, youknow, Coco Chanel it. But other
than that, I just think it's,yeah, great. Are we ready for
number one? Drum roll?
Amy Cavanaugh (16:20):
like, waiting with bated breath to find out
what you were going to say. Andthen you just said, it's
Maxwell's Trading, which is fromErling Wu-Bower, Chris Jung,
Josh Tilden. And I was like,that's it. That's perfect. That
is completely the right choice.
Tell me about what makes thisnumber one.
John Kessler (16:42):
Okay, well, everybody, she lied. What I said
was Portillo's, but she made medo this. No, so Maxwell's
Trading (16:50):
When I first reviewed it, I liked it. The menu was all
over the place. It felt veryinconsistent, but I did like it.
I love Erling Wu-Bower and ChrisJung and their perspective, they
both have Asian heritage. Theyboth know different kinds of
Asian cooking really well.
Erling's mom, Olivia Wu, is avery well known Chinese food
(17:10):
writer. Chris Jung's heritage isKorean, and they show a really
kind of deep understanding offlavors that they bring into,
kind of like American bistrodishes. So it doesn't feel, I
mean, you know, it's a stupidcomment every food critic makes,
but it doesn't feel fusion-y. Itdoesn't feel like they're, you
(17:34):
know, pouring ponzu and srirachaonto something.
Amy Cavanaugh (17:38):
I think the food is great, but I think that what
I like most about Maxwell's isjust like the overall experience
being in that room, which Ithink is beautiful. I think that
the service is excellent,whether you're sitting at the
bar or whether you're sitting atthe table, and it's just like a
place you want to be.
John Kessler (17:56):
Kristina Magro, the beverage director, has done
such a good job with bothcocktails and the wine list.
It's a really fun place to sitat a table with a group, order
nice, big dinner and drink abottle of wine, and it's a great
place to sit at the bar with anamazingly delicious cocktail and
just have a couple small plates.
Amy Cavanaugh (18:18):
Well, 11 restaurants is not a lot, and a
lot more restaurants opened inChicago in 2024. I'm sure that
everyone has their restaurantsthat they're like, "Why didn't
he include this one?" Mine isBrasero. Brasero is one of my
favorite openings of the year.
Big fan of the food there. Ithink it's gotten better each
time I've gone. Love the drinkprogram and the wine program,
always super fun. Why isn't ithere?
John Kessler (18:41):
Gosh, I tried with Brasero. I went four times,
honestly, and I— it is a funplace. I think the world of John
Manion as a chef and a humanbeing, there is something about
the food I can't connect to.
It's all so rich. There's just,like nuts over everything. I
found the kitchen to to be veryinconsistent, so I'll keep
(19:05):
trying. I know people love it,but you know, gotta be me, gotta
be honest on it. And it justdidn't, didn't work for me.
Amy Cavanaugh (19:15):
Putting together this list, visiting dozens of
restaurants, I'm sure that youknow, you have some kind of
overall takeaways. What hasstood out for what's going on in
Chicago's dining scene rightnow, besides, you know, specific
restaurants, what are sometrends you've seen?
John Kessler (19:29):
God, they're a lot of sweet potatoes. Everyone
loves them some sweet potatoes.
Amy Cavanaugh (19:33):
There are.
John Kessler (19:33):
But they're really good. I mean, you know,
Maxwell's has a good sweetpotato, Fire has a good sweet
potato, Brasero has a good sweetpotato. A lot of that sort of,
you know, center-of-the-platevegetable stuff. Shorter tasting
menus, I've noticed. What else.
Yeah, right? Ones that are like,not $200 and, you know, three
hours, but are like $125 in anhour and a half. So. Oh, yay to
(19:59):
that. I don't know. What elsehave you noticed?
Amy Cavanaugh (20:03):
We definitely see a lot of independent restaurants
on this list, which isfantastic. You know, we've got
Tre Dita, which is LettuceEntertain You. We've got Fire,
which is Alinea Group. But otherthan that, like, these are,
like, indie groups which, youknow, I love to see. And they
all just kind of feel like, youknow, they're pushing things a
little bit. We've had what feelslike a lot of steak houses and
French restaurants open in thepast couple years, which I love
(20:27):
those too. But for the majorityof the places here, it feels
like they're doing somethingoutside the box, Which I really
appreciate.
John Kessler (20:33):
Yeah, which Chicago has kind of needed for a
while, right? We do genre reallywell. We do tasting menus well.
Street food is like, you know,classic, But it's just those
places that, small, independentrestaurants with chefs thinking
out of the box (20:46):
Yes to that.
Amy Cavanaugh (20:51):
We're gonna end with the best things we each ate
lately. John, what's the bestthing you had?
John Kessler (20:56):
Finally checked out Cafe Yaya, the new
restaurant from the team atGalit, it's right next door.
Really, really delicious porkschnitzel. They serve it at
night. It's got like, thiscreamy, tarragon-y, lemon-y
mushroom sauce over the top ofit, and that was a plate-licker.
How about you?
Amy Cavanaugh (21:18):
That's fantastic.
Well, I waited in line at DelSur. I went, I waited 45
minutes. I went on a Friday whenthe weather was gonna be nice,
and honestly, like, I'm not abig wait-in-line person, but I
really didn't think this wasthat bad. So I got one of
everything that was in the casewhen I got there. I think that
was nine pastries. And therewere some real highlights. And I
(21:38):
could have picked a coupledifferent ones, but I'm gonna go
with Basque cake with pandancream and rhubarb jam on top. It
is so good, like I'm alreadythinking about going back,
particularly because I know thathe swaps out that jam
seasonally. And so rhubarb, Ithink, was his second offering,
(21:59):
really fantastic. There's someother gems there too, but I know
lines are not for everyone,yeah, and, you know, I'm sure
that they'll also, you know,once they've been open for a
little bit, they'll probably —the lines won't be as intense,
but he's doing a really good jobat Del Sur so I'm super excited
about that spot.
John Kessler (22:17):
Wow, that sounds great. I, ugh, maybe I'll do it.
Amy Cavanaugh (22:24):
Thanks for joining us for this episode of
Dish From Chicago Magazine. Yourhosts are dining editor Amy
Cavanaugh and critic JohnKessler, editing by Sarah
Steimer and music by BillHarris. You can find us online
at chicagomag.com. We'll see younext time.
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