News & Views 1 minute 26 September 2018

MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2019 Selection

One new restaurant earns a Michelin star in this year's guide.

Today's release marks the ninth edition of the MICHELIN Guide in Chicago. With it comes a new starred restaurant and the removal of some of the city's best establishments that have closed in the past year.

Temporis, "an elegant, 20-seat bijou located in West Town," earned its first Michelin star in the 2019 selection. The restaurant opened in January of 2017 and is led by co-chefs Sam Plotnick and Don Young. According to inspectors, "The restaurant is driven by the passion of the chefs and their small team. The food is creative, personal and crafted with product that reaches the highest level of freshness." And over the summer, inspectors praised the dedicated staff and highlighted a dish of salmon, uni and turnip as a favorite.

Alinea maintained its three-star status once again, having held this accolade since the inaugural Chicago guide. At the end of May, executive chef Mike Bagale left and chef de cuisine Simon Davies took over the top spot in the kitchen. "Based on our meals at Alinea and given Davies's history with this kitchen, we are happy to award Alinea three stars again and will continue to monitor its progress," say inspectors. All of the other restaurants from last year's guide maintained their stars as well.

Unfortunately, this past year marked the final chapter for a number of Chicago's most highly acclaimed and beloved eating establishments. Three-Michelin-starred Grace closed in December 2017 after failed attempts by executive chef Curtis Duffy and general manager Michael Muser to purchase the restaurant from its owner. Citing a lack of patronage, two-starred Sixteen closed in April 2018 to rebrand itself, becoming Terrace 16 in June. Danny Meyer's GreenRiver and Carrie Nahabedian's NAHA also closed at the beginning of the year; Nahabedian plans to return to the Windy City dining scene with a new concept later this year. "We look forward to her return," say inspectors.

Congratulations to all restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2019. View the full list of starred restaurants below.

Image courtesy of Spiaggia. (Photo by Matt Hass.)
Image courtesy of Spiaggia. (Photo by Matt Hass.)

Three Stars
Alinea
Two Stars
Acadia
Oriole
Smyth
One Star
Band of Bohemia
Blackbird
Boka
Dusek's Board & Beer
EL Ideas
Elizabeth
Elske
Entente
Everest
Goosefoot
North Pond
Parachute
Roister
Schwa
Sepia
Spiaggia
Temporis (NEW)
Topolobampo
Hero image courtesy of Smyth. (Photo by Galdones Photography.)

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