Travel 6 minutes 11 December 2024

Grant Achatz's Favorite Chicago Restaurants and His Next Dream

The culinary pioneer reflects on the city that welcomed Three MICHELIN Star Alinea.

Chef Interview Editor's Pick Three Michelin Stars Chicago My City

With a name that has become synonymous with innovative gastronomy, Grant Achatz is rightfully celebrated for his significant contributions to the culinary world.

The mastermind behind the captivating Three MICHELIN Star Alinea, he fearlessly pushes boundaries with finesse. A meal at his restaurant is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, giving guests a taste of unmistakably delicious flavors and immersive presentations.

His other establishments – Fire, St. Clair Supper Club, The Aviary, The Office, and One MICHELIN Star Next, which features an evolving menu that has paid homage to Charlie Trotter’s and The French Laundry – have also reshaped the landscape of Chicago dining. So much so that the hit TV show The Bear made sure to feature him.

Achatz’s global impact can readily be felt through the chefs that have cooked in his kitchens. In California, this includes San Francisco’s Christopher Bleidorn (Two Star Birdsong), and Los Angeles’ Dave Beran (Pasjoli) and Jordan Kahn (Two Star and Green Star Vespertine, One Star Meteora, and Destroyer). All the way in Mexico, there’s Jose Luis Hinostroza (Arca). In Chicago, the impact of his mentorship is most striking, including John Shields (Three Star Smyth), Curtis Duffy (Two Star Ever), David Posey (One Star Elske), and Jenner Tomaska (One Star Esmé).

With such a strong culinary legacy, where does the chef himself eat? From enjoying Filipino American innovations to snacking on a casual char dog, get to know Achatz outside of the kitchen and discover his Chicago.

What are your favorite restaurants in Chicago?

I love Smyth, and obviously I love John [Shields]. At that higher echelon of dining in Chicago, it is an outlier where nobody's doing that style of food. Alinea, Ever, and a fair bit of Oriole have a lot of commonalities in their foundation. Whereas Smyth feels a bit of noma influence in technique, presentation and the ethos. The fermentations, use of a lot of seaweed, and homing in on those umami flavors.

This is probably going to surprise a lot of people, but also Gibsons. Funny story: I had been in the city for 25 years, and I certainly never used to go out for lunch. A year ago, sometimes we would be bored on my days off, so we started going to Gibsons. Everybody talks about this place as a Chicago staple power lunch. It was such a perfect lunch, all of the things that make a restaurant great. The food, the atmosphere – I just really enjoyed it.

And I enjoy places like Joe’s or Shaw’s. It’s really counterintuitive for a chef like me to like those places, but I really enjoy them, the service. There’s something about that old-school approach that is just really appealing.

Galdones Photography / Smyth

Any hidden gems?

Boka, because that restaurant in its entire history, with Giuseppe and even before that, doesn't get enough credit. Even though they have a Star, they're in high contention or deserve Two, and they don't have enough press or accolades for the products they put out.

John's Food and Wine. That's a sleeper, relatively new. Under the radar, small, not pretentious, very humble, great cooking.

Feld, whose Chef Jake [Potashnick] was very polarizing when he started and had a pretty rocky reception at the onset. But I believe in his philosophy. I believe in his ethos. Despite the hits that he got early on, I really respect that he stayed true to what he believed in.

He'll find the balance between craftsmanship, his ego and maturing enough to the point where he balances the fact that he's a chef and an entrepreneur. It's one thing to be one or the other. It's really hard to be both. Give him some time. That will be a very hidden gem until it's not. At some point he'll break out, and it will become really popular here in the city.

Eric Kleinberg / Boka

Who has the most creative menu?

The obvious answer for most people would be Alinea, Smyth, Ever, Oriole.

You have to look at Kasama. You have to look at Indienne. Kasama being a bakery by day, a fine dining restaurant at night, that in itself is creative and really hard, and then to do it within the framework of Filipino cuisine makes it that much more impressive.

Where do you go for a classic Chicago meal?

Unfortunately, a lot of those places were victims of the pandemic. You still have Gene and Georgetti and Wieners Circle. If we do not pin a price point, Wieners Circle is about as Chicago as you can get, despite the fact that it's a char dog.

Kristen Mendiola / Kasama

How about for a big celebration?

Ever. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful. The service is very conducive to making a milestone feel significant, because it is such a brand new, elevated space. Just being in there makes you feel like a million bucks. And then obviously the food and the beverage.

What about simple comfort food. Where are your go-to spots?

Brown Bag Seafood. Their fish and chips. Their French fries are absolutely amazing, and they even hold up to delivery, which is not an easy task.

Where would you suggest for a date night?

Depends on what state your relationship is in. If it's relatively new, something a little bit more casual, a la carte, and relaxed. The Loyalist, John's Food & Wine, Asador Bastian – all good for different reasons.

Sandy Noto / John's Food and Wine

How about sweets. What is your top bakery or dessert spot?

Mindy's Bakery. I've known Mindy since I moved to Chicago in 2001. I have a massive sweet tooth, so that's one of my favorite vices.

Do you have a favorite museum?

I'm really into medieval and Egyptian era history. The Art Institute has a really comprehensive exhibit on medieval artifacts and information that I really love.

Where do you like to shop?

Primitive. It's massive with really rare antiquities from all over the world. This woman and her husband in the 80s would travel over to Europe and go to all kinds of sales. It's like walking into a time capsule.

Aliza J. Sokolow / Mindy's Bakery

What makes Chicago special?

Chicago's history of both grit and art. I love the architecture, music, and food. This was the only city that I could have landed in back in 2001 that would have accepted this more avant-garde, modernist, progressive style of cooking. If I went from The French Laundry to New York City or San Francisco, it's really hard to tell where I'd be at in my life and my career right now.

Chicago embraced that wildness, that weirdness that we brought here. Really a testament to this town for taking risks and appreciating hard work. We're so fortunate that Chicago supported us.

How has Chicago changed over time?

When I arrived here in 2001, it was not a useful culinary scene. It was pretty old. The restaurants perfected what they were doing, and then they stayed there.

In the past, if you wanted Filipino, Indian, or Chinese food, all of those were super inexpensive and casual (with hidden gems). Over the years, a lot of young culinarians have elevated those cuisines in a different way.

Also, the Two Star and Three Star places are innovating, bringing a lot of tourism to the city. It's really become a destination city, more than ever.

PhotoSpirit / Adobe Stock

To newer chefs, what kind of advice would you give to them?

Two very important things.

One, patience, which in today's world is becoming increasingly rare because of social media’s instant gratification, AI, Instacart, and DoorDash. People tend to not want to wait. For any discipline, if you want to become good, you have to study, practice, and have patience.

Two, a lot of young chefs don't reference or study the past. Charlie Trotter’s cookbook, the first French Laundry book, a Michel Bras book. Very few have any. That blows me away because that generation gets all their information from the Internet and TikTok. Everything is in the moment or future. There's very little looking back to the chef’s shoulders that we're standing on.

For any medium, all stuff was built on a foundation of what came before.

What’s your favorite kitchen tool?

Most chefs say a knife. I say Google. AI is a beautiful thing. Now, I might have to say ChatGPT, but you have to be careful.

Grant Achatz / Chef Grant Achatz cooking with Gavin Rossdale

Who would you invite to eat a Michelin Star meal?

The dream would be if everyone on the Alinea team was able to sit down as guests together. We have almost 80 people on the team, and we have about that many seats in the restaurant. In fantasy land, watching everybody who worked so hard every day with that joy on their face, talking to their colleagues and their friends.

Separately, Thomas Keller, Ferran Adrià, Daniel Boulud, and Gavin Rossdale, who is not a chef.

Nowadays, what’s your dream?

You start to prioritize things like legacy, longevity and personal and professional growth for the team. In my conversations with Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller, it’s very similar.

Alinea turns 20 next year, I turned 50 this year, Next almost 40 menus in, the first molecular cocktail bar at The Aviary. How many more new concepts do we have up our sleeve that are really original and compelling?

In the next 20 years of my career, I want to be as close as I can to where Thomas Keller is in the industry and where he led us through the last 25 years.