"Zaiqa is one of the many bare-bones but reliably good steam table joints that cater to Chicago's large population of South Asian Muslims. The mutton biryani and chile-spiked dal are rich and satisfying."
Giuseppe Tentori
Boka, Chicago, IL
Menu | Wines | Reservations | Website
As a boy, Giuseppe Tentori helped out on his grandmother’s farm in a small town outside of Milan. At the age of 19, while at Antica Osteria la Rampina in Milan, he was invited by chef Gabriel Viti (a Best New Chef 1991) to work at Carlos’ in Highland Park, Illinois. He went on to become sous chef at the Metropolitan in Salt Lake City and chef de cuisine at Chicago’s Charlie Trotter’s before becoming executive chef at Boka in March 2007. Tentori, 35, has created an innovative menu revolving around seasonal ingredients. Tentori’s eclectic, multi-layered dishes include smoked trout and squid stuffed with baby spinach, spicy pineapple and black tapioca.
You can't blame a town derided as the Second City for trying to impress. But the culinary experimentalism in Chicago lately has been exhausting. David's refined cooking is the antidote. Dishes like his almond-crusted duck breast with tangy-sweet ratatouille and tarragon beurre blanc are a triumph of French technique over eccentricity. He does it all from a sweeping seventh-floor dining room with a great view of a fine city.
Park Hyatt Chicago, 800 North Michigan Avenue; 312-239-4030;
Tagzania
