What can I say about 2020 that hasn't already been said? This year was tough on so many levels, especially for the restaurant industry. We lost many of our favorite independent restaurants and the road to recovery is going to be a long one. However, the sheer resilience and flexibility of many restaurants has been nothing short of amazing. This year our favorite neighborhood spots (any many new virtual ones) kept us well fed via outdoor dining, takeout and delivery.
This year's list of the best things I ate certainly looks different though. For one, due to travel restrictions, there were no top bites from cities other than Chicago, and you'll notice a pattern of comfort food since that seems to be what got us all through these last 10 months. Think burgers, pizza, fried chicken, and pastries...lots of pastries.
Mole Chicken Enchiladas at Mas Alla Del Sol: While I didn't eat this for the first time in 2020, it's a dish I love from my favorite Edgewater neighborhood restaurant, Mas Alla Del Sol. I frequented their sidewalk patio and ordered takeout several times throughout the pandemic. The chicken enchiladas made with a beloved family mole recipe is the perfect comfort food. I've never had another mole that compares to this one. I love their mole so much, I raved about it on this episode of Chicago Food To Go!
 |
| Photo Credit: Mas Alla Del Sol |
 |
| Lost Larson Pastries |
 |
| Entrance to Sushi Suite |
 |
| One of the fantastic omakase courses at Sushi Suite |
Mother Clucker at Cluck-It: 2020 was the year ghost restaurants exploded and one of the newest to launch was a fried chicken restaurant, Mother Clucker. Helmed by a husband and wife team with Michelin-starred backgrounds, the simple menu focuses on fried chicken and comfort food sides. The accurately named Mother Clucker sandwich was the best fried chicken sandwich I've had this year. It features a whopping half pound boneless chicken thigh, coleslaw, American cheese, pickles, and Cluck-It sauce on a brioche bun and is available in four spice levels. The mild packed plenty of heat and this was such a gigantic sandwich it's easy to split with someone else. The part I loved the most was the breading of the chicken thigh. It's super light and crispy and reminded me of katsu. They even have the perfect packaging to keep the chicken hot and crispy during transit (no easy feat).
 |
| Mother Clucker at Cluck-It |
Agnolotti at The Bristol: The Bristol is no stranger to my best things I ate list and 2020 was no different. Before the weather turned cold, I dined on the sidewalk patio where I enjoyed chef Larry Feldmeier's delicate agnolotti with fennel pollen and Vermouth beurre blanc. The Bristol welcomed a new chef this year and his menus are fantastic. They successfully balance The Bristol's classic dishes with his creative seasonal fare.
 |
| Agnolotti with Fennel Pollen and Vermouth Beurre Blanc |
Detroit Style Pizza at Five Squared: If there's a pandemic food MVP, it's certainly pizza. There were so many new pizza restaurant launches in 2020 with spots slinging everything from grandma or Sicilian style to Detroit or tavern style. One standout for me was the Detroit style pizza from Five Squared. This food truck pivoted toward weekly "Five Squared Fridays" where you could preorder a variety of mix-and-match squares for pickup or delivery each week. We loved the pepperoni, sausage, and mac and cheese slices, but there are so many others to try. Check out their weekly menus and pre-order early in the week before they sell out!
 |
| Detroit Pizza from Five Squared |
Burger at Tzuco: Chef Carlos Gaytan's Tzuco in River North is a wonderful restaurant (with an equally wonderful all-season patio). It also pivoted toward takeout during the pandemic. One of the highlights from my order was the indulgent burger with sirloin, housemade huitlacoche bun, oven-roasted tomatoes, Gruyère, pickled yellow beet, sliced black truffles, and black truffle aioli. It was an insane umami and flavor bomb and certainly an over-the-top treat!
 |
| Burger at Tzuco |
Grand Maine Lobster Roll at Travelle at The Langham: If you know me, you know my favorite place to celebrate is at The Langham hotel. For my birthday this year, my husband and I ordered food to go from The Langham's restaurant, Travelle, to enjoy a picnic along the Chicago River. We had the best weather and city view to enjoy our feast including this Maine lobster roll with brown buttered hollaindaise, celery and pickled peppers. I just loved the buttery toasted bread and the huge chunks of brown butter lobster, plus the acidic bite from those pickled peppers!
 |
| Grand Maine Lobster Roll from Travelle |
Salted Caramel Brownie Tart at The Lunchroom: The sleeper hit award on this list goes to this insane dessert from The Lunchroom located inside Space 519 in the Gold Coast. The Lunchroom is offering a variety of meal kits and a la carte items like this salted caramel brownie tart with roasted pecans. It took us awhile to finish it but you better believe we did. We popped each slice in the microwave for the ultimate gooey sweet and salty dessert.
 |
| Salted Caramel Brownie Tart from The Lunchroom |
Brussels Sprouts Salad at The Allis: I have to have one relatively healthy dish on this list, right? The Allis at Soho House Chicago has an excellent all-day menu including this Brussels sprouts salad with sherry vinaigrette, pickled apple and crispy rice. I know you're probably thinking a Brussels sprouts dish isn't super sexy, but it packed a ton of umami and texture.
 |
| Brussels Sprouts Salad at The Allis |
Dark Chocolate Croissant at Pan Artesenal: My friends Courtney and Israel introduced me to the incredible pastries from Pan Artesenal in Logan Square this year. I highly recommend getting a bunch of different items to split especially as their offerings change each week. While there were so many excellent items, one standout was the dark chocolate croissant filled with luscious dark chocolate and topped with shaved chocolate curls. It's the ultimate decadence.
 |
| Pastries from Pan Artesenal |
Burger at Yugen: Another standout burger this year was the A5 wagyu burger from fine dining spot, Yugen. Yugen transformed into a casual tiki-inspired sidewalk patio this summer offering a variety of tropical drinks, robata grilled skewers and this burger with house giardiniera, wasabi cheddar, arugula, pickles, onion mayo and Kennebec tempura fries. The balance of flavors from the wasabi cheddar and onion mayo was phenomenal! I hope they offer this on the menu in the future.
 |
| Burger at Yugen |
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Beard & Belly: The most outrageous sandwich I ate this year was the Buffalo chicken sandwich at Beard & Belly, another neighborhood favorite. This sandwich was so massive I ate it for three meals. What made it so delicious was the Buffalo sauce, two giant crispy chicken breasts and ranch dressing. It was also layered with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Swiss cheese (I got mine with butterkase though). If you love Buffalo chicken, you have to try this sandwich!
 |
| Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Beard & Belly |
Baby Ruth Candy Blast Cheesecake at Ruth's Panmade Pizza: The folks behind Root's Pizza launched a virtual deep dish restaurant, Ruth's Panmade Pizza, this year as an homage to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What I didn't expect was to fall in love with their only dessert item: a vanilla bean cheesecake swirled with caramel and Baby Ruth pieces, topped with chocolate ganache and Baby Ruth pieces on top of an Oreo and Baby Ruth crust. This cheesecake was so good I had to tell my husband to take it away from me before I ate the entire slice. Just writing this now has me salivating...
 |
| Baby Ruth Candy Blast Cheesecake at Ruth's Panmade Pizza (Photo Credit: Ruth's Panmade Pizza) |
Potato Gratin at The Kitchen: River North's The Kitchen is one of many restaurants that pivoted toward at-home meal kits this year. I tried one of The Kitchen's Finish at Home meal kits where 90% of the cooking is done by the restaurant and 10% is finished by you at home. Our meal featured a whole roasted chicken and little gem wedge salad (both delicious and perfectly composed) but the standout dish was the potato gratin. It was gooey, creamy and rich with a blanket of cheddar on top. Note to self: recreate this dish at home.
 |
| Twice Baked Potato Gratin at The Kitchen |
Here's hoping 2021 looks nothing like 2020. What were some of the best things you ate or drank this year?
Post a Comment