by Daniel Hautzinger / WTTW Chicago / March 5, 2024 Chicagoans are diehard about hometown food specialties, and soon they’ll have another one to defend and celebrate – from Cincinnati. Christian Hunter, who steered Lincoln Square’s Atelier to a Michelin star in its first year, is now planning to open La Verne’s, a bar and Cincinnati chili parlor that will be the second establishment in the newly formed Atelier Restaurant Group. A location is forthcoming, but Hunter and Atelier founder Tim Lacey want to
by Daniel Hautzinger / WTTW Playlist / January 24, 2024 The 2024 semifinalists for the James Beard Awards, one of the food industry's biggest national recognitions, have been announced. Seventeen Chicago restaurants, chefs, and bakers are among them, the most in several years. Nominees will be selected from amongst the semifinalists and announced on Wednesday, April 3. Winners will be announced in Chicago at the Lyric Opera, where the awards ceremony has taken place for years, on Monday, June 10. Last
by Michael Gebert / Sky Full of Bacon podcast and blog / December 28, 2023 I was in Toronto early this year, and I’m heading to Mexico City at the end of the year. So I may yet have better things in 2023… but I’m declaring the year closed once this publishes. 2. Sambusa with gomen wat and berber spice, AtelierNot sure I’d actually call this the single best thing I had at Atelier, but in my memory it was a good example of what this place does: collard green and African spices in a samosa-like wrapping is
by Micah Yason and Jennifer Tanaka / WBEZ Chicago / December 27, 2023 Reset’s Sasha-Ann Simons convened a panel of the city’s finest food folks to share their recommendations and insights about the top bites of 2023. What do you get when you bring together three Chicago dining experts? A bubbling spigot of top-shelf recommendations for where to eat next. Reset’s Sasha-Ann Simons invited Louisa Chu, the Chicago Tribune’s food critic; Rochelle Trotter, founder and CEO of R’Culinare; and Mike Sula, the
by The Infatuation staff / The Infatuation / November 15, 2023Twitter changed its name, but the most important rebranding of 2023 was happening all over Chicago’s restaurant scene. Existing spots moved into bigger and better spaces. Pop-ups found forever homes. Food stall favorites said goodbye to their food court roommates and embarked on solo journeys.Complete newcomers also had a good year—like a Venezuelan restaurant very invested in how leftovers are reheated, or a late-night spot with a penchant for
by Daniel Hautzinger / WTTW Chicago / November 13, 2023 While the James Beard Awards and Michelin Guide get all the attention in the food world, there are some homegrown awards that sometimes recognize talent in Chicago that's overlooked by the big national or international awards. The Jean Banchet Awards, named after the chef of the legendary Le Francais in the suburb of Wheeling, which helped cement Chicago's status as an exceptional dining city, have announced their finalists. The winners will be
by Alma Avalle / Bon Appétit / November 7, 2023The Michelin Guide announced on Tuesday, November 7, which restaurants in Chicago received coveted Michelin stars this year. The awards were doled out at a shared ceremony in New York City for restaurants from Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. The New American restaurant Smyth received its third Michelin star, six years after receiving its second in 2017. It joins Alinea as the only other restaurant in the city to receive Michelin’s highest star
by John Ringor / The Infatutuation / November 2, 2023Atelier in Lincoln Square definitely checks the fine dining boxes. This New American restaurant serves a $165 ($190 on weekends) 10-course tasting menu full of pretty dishes that graduated from Tweezer University. But while some fine dining spots feel uptight and pretentious, Atelier radiates the genuine warmth of a no-B.S. smile throughout the entirety of its delicious two-hour dinner. This spot should be uncomfortable. In the wrong hands, the tiny,
by NBC Chicago staff / October 13, 2023 There's no shortage of great restaurants in Chicago -- but only some of them have landed on the Chicago Michelin guide.For 2023, eight new restaurants have been added by the publication, which recommends restaurants of a variety of cuisines that represent the freshest flavors of the city. The full guide, now recommending 166 restaurants in Chicago, can be found here. Here's a look at the eight restaurants that are new to the 2023 Chicago guide: Read more HERE
by Jamaica Ponder / CBS-2 Chicago / October 4, 2023 CHICAGO (CBS) -- Fine dining has made its way back to Lincoln Square. What was once a Michelin-starred restaurant, has been given a new breath of life and a new chef to go along with it. CBS 2's Jamaica Ponder sits down with the James Beard nominated Christian Hunter in his new restaurant, Atelier. The outside of Atelier is unsuspecting - and so is the executive chef, Christian Hunter. "Some people expect just southern food or maybe just midwestern
by Amy Cavanaugh / Chicago Magazine / September 19, 2023 When the 2023 James Beard Award finalists were announced in March, among the Chicago chefs and restaurateurs garnering nominations was a newcomer to the city: Christian Hunter, a finalist for best chef in the Northeast region for his work at Community Table in the rural village of New Preston, Connecticut. He had arrived in Chicago a month earlier to open Atelier, a tasting-menu restaurant in Lincoln Square. “I was looking for more of a