The INSIDER Summary:
- Chicago was just named the "best restaurant city" in America by Bon Appétit magazine.
- INSIDER delved into 10 reasons why Chicago deserves the honor.
- Chicago is an epicenter of molecular gastronomy.
- It is also home to amazing casual and cheap fare, and, of course, deep-dish pizza.
When it comes to food destinations in America, New York and Los Angeles seem to constantly vie for our attention. After all, if you want to make it big as an American chef, you open a restaurant in either major city.
However, we're completely unsurprised thatBon Appétit magazine unveiled Chicago as the "Restaurant City of the Year."
From newly opened destination restaurants like Giant to classic budget fare like deep-dish pizza and the Chicago dog (with relish, peppers, and tomatoes), it's no wonder that Chicago has consistently been at the top of every food lover's watch list.
Keep scrolling for our top 10 reasons why Chicago deserves this accolade.
Chicago is fiercely loyal to its remixes on classic American foods
Chicago deep-dish. Chicago dogs. Italian beef. The Windy City is well-known for its unique spins on American classics like pizza, hot dogs, and steak sandwiches (seriously, just try and tell them that deep-dish isn't real pizza or that tomatoes don't belong on a hot dog). We're just as impressed with their fierce passion for Chicago comfort food classics as we are with the foods themselves.
The Oscars of the food world moved to Chicago
Up until 2015, the James Beard awards, which present prestigious accolades to movers and shakers in the culinary community, were always held in New York. But then they made the move to Chicago's Lyric Opera House (where they will stay until 2021), making Chicago the official home base for the biggest food awards in the country. At the time, the James Beard Foundation said the city not only made them a "lucrative offer," but that the mayor was enthusiastic about introducing more "culinary tourism" to his city.
The modern epicenter of molecular gastronomy is in Chicago
Grant Achatz is widely renowned as one of the most popular chefs/practitioners of molecular gastronomy — the fusion of cooking and science — and Chicago is his home turf. You can experience (for a high price, of course) wild dishes like the "table dessert," which is prepared literally in front of you at Alinea, named the Best Restaurant in America by Business Insider. As for other fine dining institutions, Bon Appétit names John Shields and Karen Urie Shields’ Smyth a "legendary" meal.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider