Lists

The Times Eats in Chicago

Gilt Bar
Gilt Bar Photo: courtesy of Facebook

The New York Times puts together a series of city guides, spending a theoretical 36 hours in each place and recommending restaurants and attractions to keep travelers busy. While we’re not looking to Time for any sort of approval, it is interesting to see what the paper thinks about the restaurant scene in Chicago at the moment. The last time they did a tour through our city it was in 2006 and the four restaurants they picked didn’t seem to have anything in common. Two of those places (Saltaus and Block 44) have since closed, while Hopleaf and Orange are still pulling in crowds. This year the tour is all over the place, covering ground from Hyde Park to Logan Square. But we feel like most of the restaurant picks are actually spot on.

The guide starts with Gilt Bar, which they call “a casual restaurant in the River North neighborhood that isn’t casual about its cooking.” In the morning they suggest Xoco for breakfast, since the lines get much longer in the afternoon.

For dinner they visit the Girl & the Goat, because…well…everyone it is a “much-blogged-about new restaurant.” No joke. The next morning they brunch all the way out in Logan Square at Longman and Eagle. It is described as a “rough-edged bar that serves a refined brunch,” which pretty much nails it.

It’s honestly a pretty good group. All are relatively new and have gotten good reviews. But we wondered what everyone else thought about the list. Would you recommend these places to your friends?

36 Hours in Chicago [New York Times]

The Times Eats in Chicago