I guess if GQ says it than it's so. The focus of the press release was Moto, Alinea and Avenues. Three chefs from Trotter's and three restaurants I have yet to try.
The irony is that I've been saying Chicago is the best restaurant city all along for another reason. I can't think of another city that has such diversity and authenticity of ethnic restaurants. Almost more importantly, I can't think of any other city where there is nothing better to do than eat. New York has art and theatre, L.A. has the movies, Boston has colleges, New Orleans has the French Quarter and while that definitely includes restaurants it's very specific restaurants. Closer to home, Milwuakee has bars, Indianapolis has the raceway but what does Chicago have? I'd say restaurants. You could start to name them. Start with A - Alinea and Avenues sure, but there are 26 letters in the alphabet.
Alinea, Avenues and Moto are all on the short list but they're also on the short list of international eaters. Grant Achatz from Alinea says,
"I'd say 50 percent of our customers are from out of state, and we get a lot from London, Spain, and Japan. We have become a destination city for food."
The big competition is NYC. GQ's Alan Richman writes
Wylie Dufresne, chef-owner of wd-50, a New York restaurant that features creative cooking similar to what's percolating in Chicago says, "Why does it seem an easier road for the Chicago boys? I don't have an answer. Maybe my food sucks and theirs doesn't." The more likely answer, Richman writes, is that New York landlords are making spontaneity unaffordable, New Yorkers seem unresponsive to innovation, and too many successful new restaurants project an image that is the very opposite of inventive. Bowles points out, "If we have it in Chicago, we support it. We want people to succeed. New York wants to crush you. Nobody has it easy in New York. There it's about kicking the oven door closed and slamming the lid down on the pot. It's all testosterone."
I could agree with that. It definitely fuels the "New York City as Myth" idea. I would consider an alternate possibility. Chicago has a large group of diverse eaters who are more interested in tasty food than good looking food, glamourous food. Being seen is cool but not the reason most of us go out. In New York I'd guess that people are out on a weekend fantasizing about being a star. Out on the town in New York City. The City IS myth. You go out at night and that night the city owns you. What show did you see? Who was in it? I saw them in the village las year... blah blah blah. Wow this food is pretty.
In Chicago when people go out they fantasize about the food. Out on the town in Chicago, you're seeing a play? Great! Where'd you go for dinner? Congrat's on your birthday/anniversary! Where'd you go for dinner? New York city may be myth but Chicago is food.
The article was interesting, but still sort of condescending towards our city. I mean, we know what a great city it is, but the tone was like, oh wow, can you imagine that, good food in Chicago....
Posted by: Chargenda | May 30, 2006 at 01:44 PM
New Yorkers love good food, and if the food, like anything else they want, is not exceptional, the seller won't last. The idea that Chicago has anything on NY when it comes to diversity and authenticity is laughable, and while the food is OK here (yes, just OK) chefs from all over the world come to NY to make it. The city might be mythical to those who don't live in it, but it is very real and raw, and the energy is created not by where it places on a map but the people who live there.
I am so sick of reading self-congratulatory articles by Chicago authors who just want to hate on NYC. Chicago residents are so unwelcoming to NY'ers and have such chips on their shoulders about being "the second city" that articles like this are dripping with envy.
Be Chicago...that's it. Stop trying to convince people you're better than another city already.
Posted by: Dana | January 22, 2010 at 03:01 PM
Dana- I wasn't hating on NY I was comparing Chicago to the rest of the country!
It bears to mention that this post was originally written in May of '06 and it just so happens that for the past 6 months I've been sharing time between an apartment in Edgewater and one in Chelsea. I've been eating out in NYC as often as I have been here. My opinion hasn't changed. That said, I do appreciate the volume more. If you want to eat a certain kind of food every night you could do so at a different restaurant every night.
That said, I stand by my opinion...
(more is not always better)
Posted by: josh | January 23, 2010 at 02:08 PM