Robb Report just dropped its ranking of the 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century, and Chicago not only makes a strong showing with nine spots on the list, but perennial favorite Alinea secured the number one spot.<\/p>\n
The list was voted on by a jury of 250 chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, ingredient obsessives and diners who know their way around a tasting menu. Voters weighed experience, influence, staying power and a sense of greatness that makes a restaurant more than a place to eat.<\/p>\n
Alinea, the Chicago institution that has been redefining what dinner can be since 2005, is more than deserving of the top spot. Where else can you dine on a floating apple taffy balloon or a translucent cube that somehow tastes exactly like a Chicago dog?<\/p>\n
Alinea opened in Lincoln Park with a mission to push boundaries and was immediately hailed as a revelation. Young cooks flocked to work there, and the kitchen became a training ground for a new generation of chefs who\u00a0see food as both craft and theater. In 2006, American chef and food writer Ruth Reichl dubbed it the best restaurant in America.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two decades in, Alinea is still staging world class culinary theater, whether at home in Chicago or during residencies in cities like Miami, Beverly Hills and Tokyo.<\/p>\n
As restaurateur Ellia Park recounts in the official report<\/a>, “I will never forget the cultural shock I experienced during my first visit to Alinea. Calling it simply a restaurant feels inadequate\u2014it was more like a magical space that brought the chef\u2019s imagination to life. Through this experience, I realized that fine dining can engage not only taste, but also sight, touch, and smell. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that completely changed my perception.”<\/p>\n Other\u00a0Chicago restaurants to make the ranking are Smyth, Kasama, Charlie Trotter\u2019s, Virtue, Monteverde, Oriole, Girl and the Goat and Boka. Find the full list here<\/a>.<\/p>\n