50 Best New U.S. Restaurants
Chicago: L20
There’s just no stopping Chicago on its march toward the title of America’s Dining Capital. As restaurants elsewhere flounder, the Windy City hits it out of the park in every category. No other city, for instance, has an opening to match the ambition of L2O, a neo-Modernist seafood temple where Laurent Gras proves that he might be the most commanding chef in the country. Think gracious, unstarchy service, a fine-tuned wine list, and a masterful tasting menu that weds Gallic rigor and opulence to Japanese skill with raw fish. Out come delicate morsels of kinmedai (big-eye snapper), lightly smoked over cherrywood and slicked with apricot oil. Then a voluptuous shrimp tartare under a scattering of pansies and edible gold dust. All this in a suave open space that would impress even Mies van der Rohe with its serene, plush geometries and attention to detail. If you’re going to splurge on one grand meal this year, L2O is your place. Dinner for two $180.
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