# Chicago leads US with the most 5-diamond restaurants



## secondcity1 (Dec 28, 2006)

This is a city that has a great passion for food from pizza, hot dogs to the ultimate dining experience. :cheers:

*Chicago Remains Top Destination for AAA Five Diamond Dining *


AAA Chicago Announces 2008 Five Diamond Establishments

AURORA, Ill., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- *Chicago has more AAA Five
Diamond-rated restaurants than any other city in the country. With seven
Five Diamond restaurants, Chicago tops the list in the ultimate dining
experience.* .

"All Five Diamond establishments offer exemplary surroundings and service," said Brad Roeber, regional president, AAA Chicago. "Chicago's 10
Five Diamond establishments reflect the characteristics of ultimate luxury
and sophistication."

For 2008, AAA has awarded 100 hotels and 60 restaurants with the
coveted Five Diamond designation, *the travel authority's highest rating for
hotels and restaurants.*
Chicago's 2008 Five Diamond rated restaurants: Alinea (2 years), Arun's
(6 years), Avenues (in The Peninsula) (2 year), Charlie Trotters (14
years), Everest (12 years), Seasons Restaurant (in the Four Seasons Hotel)
(8 years), Tru (8 years).

Chicago's 2008 Five Diamond rated hotels: The Four Seasons (18 years),
The Peninsula (6 years), and The Ritz-Carlton (A Four Seasons Hotel) (3
years).

These establishments will be honored at a luncheon in the spring to
celebrate their 2008 Five Diamond rating. The prestigious AAA Five Diamond rating helps establish Chicago as a premier tourist destination, as just 0.27 percent of establishments evaluated this year by AAA attained the Five Diamond designation. To become AAA Diamond rated, hotels and restaurants undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA's 65 full-time, highly trained professional evaluators. Five Diamond establishments complete a more extensive review that includes a series of inspections and final committee review.

AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel
publications in the early 1900s. In 1937, the first field inspectors were
hired to inspect hotels, motels and restaurants. In 1963, AAA began to rate
all accommodations as good, very good, excellent or outstanding. The
Diamond rating process, introduced in 1977 for hotels and 1989 for
restaurants, continues to be recognized as one of the most trusted rating
processes for North American travelers.

AAA Chicago has represented roadway interests for motorists and
pedestrians, and serves as a leading advocate for various traffic safety
and travel-related issues for more than a century.

For more information on any aspect of AAA Chicago's breadth of service
including AAA's home, auto and life insurance products; travel-related
services, AAA's Show Your Card & Save program; and/or any AAA membership
service including emergency roadside assistance, please visit our Web site
at http://www.AAA.com or call us toll-free at 1-866-YOUR-AAA (968-7222).




http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104
&STORY=/www/story/11-09-2007/0004701960&EDATE=


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

The AA (Automobile Association) in the UK uses AA Rosettes and Stars to grade restaurants rather than Diamonds, while the
RAC (Royal Automobile Club) Stars and Gold Ribbon.


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## cbotnyse (Jun 13, 2007)

I went to Tru once just for dessert and a glass of champagne and the bill was 100 bucks! (there was 3 of us). Best dessert I ever had though. 

I havent been to the others, but they are on my list.


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## secondcity1 (Dec 28, 2006)

I believe the Fat Duck got the highest rating in UK, correct? The head chef of The Fat Duck and some other world renowned chefs were in Chicago a couple months ago to celebrate Charlie Trotter's 20th Anniversary.



Jaeger said:


> The AA (Automobile Association) in the UK uses AA Rosettes and Stars to grade restaurants rather than Diamonds, while the
> RAC (Royal Automobile Club) Stars and Gold Ribbon.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

More commonly used in the UK is the Michelin system of 1, 2 or 3 stars, I read somehwere that these were considered roughly equivalent to 3, 4 or 5 diamonds in the AAA system.

There are only 3 3-star restaurants in the UK at present (compared to 26 in France and 4 in the USA):

The Fat Duck - Bray, Berkshire
The Waterside Inn - Bray, Berkshire
Restaurant Gordon Ramsey - Chelsea, London


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## gladisimo (Dec 11, 2006)

^^ Michelin stars are the ultimate restaurant guide books, especially since there are so few 3-star michelin restaurants.


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## ale26 (Sep 9, 2005)

Most Restaurants in America are tacky and all they care about is quantity and not quality...they seriously need a lesson.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

So...you've been to every restaurant in the US?


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

These sorts of restaurant rating systems are really arbitrary in that the scores are based on an ideal of what a restaurant should be but in fact what a restaurant should be is culturally specific and in many cases varies from city to city. A case in point would be Michelin's recent attempt at ranking NY and SF restaurants, the results of which bemused a lot of people in the restaurant business in those cities.

Despite the AAA rankings the best restaurant cities in the US are sill New York and San Francisco, Chicago is third. That said the US is in the midst of a gastronomic revolution (which began in the 70s), you can now find very good food all over the country. At some point in the future this will be seen as the begining of the golden age of American cooking, akin to the era after the revolution in France or the time of la nouvelle cuisine.


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## cbotnyse (Jun 13, 2007)

Somnifor said:


> Despite the AAA rankings the best restaurant cities in the US are sill New York and San Francisco, Chicago is third.


according to who?


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

cbotnyse said:


> according to who?


Most people who do high end restaurants for a living.

All else being equal the quality of a city's restaurant scene is driven by two things: what the marketplace demands and local access to high quality ingredients.

San Francisco has access to a wide array of incredibly fresh produce year round plus a very large market due to high incomes and large numbers of tourists. It is the perfect storm of US restaurant markets. Portland has better ingredients and New York has a bigger market but no other place in the country puts the two together so well. It is the sort of place top chefs elsewhere in the country think of moving to.

New York, as the center of commerce and tourism in the country, is the largest market for high end dining in the US, by far. As far as ingredients go it is on par with Chicago except for seafood where it far exceeds it. Chicago is a good restaurant city, lots of commerce, conventions, and tourists means expense account diners and/or people who are willing to spend. It is a solid #3.


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## cbotnyse (Jun 13, 2007)

^ that is simply your opinion, but you are trying to make it sound like fact. 

AAA has been around over 100 years and are a well respected authority in the business. If they say Chicago has the most high end restaurants in the country, I'm gonna believe it. Chicago has just as easy access to high end ingredients as anywhere in the world. I know I've read those restaurants mentioned have ingredients flown in daily, so I dont really know where you pulled that from.


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## Delirium (Oct 8, 2005)

didnt realise you could eat diamonds :|


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## secondcity1 (Dec 28, 2006)

Nowadays, I think Chicago's culinary scene rivals only New York. 

Did you read the articles below? I respect your opinion but I would take the words from the world-renowned chefs more serious.



i_am_hydrogen said:


> *Trotter's 20th anniversary is to dine for*
> 
> *By Bill Daley | Tribune food and wine critic
> October 8, 2007*
> ...




*GQ: Chicago is the Best Restaurant City in America*

http://www.chicagofoodies.com/2006/05/chicago_is_the_.html



Somnifor said:


> Most people who do high end restaurants for a living.
> 
> All else being equal the quality of a city's restaurant scene is driven by two things: what the marketplace demands and local access to high quality ingredients.
> 
> ...


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## bobbycuzin (May 30, 2007)

are 5-diamond restaurants all expensive?

they should have a rating system for best value


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## LMCA1990 (Jun 18, 2005)

^^ I agree. Anyways, good for Chi-town.


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

cbotnyse said:


> ^ that is simply your opinion, but you are trying to make it sound like fact.
> 
> AAA has been around over 100 years and are a well respected authority in the business. If they say Chicago has the most high end restaurants in the country, I'm gonna believe it. Chicago has just as easy access to high end ingredients as anywhere in the world. I know I've read those restaurants mentioned have ingredients flown in daily, so I dont really know where you pulled that from.


I am a chef, I have worked in the business for 15 plus years. On one hand it is my opinion, but it is one that most people in the business agree with. You can't judge a city's restaurant scene just on it's top 5, depth is just as important. The 100th best restaurant in New York is probably better than the best restaurant in most cities in the country, I wouldn't be comfortable making that assertion about Chicago. As far as sourcing goes the best ingredients always come from local farmers, foragers and fishermen; stuff that the wholesalers never even get their hands on. The west coast has a huge lead on the rest of this country in that department because the climate is conducive to growing things year round and there are a wide variety of microclimates. Being next to the ocean means that your seafood is fresher. Even under the best circumstances it still takes 2-3 days to get fish from the ocean to a restaurant kitchen in the midwest, I know what the best fish in Chicago looks like because I buy from the same company, and I know how it compares to the coasts.

Beyond all that these lists are completely subjective. People like to trot them out like they mean something but they are all opinion and nothing more. Top chef and restarant lists usually start with Ferdinand Adira and El Bulli which is all molecular gastronomy which is in my opinion bs cooking but very trendy these days. Adira is saying that Chicago is where it is at because Alinea is the top molecular gastronomy restaurant in the country. 

The greatest is based on what you consider great, which may be different than what the next person considers great. A list of best restaurants is like a list of best musicians, what exactly does it mean? There is one 5 diamond restaurant in Minneapolis, it is not the best in the city or the most important. It is really good but the food is a bit too sculpted for my taste.


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## urbanpln (Feb 25, 2006)

Somnifor said:


> I am a chef, I have worked in the business for 15 plus years. On one hand it is my opinion, but it is one that most people in the business agree with. You can't judge a city's restaurant scene just on it's top 5, depth is just as important. The 100th best restaurant in New York is probably better than the best restaurant in most cities in the country, I wouldn't be comfortable making that assertion about Chicago. As far as sourcing goes the best ingredients always come from local farmers, foragers and fishermen; stuff that the wholesalers never even get their hands on. The west coast has a huge lead on the rest of this country in that department because the climate is conducive to growing things year round and there are a wide variety of microclimates. Being next to the ocean means that your seafood is fresher. Even under the best circumstances it still takes 2-3 days to get fish from the ocean to a restaurant kitchen in the midwest, I know what the best fish in Chicago looks like because I buy from the same company, and I know how it compares to the coasts.
> 
> Beyond all that these lists are completely subjective. People like to trot them out like they mean something but they are all opinion and nothing more. Top chef and restarant lists usually start with Ferdinand Adira and El Bulli which is all molecular gastronomy which is in my opinion bs cooking but very trendy these days. Adira is saying that Chicago is where it is at because Alinea is the top molecular gastronomy restaurant in the country.
> 
> The greatest is based on what you consider great, which may be different than what the next person considers great. A list of best restaurants is like a list of best musicians, what exactly does it mean? There is one 5 diamond restaurant in Minneapolis, it is not the best in the city or the most important. It is really good but the food is a bit too sculpted for my taste.


I totally agree with you. Most people will not eat or have no interest in dining at these so called cutting edge restaurants. However Chicago does have a ton of great eating establishments representing every type of cusine. Most of them are located out in the neighborhoods. IMHO most of the great restaurants are located outside of the central area


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Somnifor said:


> Top chef and restarant lists usually start with Ferdinand Adira and El Bulli which is all molecular gastronomy which is in my opinion bs cooking but very trendy these days.


Have you ever been to El Bulli or anywhere similar? I agree that it sounds a bit BS but i'm still curious to try it out. Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck has a similar philosophy, I'd like to go but I don't want to pay £80 for three courses of BS :laugh:


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Michelin is used as a guide across the western world, as for the American AA Guide, Britain and some other countries also have an AA Guide and there is also the RAC Guide in the UK.

There are also numerous other highly respected guides such as the Egon Ronay Guide.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Hardens is another guide often used in the UK.

No guide or rating system is perfect, they all have subjective criteria they use and the opinions of individuals as to what is best is always going to vary.


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## k25150 (Jun 14, 2006)

ale26 said:


> Most Restaurants in America are tacky and all they care about is quantity and not quality...they seriously need a lesson.


What a jackass.


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## cbotnyse (Jun 13, 2007)

Somnifor, I respect your opinion as someone who works in the business. And I agree that NY has more depth, but it also has 3 times the poplulation as Chicago. I just think its cool to have so many of the top restaurants in the country here in Chicago. Now I just have to go eat at them. :cheers:


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## kingsdl76 (Sep 1, 2007)

ale26 said:


> Most Restaurants in America are tacky and all they care about is quantity and not quality...they seriously need a lesson.


Dont be jealous because restaurants in the US dont serve the poop sandwiches that you love so much. You'll just have to start making your poop sandwiches at home.


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## jpIllInoIs (Feb 13, 2006)

^:hahaha::hahaha::yes:


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## Pavlov's Dog (Aug 2, 2007)

For my money Zagats is by far the best restaurant guide in existence. The ratings are based on the visits of hundreds of foodies like me and maybe you. Usually you'll find the same places at the top

Michelin has a very narrow definition of what great cuisine is and it is largely based around the model of french food, white table cloths and snooty and aloof service. It's ratings are based on a tiny sampling of visits. Their first guide to San Francisco was heavily dated when it came out and had numerous factual errors. Much of it was apparent plagarism.

AAA is good but they're very mainsteam Americana. 

FYI Zagats has the following to say about major cities. This is the number of restaurants in a market with a 27+ food rating. I disregard decor and service ratings for ease of comparison.

Metro unless noted

Chicago -14
New York (city only)- 34
Los Angeles- (incl. OC)-33
San Francisco Bay Area- 21
Washington- 11
Miami-18
Philadelphia-12
Boston- 19
Dallas- 13
Houston-5
Atlanta-14
Seattle-16
Detroit - 6

London-17
Paris- 15


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## weltmeister (Nov 11, 2007)

what's the use of a restaurant/fine dining thread without some pics?


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Pavlov's Dog said:


> For my money Zagats is by far the best restaurant guide in existence. The ratings are based on the visits of hundreds of foodies like me and maybe you. Usually you'll find the same places at the top.


I don't think Zagat's is that well known in Europe so i'm not sure how accurate or representative it's going to be for restaurants over here.



Pavlov's Dog said:


> Michelin has a very narrow definition of what great cuisine is and it is largely based around the model of french food, white table cloths and snooty and aloof service.


It may be biased towards French Food (although Cantonese and Indian restaurants in London among others also have stars) but i'm not sure it's fair to say that 'snooty and aloof' service is a feature, that seems to be a rather outdated impression.


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## bnk (Mar 25, 2006)

weltmeister said:


> what's the use of a restaurant/fine dining thread without some pics?


Too many pics to post so take a look.

http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/pages/gallery/gallery_cuis.html
http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/pages/gallery/gallery_rest.html

http://www.charlietrotters.com/restaurant/

http://www.trurestaurant.com/welcome.html


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## ChunkyMonkey (Sep 11, 2002)

How can you rate restaurants anyway? Isn't it all personal taste.

Maybe it is the most pretentious restaurants that get the 5 stars.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

ale26 said:


> Most Restaurants in America are tacky and all they care about is quantity and not quality...they seriously need a lesson.


I too have eaten at all of the tens of thousands of restaurants in the USA. I agree, almost ALL of them were horribly tacky and piss poor quality.

what a dumb comment.....


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## cbotnyse (Jun 13, 2007)

bnk said:


> Too many pics to post so take a look.
> 
> http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/pages/gallery/gallery_cuis.html
> http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/pages/gallery/gallery_rest.html
> ...


those places really do look at food as art. Its pretty amazing what they can do. I'd be afraid to eat it.


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