Chicagoans are already aware they have access to some of the best food in the world, and Monday, Restaurant magazine provided proof.
The magazine named chef Grant Achatz' ultra-modernist Alinea restaurant No. 9 in its list of the world's Top 50 best restaurants.
Lincoln Park's Alinea moves up from its No. 15 ranking on the list last year. According to the magazine, Alinea takes "diners on an unapologetically mind-blowing journey," and "the chef continues to push the boundaries of avant-garde cuisine with his ever-evolving menus."
Rene Redzepi's daringly innovative Danish restaurant Noma reclaimed the title of world's top restaurant.
Noma — which has a meticulous focus on simple, indigenous ingredients such as snails, moss and cod liver — held the No. 1 spot on Restaurant magazine's annual ranking of the world's 50 best restaurants for three years before being bested in 2013 by avant-garde eatery El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain. During a ceremony Monday in London, Noma reclaimed the top spot while El Celler fell to No. 2.
Seven U.S. restaurants made the list, with one other cracking the top 10. Daniel Humm's Eleven Madison Park in New York was listed at No. 4, up from 5th place last year.
Eric Ripert's seafood-focused Le Bernardin in New York fell from 19th to 21st, while Daniel Boulud's Daniel in New York slipped from 29th to 40th.
Local
Thomas Keller's Per Se in New York fell from 11th to 30th, and his Yountville, Calif., restaurant The French Laundry, rose from No. 47 to No. 44. The French Laundry held the top spot in 2003 and 2004. Daniel Patterson's Coi in San Francisco — which focuses on modern California cuisine — made it onto the list for the first time, placing at No. 49.
