What's the best meal you ate in 2023? If it's a traditional Southern dish at a Chicago restaurant, you may have something in common with the editors of a top food magazine.
In an article titled "The Best Restaurant Meals of 2023, according to BA Staff," Bon Appetit editors recall the best dishes they ate at restaurants across the globe -- and many of them were on the simple side
"It's not always the flashiest meals that stick with us the longest," editors wrote. "This year, we were most enthralled by the simple pleasures of an excellent bowl of soup, a buttery croissant, and a plate of expertly prepared chicken and rice."
The curated list -- of only 19 meals -- ranges from a venison dish in England, to fried apples in Nashville, to sweet and sour beets in New York and a Vietnamese noodle dish in Virginia.
A meal at one Chicago restaurant made the list as well: "Soul-warming" Gumbo at Virtue.
"I made my dinner reservation at Virtue before I’d even booked my flight to Chicago," Senior cooking editor Kelsey Youngman wrote, adding that the editor had waited for years to eat at chef-owner Erick Williams award-winning restaurant in Hyde Park.
Youngman's group of three attempted to order the entire menu, but almost skipped the gumbo. "Thankfully, our server, busser, and bartender were all so warmly insistent that we not miss it that they kindly split a single serving into three so everyone in our group could have a taste," Youngman said. "It was love at first spoonful."
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In 2022, Virtue and Williams took home the city's only James Beard Award, winning the "Best Chef Award" in the regional great Lakes category.
Virtue, at 1462 E. 53rd St., describes itself as a "Southern American restaurant that leads with a culture of hospitality and kindness. We pride ourselves on unpretentious service, timing and most importantly providing great value."
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The full article from Bon Appetit can be found here.
