2017 Michelin Guide Bumps Two Chicago Restaurants up to Two-Star Status

The new 2017 Michelin Guide for Chicago was issued yesterday, and while the number of three-star restaurants remained at two, the list of two-star restaurants grew to five. Oriole went straight to two-star status, while long-time one-star restaurant Tru was elevated as well. Chef Grant Achatz added his one-star restaurant Roister to go along with his three-star restaurant, Alinea, giving him a total of four stars.

The Guide praised Oriole, Chef Noah Sandoval's restaurant that opened earlier this year in the city's West Loop neighborhood, as "a rarity in the culinary world by having attained two-star status in its first year of business." Tru, located in Streeterville, had been a one-star restaurant since 2011, but according to Michelin director Michael Ellis, Tru had "risen to higher levels," as noted by the guide's anonymous inspectors after recent visits. "Chef Anthony Martin proposes a fresh and contemporary style of cooking which uses superb products and is constantly evolving," said Ellis.

All told, the Michelin Guide includes reviews of 298 restaurants in Chicago and the surrounding area, 26 of which have received starred status. Three-star eateries in the Windy City now include Alinea and Grace. Acadia, 42 Grams and Sixteen were the holdovers for two-star status, with Oriole and Tru being added in this latest ranking. One-star additions were Chef Achatz's Roister in the West Loop as well as Band of Bohemia, a culinary brewpub in Ravenswood. GreenRiver in Streeterville, and Smyth, also located in the West Loop, brought the total number of one-star restaurants in Chicago to 19.

In the Michelin hierarchy, three stars represent "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey," while two stars denotes "excellent cuisine, worth a detour," and one star means "a very good restaurant in its category." Michelin Guides for Washington, D.C. and San Francisco have already come out, while the final 2017 Guide for New York City will be issued on November 17.

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