International flavors spice up Windy City dining

摘要

Since ALA last met in Chicago half a decade ago, remarkable transformations have taken place within the city that have made an already great dining scene even better. The dawn of a new millennium has witnessed the revival of the Loop, the city's commercial heart, and explosive new housing growth in neighborhoods adjoining the Loop to the south and west. Other parts of the city are undergoing new residential and commercial development that has multiplied the number of restaurants. Many of these new eateries have capitalized on the current economic boom and have gone decidedly upscale, offering the finest in gastronomy from every culinary tradition in the world. Others attract a steady stream of customers with reasonable prices and unique foods representing the cultural heritages of the many ethnic groups that agglomerate to form a diverse, cosmopolitan city. Although the city's farflung neighborhoods hold the true ethnic gems, the Loop, Michigan Avenue, Near North, and Lincoln Park communities have the largest and most sophisticated restaurants and attract most out-of-towners. This dining guide starts its selective inventory with restaurants in areas closest to the conference's headquarters hotel and moves outward. Unless otherwise noted, restaurants are scheduled to be open for dinner every night during the conference. Listed restaurants are also open for lunch unless noted to the contrary. Nevertheless, a wise diner calls ahead to confirm that the place is open and to reserve a table wherever possible. Since Chicago has multiple area codes within the city limits, check the phone from which you are dialing to determine if dialing a code is required. Price estimates are based on average dinner entree charges. Inexpensive: under