Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 5-4

4 CHICAGO visually stunning that it seems crude to disturb their perfection for something so prosaic as eating. Precise herbed- lamb packets amid art nouveauswirls of asparagus noodles, a lacy tuile that adds a peekaboo seductivity to potato gnocchi presentations are bold and beautiful, yet his flavor pairings are almost maddeningly subtle, driving overanalytical foodies to de- 2010 was the year Anthony Martin came into his own at Tru, even though he has been doing most of the heavy lifting for more than two years, as chef de cuisine in 2008, executive chef in 2009and, last year, a full partner, but always under the large but decreasing shadow of founding chef Rick Tramonto. Now full credit is going to this master technician, who crafts plates so spair. And this from a chef who celebrated his 30th birthday less than four months ago. If any chef in town deserves a bigger spotlight, Martin, and happy to contribute whatever wattage we can.

N. St. Clair 312-202-0001 Vettel Barely 30 years old, Tru chef Anthony Martin has emerged from the shadow of Rick Tramonto. ALEX PHOTOS CHEF OF THE YEAR ANTHONY MARTIN Though there were many impressive newrestaurants in 2010, among them Fireand worth noting that Purple Pig and Sprout opened in 2009), in terms of buzz, impact and excellence, nothing matched Stephanie with abit of (her term) small-plates gem along Randolph Street. With dishes named Escargot and Goat Balls(meatballs, not the other thing) and Crispy Pig managed to delight and challenge diners, even while smiling, in the midst of cooking, for the cell phone paparazzi.

Perhaps more impressive, Girl the Goat lived up to its hype (fueled by 2008 win), stood up to the pressure of being the hottest restaurant in town (you still need a crowbar to get in this place), and even overcame its vaguely suggestive name. Well done. Girl the Goat, 809 W. Randolph 312-492-6262 Vettel NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR GIRL THE GOAT Stephanie Izard delivered on the high expectations for her new restaurant. BIG is what would happen if you handed trained chefs all the fun ingredients of a frou-frou restaurant and turned them loose in a classic Chicago corner grill.

(How about pan-seared foie gras with your french fries?) The exception here: Gary big) and Tony little) have no formal culinary training, outside of getting berated by Gordon Ramsay on few years back. childhood best friends who attended Ogden Elementary down the street, shared a mutual love of fish tacos and dreamed of going into business with each other. Now their 14-month Near North Side on a street mostly frequented by cabbies, is gaining a serious following with its terrific crosshatched-marked charred burgers (no frozen pucks; patties formed in house), boys (soft-shell crab, oysters, shrimp), crab tostadas and mahi-mahi grilled fish tacos as bright and tasty as any find outside San Diego County. And the least pretentious place in Chicago, by far, to order foie gras with your fries. 939 N.

Orleans 312-943-0000 Pang RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR BIG Tony left, and Gary Strauss, co-owners of BIG a reason that foodies spent a good portion of 2010 flocking to a nondescript corner tavern in the middle of Logan it for the whiskey. OK, it was partly because of the whiskey (how do you pass up $3 shots of nearly 40 but the major draw was young chef Jared left a highly regarded gas- tropub in Seattle to head our way. (Advantage, Chicago.) Longman Eagle may look like your basic neighborhood pub, but when Wentworth starts sending out amuses such as matsutaki- mushroom soup with peekytoecrab- meat, you start suspecting a lot more to the kitchen. food is full of surprises grouse pate, foie gras with gingerbread, ricotta gnuddi with charred-tomato vinaigrette that make us want more. Longman Eagle, 2657 Kedzie 773-276-7110 Vettel UP-AND-COMING CHEF OF THE YEAR JARED WENTWORTH Well, of course: A year and a half after Jason Hammeland Amelia Tschilds more than delivered on the promise of Lula, drawing in their sous-chef Jason Vincentand giving him a luminous open kitchen of a culinary stage, not astretch to say this cozy and dark walnut block of a joint is the smartest restaurant in Chicago south of Roosevelt Road.

(When you find yourself telling friends they need to go out of their way to try the toast thick and crusty French bread, perfectly charred in a wood-grilled oven, evoking every summer camp we neverattended it gets hard to consider anywhere else.) But is Nightwood just a neighborhood restaurant? And is that a backhanded compliment? Only if you believe setting up on adreary stretch of Pilsen and not pandering to its substantial Mexican- American community with halfhearted fish tacos (as might have been expected from lesser, carpetbagging restaurateurs) is a problem. Only if you consider elegant and unpretentious insistence on soulful and simple cooking a fragrant half-chicken dressed with dates and cornbread croutons, honey-roasted pears beneath whipped goat cheese, homemade rigatoni as too much of a return to the unadorned. No, Nightwood is not merely the best neighborhood restaurant of the year. also the best example of a very welcome trend in Chicago dining casual enjoyment. Nightwood, 2119 S.

Halsted 312-526-3385 Borrelli Nightwood chef Jason Vincent is a leading advocate of simple cooking. NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR NIGHTWOOD DINING AWARDS Product: CTBroadsheet PubDate: 01-13-2011 Zone: Edition: THU Page: PLAYDINEHALF-4 User: sjnovak Time: Color:.