New on Resy: Fat Rice, Galit, Café Cancale

When Portuguese sailors arrived in Southern China, a new cuisine emerged, blending Western recipes with Southeast Asian produce. And Fat Rice draws from this melting pot of cuisines, dishing some critically-acclaimed Macanese plates. The menu is a merry carnival of offerings, from piri piri chicken to fried silken tofu, and the namesake arroz gordo, which tastes like a paella via China and Portugal, combines tea eggs and char siu pork with linguiça sausage, olives, and more.

When you’ve honed your craft at some of the nation’s best Middle Eastern restaurants (Shaya, Zahav), you hope to do them proud. And James Beard Award-winning chef Zach Engel has more than succeeded with this Israeli stunner. Galit takes all of the usual suspects (hummus, falafel, shakshuka) to an otherworldly level that’ll have you rethinking your pita. Our only advice? Make a Resy, pronto.

Named after a sleepy coastal town that’s home to some of the best oysters in France, Café Cancale is the latest restaurant from Paul Kahan’s One Off Hospitality Group. And in this sleek brasserie setting set with beachy vibes, chef AJ Walker (Publican Anker) brings simple, French-leaning seafood plates to the Wicker Park crowd. You’re in for mussels à la normande, sole meunière, savory clams, and a dedicated raw bar, alongside French coastal wines and apéritifs.

Has there been a Logan Square joint more loved than Lula Café? Doling out farm-to-table fare before it was de rigueur (thanks to a pair of Alice Water pupils), this Logan Square stalwart continues to delight with its wildly creative, peak-season dishes. Get ready to be wowed by a singular vegetarian tasting menu, the smoked trout scramble, and a simple plate of cookies.

When a Korean-American chef hones her craft in Italian kitchens, you get Passerotto. At this Andersonville gem, chef Jennifer Kim looks to the Korean dishes of her childhood for a deeply personal menu, with a dash of coastal Italy thrown in. The result is excellent shared plates, from ddukbokki rice cakes topped with lamb ragu, to raw fish preparations (a must-order) laced with XO sauce or yuzu.

Anyone who’s ever been to Daisies is bound to wax poetic about the restaurant’s handcrafted pasta. This Logan Circle restaurant, with its cozy bistro look and sun-drenched back patio, boasts highlights such as plump gnocchi with morels to pillowy ravioli with peas, spring onions, and chicken cracklin’. Dig in.

In a city saturated with steakhouses, this tavern-like den stands out. And that’s because Boeufhaus brings in sustainable chops with a Franco-German touch, firing a parade of carnivorous offerings from short rib beignets to 55-day dry-aged ribeye. One thing’s for sure: this rustic charmer has some of the best marbled cuts in town, with the funky French biodynamic wines to match.

Brunch is available every day of the week at this sleek Wicker Park mainstay, and that alone should warrant a Resy. The menu at Café Robey veers toward seasonal offerings, with plates done simply but executed perfectly: tuck into melty duck hash, crispy soft-shell crab po’ boy, fluffy brioche French toast, and one excellent Cuban sandwich.

You can thank pastry chef extraordinaire Mindy Segal for making Wicker Park a little sweeter. Hot Chocolate churns some of the best hot cocoa in town, and when you throw in decadent baked goods, savory bites, and wrap it all up in an inviting industrial-chic space, you’ll thank Mindy Segal again for dreaming this up more than a decade ago.

Red sauce and martinis abound at this Bucktown charmer, which combines supper club dining with the buzziness of a beloved Italian-American joint. That, and its Sicilian fare, which would make a nonna beam, is what makes Club Lucky a true pearl: think hand-dredged calamari, stuffed artichoke, homemade cavatelli, veal Marsala, and amaretto ricotta cheesecake.

From the same folks behind Dusek’s in Pilsen, The Promontory is a Hyde Park eatery anchored by a roaring hearth. Here, the kitchen imparts a certain warmth and simplicity to its dishes, from beautifully roasted oysters Rockerfeller to a melt-in-your-mouth lamb shank atop fontina polenta and pistachio gremolata. So, sit out on the patio, sip on an excellent craft cocktail, and take it all in.

A female owned-and-operated brewpub and cidery, Eris wows on several fronts. First, there’s the stunning space, a converted, centuries-old Masonic temple, with soaring ceilings and exposed brick. Then there’s the food, a refined take on pub fare, which includes cider-braised pork pozole and bison stout meatballs. And, most importantly, there’s the brews, lovingly house-made and refreshing to a T.

Handsome in a 1940s supper club kind of way, The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant boasts a proud and resilient history. And inside this old firehouse, old-school wining and dining comes to life: classic jumbo shrimp cocktail and lamb lollipops whet your appetite, before herb-crusted prime rib with a side of creamed spinach steals the show.

River Roast Social House offers two different views—of the sprawling and peaceful riverfront and the table-side preparations, where roasted meat is carved and served. The roasted offerings here are as good as they sound, with a kitchen helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano (formerly of Spiaggia). Enjoy the view.

In a luminous spot accented with baby blue chairs, seasonal comfort food takes center stage. Bite Cafe veers vegetarian, swapping out mushroom for sausage in gravy and beets for tartare, while still indulging in chorizo-laced mussels and Angus beef-filled burgers. Either way, Bite Cafe more than satisfies.

Billed as a “Big City BBQ since ‘94,” Smoke Daddy knows a thing or two about smoke. The latest outpost in Wrigleyville doles out the same smokey cuts as the OG Wicker Park spot, alongside ice-cold beers, and live blues music. Get in on the house-made sauces, which amp up the fork-tender meats beautifully.

Farm-to-table gastropub fare graces the menu at this neighborhood tavern. At The Monkeys’ Paw, Amish chicken and barrel-aged cocktails are a must, while the space’s exposed brick and dog-eared books will beckon you to linger.

Take a peek into the sultry 1930s at this swanky cocktail lounge. Decked out in Art Déco furnishings and dripping chandeliers, The Front Room is a boozy den straight out of New Orleans, where luxurious booths await. So gather a crowd (or a date), get tipsy on bubbly drinks, and soak it up with the French-Creole seafood plates on offer. Don’t miss live jazz nights from Thursday to Saturday.

At Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap, award-winning wings reign supreme—and have won the Today Show’s heart. So, order a basket of firecracker (sweet Thai chili and sriracha) and PB&J wings (Thai peanut with raspberry chipotle jelly), down a beer, and repeat—there are no less than nine varieties on offer.

Tucked in the United Center, Queenie’s has all the trappings of a Wisconsin supper club: walnut bar, plush leather seating, and vintage Steinway included. Here, Bad Hunter chef Dan Snowden celebrates nostalgia, and breathes new life into old-timey Midwestern cuisine, with a nod to his New England roots. Expect prime rib, table-side Caesar salad, fish fry, and ice cream cocktails with live piano each and every night.

The Carbon Arc Bar & Board is here to take your movie-going experience to new heights. As the dining counterpart to the historic Davis Theater, this sleek eatery deals in classic comfort food that you can take into the show with you.