Chicago food writer Ari Bendersky

Name: Ari Bendersky

Work: Editor of Eater Chicago; JACKarcher.com

Home: Chicago

Spotted on a typical Chicago Saturday night: Dinner with friends before popping off for a cocktail or some wine

Hey Ari! Chicago does not have a reputation as a food city on par with SF and NYC, but that’s starting to change

Chicago has broken its reputation as a meat and potatoes town. Since the early 2000s, following the opening of Blackbird, where Paul Kahan is the executive chef, Chicago has ushered in an era of quality dining at all price points and types of cuisine. We have some of the world’s best restaurants, including Alinea, which was named the number one restaurant in North America. Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard has Girl & The Goat. The Michelin Guide published its first Chicago edition last fall, giving us two three-star restaurants. We have chefs who aren’t afraid to take chances and experiment with head-to-tail techniques, use sometimes disparate ingredients to create bold dishes. Being in the Midwest, Chicago’s restaurants have access to tons of local produce and meats from local farms. And having some of the countries top chefs like Tony Mantuano, Graham Elliot, Carrie Nahabedian, Art Smith, Rick Bayless doesn’t hurt either.

Where would you send friends on a romantic dinner in Chicago?

One of my favorite go-to romantic date spots is Mon Ami Gabi. It’s in the Belden-Stratford, across the hall from L20 (one of those three-star restaurants) and it’s always filled with amazing energy. It’s not romantic in the “dark setting, candlelit dinner” sense; it’s about a lively atmosphere, incredible well-priced French wine, mussels, oysters and the best steak frites. My partner and I have spent many birthdays and anniversaries at our favorite window table looking out toward Lincoln Park and the zoo beyond.

When you want a big night out, where do you head after dinner?

DJ at Scarlet

In terms of favorite restaurants, I love Anteprima and Jin Ju in Andersonville or Nightwood down in Pilsen. After that, it’s fun going to Scarlet bar. In my opinion, it has the best vibe in Boystown. No one brings attitude, drinks are cheap. It’s a mixed crowd and on weekends and it books the best DJs. For live music, Lincoln Hall books great acts from Marina and the Diamonds to the XX to Miami Horror. Smart Bar has great late-night house music if you want to go dancing. For movies, nothing beats the Landmark Theater in Lakeview for indie gay-themed flicks.

Where does a boy go for a really great cocktail in boystown? And we don’t mean vodka with syrupy cranberry juice.

It’s a toss up between Minibar (where the hot bartenders often pour shirtless) and Marty’s, which is up in Andersonville. Minibar also has a pretty solid wine selection, but if you want a kick-ass martini, hit Marty’s. They actually have large and small sizes. If you don’t specify, you’re getting the large. It goes a lot further and you’ll get your money’s worth.

Gay ‘hoods do not have a reputation for fine dining. There’s always that fun gay diner, but nothing great, partly because of the captive audience.

Boystown doesn’t have a huge selection of finer dinging spots. Firefly isn’t necessarily upscale but it’s cute and reminiscent of a bistro. Yoshi’s Cafe is, in my opinion, one of the more overlooked spots, and has been going strong for nearly 20 years. It’s on Halsted in Boystown and has an eclectic menu inspired by French and Japanese cuisine.

Of course we’re always worried about carbs yet we love to go out. How do you square those two mutually exclusive desires?

I saw screw it and eat whatever I want. I have tried going no carbs, but when you’re at a restaurant and a beautiful basket of warm bread is put in front of you or you get a delicious pizza from a place like Great Lake or want to grab a burger on a pretzel roll like they have at Rocks, you just have to indulge. Want to balance that? Get off your ass and go to the gym to do some cardio. If you want to eat whatever you want and look good, you gotta pay for it.

Gay and lesbian chefs have started to get noticed on the Food Network and elsewhere. Are gay folks foodies or just like everyone else?

Sprout's Top Chef Dale Levitski

Are gay folks fussy about something, food even? Um, yeah. Gay or straight, food is food and people who love food aren’t shy about talking about it. We have great gay chefs, like Dale Levitski (Sprout) and Paul Fehribach (Big Jones), who prepare incredible food. I know most of my friends love exploring the new restaurants and dishing about them. But like any other group, there’s a lot of gays who are just happy eating a big mac and calling it a day.

More gay-friendly restaurants on GayCities


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