Dear Michelin: Finally. Love, Chicago

Today may as well have been Christmas Day for Chicago food enthusiasts. The global foodie powers that be (a.k.a. super stealthy Michelin Guide inspectors) have released their 2011 Guides... and they reviewed Chicago restaurants for the very first time in history! As everyone here knows, Chicago restaurants have been very, very good this year. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Chicago restaurants also received a veritable boatload of Michelin stars in their first showing!

The list of Chicago area restaurants awarded one to three Michelin stars contains a lot of the usual suspects from the Chicago fine dining scene, but there were a few notable newcomers as well. Some of the selections may surprise you, but my attitude is "the more the merrier!" The more Michelin-starred restaurants that we have, the the more foodie cred we gain and the more cosmopolitan our amazing city seems. Chicago is a great city -- and its restaurant scene just keeps getting better and better. Let the throngs of tourists flock! (But please don't impair my ability to get reservations at these places...)

You can view the complete list from Michelin below (with my comments at the end, naturally):

"Three Michelin stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey. One always eats here extremely well, sometimes superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients."

Alinea
L2O

"Two Michelin stars mean excellent cuisine, worth a detour. Skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. "

Avenues
Charlie Trotter's
Ria

"One Michelin star means a very good restaurant in its category. A place offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard."

Blackbird
Boka
bonsoiree
Crofton on Wells
Everest
graham elliot
Longman & Eagle
NAHA
NoMI
Schwa
Seasons
Sepia
Sixteen
Spiaggia
Takashi
Topolobampo
Tru
Vie

To provide some context, only The French Laundry (an EPIC fine dining institution in Napa Valley) received a three star rating in the 2010 San Francisco Michelin Guide. Other legendary fine dining spots such as Gary Danko, Chez Panisse and Masa's received one star. Therefore, Chicago says "What's UP, SF!!!" and "What's up, Michelin -- it's about damn time you made it out here! Come on now, we're a sensible stop right on the way from NYC to SF!"

That said, it is extremely exciting that Michelin recognizes that there are so many amazing restaurants in the Chicagoland area. (Yup, thanks to Vie in Western Springs, I have to say "Chicagoland" instead of just Chicago. Way to represent fine dining in the 'burbs, Vie!)

While I have yet to make it to any of the two- and three-star winners, I have been to many of the one-starred restaurants above and they're outstanding. But of course, I was most excited to see that some of my all-time favorite restaurants received stars: bonsoiree and graham elliot! (Glad I just visited graham and have another reservation for bonsoiree on the books already... These places are going to be jammed! Also, I have to give mad props to Jeff here for discovering bonsoiree wayyy before Michelin -- and anyone else I know, for that matter -- and introducing me to it.)

However, Longman & Eagle gets a special shout-out as well. The Logan Square bar and restaurant features a small, but extremely innovative menu and executes it very well. I saw a hilarious tweet today that said, "Longman & Eagle's star proves that at least one Michelin inspector is a hipster." (Sarah Brick.) All kidding aside, Longman & Eagle is a big hipster hang-out, but it clearly has mainsteam appeal as well. Either way, looks like this neighborhood fave is going to be around for awhile!

The amazing two- and three-star ratings for Alinea, L20, Ria, Charlie Trotter's and Avenues only make me more determined to get reservations on the books. Due to the prices one must pay for some of the most outrageous dining experiences on the planet (literally now), I may have to do just one a year... but I will get to all of these establishments eventually! After a conversation with Keith from Food Babies today, I'm thinking you might be seeing a joint dinner at Alinea at some point in the (relatively) near future...

But in the meantime, who's been to the two- and three-star venues? Any thoughts? Raves? Reviews? Fill us in!

And if you'd like to know more of Michelin's thoughts on Chicago restaurants, you can purchase the official guide here.