Chicago takes top 2 on Food & Wine Magazine's list of most creative bars
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Getting out and grabbing a bite to eat or a drink in Chicago is never a bad idea – but two more great reasons just availed themselves this week.
Food & Wine Magazine named Chicago the sixth best city for food in the U.S.
"There's a lot to eat in the Windy City, not even including the hot dogs and deep-dish pizza Chicago is known for. The Midwest mindset means that restaurants, bars, and cafés are warm and welcoming — more often than not, giving off the feeling that you've just walked into a spot a friend owns," Food & Wine's Erika Owen wrote. "Communities of immigrants pepper the city's 77 neighborhoods, offering unforgettable no-frills meals spanning the globe."
Chicago was outranked by New York and No. 1, New Orleans at No. 2, San Francisco at No. 3, Los Angeles at No. 4, and Portland, Oregon at No. 5.
However, a Chicago took the top two out of five for the Food & Wine's list of most creative bars in Illinois.
The Violet Hour, 1520 N. Damen Ave., was number one. Writer Brad Japhe said the "Wicker Park wonderland" has earned "every heaping portion of praise it has amassed over the past 15 years."
"Walk in today, and you can choose from brandy-based arrangements shaken with riesling and black walnuts (Snow Bird) or blended scotch stirred soulfully with squash tincture (Hanz & Franz)," Japhe wrote. "Better yet, don't choose; just order them both."
Coming in second among the most creative bars was The Aviary, 955 W. Fulton Market – the brainchild of Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea fame.
"Two years in, its unique brand of molecular mixology had already earned a James Beard Award for 'Outstanding Bar Program,'" Japhe wrote. "And today, it stays ahead of the curve on creativity, assembling layered Jungle Birds and Pisco slushies from a designated cocktail kitchen."
The rankings came from Food & Wine readers who voted for the Global Tastemakers awards.
