Managing Editor A reconfigured Lake Shore Drive, the show's spacious digs at McCormick Place and yet another area code aren't all that's new to Chicago since last year's National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. If there is a dominant theme in the multifarious mix of openings, bistro would get this year's nod. It's a loose, catch-all term for a venue that's more casual than fancy, is amenable to creative whims and wide interpretation, and perhaps most important, it's typically imbued with an infectious, hard to resist sense of joie de vivre. In other words, they're fun.
Bistros are only part of the Chicago restaurant picture, though.
Here's a rundown on some notable newcomers. It's not, alas, an all-inclusive list. Most are in the downtown to North Side neighborhoods, and even at that, surely some are missing. Head to the back, though, where an artful blend of insouciance and polished professionalism defines the dining room. Chef Rene Bajeux adheres to tradition with moules marini re, steak frites, poulet grandmere and duck confit.