Chicago

Mention the word ‘Chicago’ and most people think of wind and pizza, but the city is also saturated with a spectrum of Asian cultures. From Chinatown on the south side, beyond Koreatown in the northwest, all the way up to the Pakistani and Indian communities just north of the city, the greater Chicago area hosts a large Asian American population. Of the area’s 2.7 million population, Asians comprise about 4.8% (or 128,000 people), and Asian flavors are well represented in the community in both traditional and futuristic forms.

Leading the pack of cutting edge cuisine is Moto (945 W. Fulton Market, 312.491.0058), an Asian-inspired, avant-garde restaurant whose staff is young, vibrant and, now, famous. Executive Chef Homaro Cantu just defeated Masaharu Morimoto in a spectacular “Iron Chef America” throw down. He is constantly recreating Moto’s menu to incorporate the freshest ingredients available. For Valentine’s Day, Cantu has created a special menu that includes intriguing items with names like Pinot Noir Candy Bar, Hot/Cold Snow, and an Impossible Chocolate Heart.

Love is also in the air at Vermilion (10 W. Hubbard St., 312.527.4060), where Chef Maneet Chauhan will present “An Aphrodisiac Feast in Lush Red” for her February 14th patrons that are looking for love. At Vermilion, Latin flavors gently salsa with Indian spice, in a marriage of cultures that is an exotic match made in heaven. The Valentine’s menu will feature a sultry slew of aphrodisiacal dishes, including oysters with champagne jelly and jalapeno cardamom foam, pistachio-crusted veal on channa saag, and a chocolate avocado dessert. The everyday menu at Vermilion is anything but–the savory dishes here are punctuated with things like mango, curry, cardamom and cumin. It’s a truly unique and sensual dining experience, any day of the year.

One of the hottest restaurants in town is Japonais (600 W. Chicago Ave, 312.822.9600), a sleek, modern lounge that features even sleeker cuisine. Executive Chefs Jun Ichikawa and Gene Kato intertwine Japanese and French cuisine; delicate, potent fare that showcases the freshest seafood and richest French accoutrements. Savor sushi bar specials like Bin Cho (baby tuna sashimi with arugala), or Madaka Kimo (monkfish foie gras with octopus). Even the atmosphere is a duo of cultures, melding Japanese architecture with European accents.

Welcome the Year of the Boar with delicious authenticity. Executive Chef Paul Wildermuth will be leading a Chinese New Year cooking class at Opera (1301 S. Wabash, 312.461.0161) on Saturday, February 24, the seventh day of the New Year. Dining at Opera is a feast for the senses; the menu, a twist on traditional Cantonese cuisine, is just as whimsical and colorful as the decor. Nibble on Cantonese Crystal Prawns or succulent Mongolian sticky ribs, or enjoy a traditional Peking Duck service. If meat’s not your thing, there’s a comprehensive vegan menu.

Chef Wildermuth also opened one of Opera’s sister restaurants, Red Light (820 W. Randolph, 312.733.8880). Executive Chef Jackie Shen mingles Chinese, French, and Thai ingredients to create an intercontinental cuisine that’s both comforting and cutting edge. The desserts alone are good enough reason to visit. Imagine, if you will, the creamy velvet of crème brulee, coupled with the aromatic earthiness of lemongrass and sweet Tahitian vanilla? How about a Ginger Chocolate Mousse Cake, or Almond Cranberry Orange Cake with ginger-vanilla ice cream? Sweet bliss.

Arun’s Thai Restaurant (4156 N. Kedzie Ave, 773.539.1909) has long been hailed as the best Thai food in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune extolled the restaurant as an epicurean institution that ‘brought Thai food to a new plateau,’ and with good reason. For over twenty years, Executive Chef Arun Sampanthavivat has wowed diners with subtly rich dishes that comprise the ‘Chef’s Design Menu’; a twelve-course, prix-fixe tasting menu that is customized to meet the desires of each individual patron. While the ‘Chef’s Design Menu’ completely replaces the standard menu at Arun’s, it provides a surprisingly diverse and flexible dining experience. Whatever the meal, you’ll finish with a refreshing lemongrass ‘elixir,’ which will pacify your delightfully tingly taste buds.

The 11 square blocks of Chicago’s Chinatown are a hotbed of culinary activity. The best and busiest Asian markets are located here, like Richwell Market (1835 S. Canal St., 312.226.9611) or Golden Country Oriental Foods (2355 S. Blue Island Ave, 773.847.1700) which carries over 4000 dry and frozen imported Asian products. Visit the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce’s website for a cache of markets, tea shops, herbalists, and other stores.

Whatever Asian flavors you crave, Chicago will satisfy your palate.