The 2024 Michelin Guide Chicago boasts three new entries, it was announced Wednesday.
The Eastern European-inspired Anelya, the Lebanese-influenced Beity and the Filipino-Cuban fusion that is Bayan Ko are now officially “recommended” in the guide and celebrated as the newest hidden gems in Chicago that are a must-try. (This affords the restaurants official consideration for Bib Gourmand awards and Michelin stars, which will be announced later this year.)
Anelya, 3472 N. Elston Avenue, is among the newest offerings from the dynamic duo that is chefs Johnny Clark and his wife Beverly Kim. The Avondale eatery serves up authentic Eastern European cuisine (with Kim flair) such as green borsch with dill and nettles, sunflower seed hummus with black garlic, Varenyky (traditional Ukrainian dumplings, but in this case boasting sour cherry, ricotta, white chocolate and bacon-pecan pralines), tradtional butter-glazed pampushky bread and a “small bites” zakusky cart. The restaurant is named in honor of Clark’s grandmother.
Beity, 813 W Fulton St. in the West Loop’s Fulton Market District, is rooted in owner/Chef Ryan Fakih’s Lebanese heritage through a stylized tasting menu celebrating such fare as parsley hummus with lamb, sayadieh (fish and rice), moghrabieh (chicken stew), shish barak (Lebanese meat dumplings with garlic yogurt sauce) and more.
The lamb and parsley hummus at Beity.
Bayan Ko, 1810 W. Montrose Ave., is born of the husband-and-wife team of chef Lawrence Letrero and Raquel Quadreny. The ever-changing, five-course tasting menu boasts a variety of Filipino and Cuban fare, such as adobong pugita (baby octopus adobo with potato in a garlic emulsion) and arroz caldo (black rice and lobster with a quail egg poached in calamansi butter).
In addition to Chicago, new guide entries in New York and Washington, D.C., were also announced Wednesday.