Event Tue Oct 20 2009

LTHForum 2009 Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards

By Andrew Huff

Food chat site LTHForum's annual Great Neighborhood Restaurant awards were presented Monday night in a ceremony at past winner Marie's Pizza & Liquors, adding 23 new venues to its excellent list of winners. For the first time the awards have been expanded to include non-restaurants (referred to as Great Neighborhood Resources), in acknowledgment that there are so many important places in Chicagoland that don't necessarily serve food but provide ingredients, equipment or otherwise support restaurants and home cooks.

The GNR awards have always been an excellent avenue for recognition of restaurants that aren't necessarily new or trendy, places that are simply making great food and contributing to the culinary wealth of the city. For smaller spots, the awards provide a much-appreciated boost. Winner Juan Zaragoza of Birrieria Zaragoza said, "Sometimes you're about to hang the towel, and somebody comes in and says 'Hey, we like your food.' And we say 'You do?' And that keeps us going."

Several of the nominees attended the ceremony, including Delightful Pastries owners Dobra Bielinski and Stasia Hawyrszczuk, who took the opportunity to announce that they will soon be opening a new store at 1710 Wells St., in addition to being part of the French Market, which officially opens Nov. 17. "I think it's an excellent idea to have farmers markets like they do in France: all year round, not just three months out of the year," Bielinksi said.

As a surprise, the owners of Marie's Pizza turned the tables on LTHForum and awarded the site its own "Favorite Foodies Award." Said Marie's' Nadine Karavides, "You can pass it amongst yourselves like the Stanley Cup."

Below are the 2009 award winners, in alphabetical order, with links to either the business' website or the LTH Forum nomination thread.

Great Neighborhood Restaurants

Al Bawadi Grill, 7216 W. 87th St., Bridgeport
Argo Georgian Bakery, 2812 W. Devon Ave.
Bar DeVille, 1958 W. Huron St.
Bari, 1120 W. Grand Ave.
Birrieria Zaragoza, 4852 S. Pulaski Blvd.
D'Amato's Bakery, 1124 W. Grand Ave.
Delightful Pastries, 5927 W. Lawrence Ave.
Gaetano's, 7636 Madison St., Forest Park
Ginza Restaurant, 19 E. Ohio St.
Great Lake, 1477 W. Balmoral Ave.
Hoosier Mama Pie Company, 1618 W. Chicago Ave.
Huaraches Doña Chio, 1547 W. Elmdale Ave.,
Mado, 1647 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Naf-Naf Grill, 1095 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville
Nhu' Lan Bakery, 2612 W. Lawrence Ave.
Shui Wah, 2162 S. Archer Ave.
Tampopo, 5665 N. Lincoln Ave.
That's-A-Burger, 2134 E. 71st St.

Great Neighborhood Resources

Northwestern Cutlery, 810 W. Lake St.
J.P. Graziano Grocery, 901-905 W. Randolph St.
Pastoral, 2945 N. Broadway, 55 E. Lake St.
Peoria Packing Butcher Shop, 1300 W. Lake St.
The Spice House, 1512 N. Wells St.; 1912 Central St., Evanston; additional locations in Milwaukee and Geneva

You can download the 2009 edition of the LTHForum GNR Pocket Guide here.