L20 Named One of Travel and Leisure's 50 Best New American Restaurants

There's just no stopping Chicago on its march toward the title of America's Dining Capital. As restaurants elsewhere flounder, the Windy City hits it out of the park in every category. No other city, for instance, has an opening to match the ambition of L20, a neo-Modernist seafood temple where Laurent Gras proves that he might be the most commanding chef in the country. Think gracious, unstarchy service, a fine-tuned wine list, and a masterful tasting menu that weds Gallic rigor and opulence to Japanese skill with raw fish. Out come delicate morsels of kimmedai (big-eye snapper), lightly smoked over cherrywood and slicked with apricot oil. Then, a voluptuous shrimp tartare under a scattering of pansies and edible gold dust. All this in a suave open space that would impress even Mies van der Rohe with its serene, plush geometires and attention to detail. If you're going to splurge on one grand meal this year, L20 is your place.