Perennial

Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm, the duo behind Boka and Landmark, are also behind this American bistro in Lincoln Park's Park View Hotel. Giuseppe Tentori does double-duty as the exec chef here and at Boka (Ryan Poli, formerly of Butter, is the chef de cuisine). His seasonal menu features dishes like asparagus soup with poached egg, Parmesan tuile and lavender prosciutto dust, and farm-raised rainbow trout with sweet pea emulsion. The warm interior includes floor-to-ceiling windows, walnut accents, natural stone floors and a circular banquette seating area fitted with an illuminated planter holding ceiling-high white birch tree trunks. When the hotel opens in late 2008, guests and locals will be able to snag sweet and savory pastries and coffee during the day in a separate "parlor room," a dual-purpose space that morphs into a private dining room at night.