/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39122854/Owen-Engine-260.0.jpg)
Each year, the very vocal food lovers at LTHForum—all 11,000 of them—come together to nominate and debate what they deem a Great Neighborhood Restaurant and Resource. And each year they focus on a select number of spots, mostly throughout the city, but also some in the suburbs, they feel is a "place that has special character, special products or food, or all of the above."
This year, 19 new spots were highlighted, including the Butcher & Larder, Big Jones, Jimmy's Pizza Cafe, Inovasi, Barnaby's (in Northbrook), Owen & Engine, Lao Hunan, La Chaparrita, Floriole Cafe and more. The cool thing about the LTH list is that it's not about what's hot, hip or new. It focuses on places, both high end and super low end (like Redhot Ranch for hot dogs and fried shrimp), that offer, simply, great food. Check out the full list below and then click through to the site to see why they chose these places.
Resources:
· The Butcher & Larder (1026 N. Milwaukee, Chicago)
· Romanian Kosher Sausage Company (7200 N. Clark, Chicago)
Restaurants:
· Bad Apple (4300 N. Lincoln, Chicago)
· Barnaby's of Northbrook (960 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook)
· Big Jones (5347 N. Clark, Chicago)
· La Chaparrita (2500 S. Whipple, Chicago)
· Cho Jung (952 Harlem, Glenview)
· Floriole Café & Bakery (1220 W. Webster, Chicago)
· La France Café & Crepes (939 S. Main Street, Lombard)
· Inovasi Restaurant (28 Center Avenue, Lake Bluff)
· Jimmy's Pizza Café (5159 N. Lincoln, Chicago)
· Lao Hunan (2230 S. Wentworth, Chicago)
· Nha Hang (1032 W. Argyle, Chicago)
· Owen & Engine (2700 N. Western, Chicago)
· Pleasant House Bakery (964 W. 31st Street, Chicago)
· Redhot Ranch (2072 N. Western, Chicago)
· Rip's Tavern (311 N. Main, Ladd)
· Taqueria Los Gallos #2 (4252 S. Archer, Chicago)
· Troha's Chicken & Shrimp (4151 W. 26th Street, Chicago)
· 2012 New Great Neighborhood Restaurants & Resources [LTHForum]