Four Chicago Restaurants Earn AAA Five Diamond

AAA has announced its Five Diamond Award recipients for 2013 and four Chicago restaurants have retained their rating. Alinea, Arun's, Everest and Tru all earned the award, tying the city with Las Vegas for the second-most behind New York. The Five Diamond restaurants remain unchanged from last year with the exception of Charlie Trotter's, which has since closed. All four have held the top ranking for at least seven years.

While it has so far failed to garner a Michelin Award, Next also enters the list as a new Four Diamond Awardee. It will be sure to generate some discussion but it's interesting to compare differences between the various dining guides. With such a vast and diverse anount of restaurants in Chicago, there seems to be little consensus on which spots are the most prestigious, aside from Alinea. Either way, it's promising to see that there are so many quality places capable of impressing critics and diners alike.

Tru [Photo: Barry Brecheisen]

· Alinea, Arun's, Everest, Tru Named AAA Five Diamond Restaurants [Crain's]
· 2013 Michelin Guide Chicago Star Ratings Unleashed [~EChi~]