One of Chicago‘s most popular dining institutions, Topolobampo helmed by celebrity chef Rick Bayless, has been crowned the most outstanding restaurant in the US at an awards ceremony that’s billed as the Oscars of the culinary world. Winners of the James Beard Foundation Awards were announced at a ceremony out of Chicago Monday, which recognizes […]The post NYC’s Le Coucou And Chicago’s Topolobampo Named Best US Restaurants appeared first on Pursuitist.

One of Chicago‘s most popular dining institutions, Topolobampo helmed by celebrity chef Rick Bayless, has been crowned the most outstanding restaurant in the US at an awards ceremony that’s billed as the Oscars of the culinary world. Winners of the James Beard Foundation Awards were announced at a ceremony out of Chicago Monday, which recognizes the top chefs, restaurants, and restaurateurs across the US.Twenty-eight years after opening Topolobampo, which serves inventive, elegant Mexican cuisine, Bayless took to the stage to accept the night’s highest honor — the culinary equivalent of best picture.Described as the “quiet, sleek, classy” and daring version of his flagship restaurant Frontera Grill, the menu at Topolobampo is organized under categories like “vibrant,” “soulful,” unexpected” and “complex.”Sopa Azteca, for instance, is categorized as a “soulful” dish, for its dark, chili-infused broth, wood-gr...