Whenever I return to Chicago, it is always difficult to narrow the list of new restaurants I’d like to try. These four presented the most memorable meals of my visit.

42 grams

This tiny BYOB restaurant hidden in an unpromising northside neighborhood was once easy to reserve. But that has changed with the acquisition of two Michelin stars. Tickets purchased through the website include the tasting menu, tax and tip, as well as seats at either a 10-person communal table or a counter facing the open kitchen (our preference). The restaurant started “underground” in chef Jake Bickelhaupt’s apartment, and it still feels like a dinner party, with Bickelhaupt’s wife acting as hostess and master of ceremonies. Almost all 13 courses on the menu dazzled. A wildly creative dish of asparagus gelato, salt-cured tuna, sea buckthorn cream, wood sorrel and apricot kernels created fireworks of flavor, as did courses such as sous-vide egg yolk with ramps, amaranth and chanterelles, and triple-seared Miyazaki wagyu beef with baby bok choy, Japanese pickled plums and rich crumbs of dehydrated beef tendon and marrow. This restaurant is well worth the taxi ride. Reserve far in advance.

42 grams
4662 North Broadway.