The big news coming out of Chicago’s culinary world is that restaurant Sepia might be the best restaurant to open in the Windy City this year. Housed in a former printing shop, Sepia deftly balances style and substance, serving seasonal fare in utterly remarkable, fresh ways — think watermelon salad with goat-yogurt dressing, or pork rillette and roast rabbit. Chef Kendal Duque also cooks up sea bass with vegetables and a wonderful flat iron steak with fingerling potatoes. Don’t debate about going: the buzz on this place is so hot reservations are hard to get. Entrées are $12-$27.
—Elaine Glusac