vermilion chicago (Tapas), Chicago

Vermilion has garnered a great deal of press and accolades over the years. From being named one of Chicago magazine’s Best New Restaurants of 2004 to gracing the pages of Esquire in an article titled "15 More Restaurants Not to Miss," the restaurant is no stranger to the spotlight. And at the heart of its success is Rohini Dey, a former consultant who, in 2003, decided to dive whisk first into the restaurant biz. Inspired by her Indian heritage, Dey set out to re-engineer the country’s traditional approach, fusing contemporary homeland flavors with elements of similarly bold Latin cuisine. The restaurant is also now offering a new relaunched menu designed by chefs Anup Patwal & Javier Alvarez, who were featured on the CNBC show Consumed.

At Vermilion’s Chicago and New York City locations, the chefs craft meat and vegetarian fusions. Some of their most successful creations include the Gourmet-lauded duck-vindaloo arepas, lobster tail stewed in coconut-and-curry-leaf gravy, which was named the top dish worldwide by USA Today in 2004, and the tandoori skirt steak, hailed by Esquire Vermilion's chefs have competed on Iron Chef, Top Chef and judged Chopped.

Vermilion has also been praised for its goal of bringing women into high-profile culinary positions. In fact, Dey partnered with the James Beard Foundation to do just that via the Women in Culinary Leadership program. The program has since earned praise from the likes of CBS and The Wall Street Journal.