Bistro One West, Saint Charles

Executive Chef Doug D’Avico uses simple artisan techniques to craft modern menus that change often, helping Bistro One West earn a spot on Chicago magazine's list of best new restaurants in Chicago. More specifically, it was recognized for best new dish in the May 2012 issue, an honor bestowed upon a lightly seared swordfish fillet. This is just one dish that exemplifies Chef D’Avico’s straightforward approach. Other dishes include chicken sourced from Miller Farms seasoned with lemon and rosemary, and house-made sweet-corn ice cream with blueberries and caramel sauce that magnetically attracts the spoons of strangers. Meals can be enhanced with a selection from the restaurant’s comprehensive wine list.

Bistro One West was carved from the frame of a vacant factory on the shore of the Fox River, lending it both an airy, loft-like feel and an atmosphere rich with the resonant echo of laborer's ditties. The dining room is awash in dark wood and exposed brick, and the patio sates eyes and ears alike with views of the meandering river and the music of live bands on Friday and Saturday evenings.