John's Food and Wine

At 2114 N. Halsted in Lincoln Park, chef-owners Adam McFarland and Tom Rogers have built a restaurant without servers — you order at the counter, they bring the food — that nonetheless reads as a serious destination rather than a neighborhood convenience. The cooking is seasonal and confident: vegetables treated as the main event, pristine seafood, handmade pastas, dry-aged meats. The wine list leans toward small grower producers and natural bottles, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence confirms the program is not an afterthought.

The exposed white brick and long banquette give the room a particular warmth that the counter format might otherwise undercut. John's is the kind of restaurant that accumulates regulars quickly because there is nothing to complain about — the food is good, the room is pleasant, the price is fair, and the wine is something you want to spend time with.