Fat Rice named Bon Appetit's fourth best new restaurant in America

The salada gordo at Fat Rice restaurant, 2957 W. Diversey~Chicago Sun-Times File

Fat Rice, a Chicago restaurant dedicated to the food of Macau, was named the fourth best new restaurant in the United States by Bon Appetit magazine.

“A year ago, I would have had a hard time describing Macanese food, let alone finding a restaurant serving it that belonged on this list,” Andrew Knowlton wrote at www.bonappetit.com. “That all changed when I ate at Chicago’s Fat Rice.”

Macau is a former Portugese colony that now joins Hong Kong as one of two Chinese special administration region.

In a December 2012 food review for the Chicago Sun-Times, critic Michael Nagrant said Fat Rice’s “originality alone is a beacon of hope for Chicago’s continuing culinary evolution.”

“It’s a sort of Chinese grandma’s kitchen meets Logan Square hipster bar,” he wrote.

Fat Rice, 2957 W. Diversey, was one of three Chicago restaurants nominated for the list. The other two were Grace, 652 W. Randolph, and Trencherman, 2039 W. North.