Several new restaurants are receiving accolades in Chicago. We visited five to find out why.

Several new restaurants are receiving accolades in Chicago. We visited five to find out why.
Chef Shawn McClain opened Spring, at 2039 W. North Ave., in the eclectic Wicker Park neighborhood, in June 2001 in a space that once housed a bathhouse. He created a sleek, Zen-inspired setting with a menu focused on seafood. The specialties of the house include lemon grass and coconut soup and scallops with braised oxtail and mushrooms in sweet soy sauce. It was easy to see and taste why Spring was picked restaurant of the year by Chicago food critics.Food & amp; Wine magazine has named America's "best new chefs" for 2003, and Bruce Sherman is among the talented 10. Sherman reigns over North Pond in a beautiful setting at 2610 N. Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. From a seat in the newly added second dining room, next to the flickering fireplace, you can see geese skimming across the pond. The food was just as lovely. The daily tasting menu is $65, or try the recommended farm egg with duck, wild striped bass and bittersweet chocolate souffl & eacute;.When we called to move back our reservation at Platiyo by a half-hour, the maitre d' said that might be a problem. We saw why when we arrived to a jam-packed house. Platiyo, at 3313 N. Clark St., is a boisterous, colorful Mexican restaurant with fabulous food at modest prices. The appetizer platter of guacamole, ceviche, mushroom sopes and chicken flautas was a sumptuous meal in itself, but we followed that with tortillas wrapped around roasted pork. The restaurant offers an extensive list of aged tequilas and mezcales for the brave. The meek can try the pistachio flan.MOD, at 1520 N. Damen in Wicker Park, has a futuristic look and a down-to-earth chef in Kelly Courtney. We visited for brunch and tried blueberry pancakes smothered in toasted walnuts, whipped cream and fresh fruit and a soft-cooked egg topped with caviar and smoked bacon. The dinner menu included roasted black mussels, presented on a flat-iron skillet, and cornflake-encrusted catfish with andouille sausage, braised mustard greens and hush puppies. Modern soul food.We had visited Erwin before, which was a good enough reason to go back. Named for chef Erwin Drechsler, the bistro-style restaurant at 2925 N. Halsted St. pairs fine food and fine wines with interesting selections of each. How about a Hugel Pinot Blanc with the shiitake and crimini mushroom cakes, or a Vignalta Cabernet with the wood-grilled flank steak with chipotle barbecue sauce? Sounds good to me.