Given all of the drama surrounding Esquire’s Best New Restaurants list last year (we’ll give the abbreviated version in a minute for those living in a cave), we weren’t really surprised that not a single Chicago restaurant made critic John Mariani’s list this year. After including Butter as a top pick and discounting Alinea and Moto as general hocus-pocus (apparently uber-contemporary is not a style of cuisine Mariani digs), Mariani came under fire from Moto chef Homaro Cantu for supposedly sending a list of likes and dislikes to the restaurant via the restaurant’s publicist at the time, Wagstaff Worldwide, the same company that represents Butter. Cantu also said Mariani’s demands include a free meal and a limo from his hotel (both of which he apparently received from Butter) and that when he wouldn’t comply, his restaurant got slammed. Of course Mariani denied it, but given his complaints after dining at Alinea, Gourmet magazine’s Best Restaurant in America, we doubt he would have been pleased with Moto even if the free meal and limo came with Scarlett Johansson as a dining partner.

Back to the point: no Chicago restaurants made this year’s list. While it’s officially titled “Best New Restaurants 2006,” we’re assuming that an October issue went to print at least two months ago, negating any openings that occur during the latter half of the year. By that logic, Schwa, which opened in late September of 05, should make the cut, right? Well, we emailed Mariani to see what was up. Here’s the transcript:

HS: I will say I was surprised Schwa didn’t get a mention in this year’s list.

JM: Unfortunately Shwa did not fall within the time limit; it opened, I believe, earlier. I also was not encouraged by much of what I read about the restaurant, service, and food, which sounded more like an experiment than a hospitable restaurant. The lack of a winelist would keep it from a list of the 20 best in the entire USA. Wine is an integral part of fine dining. Also, the limited menu and the requirement to eat a 10-12 course tasting menu gives no options to the guest, as I understand it, and the description of the dishes gives the guest little info as to what he’s eating until he eats it. This sounds more playful than user friendly.

We’re calling bullshit. True, Schwa is BYOB. But I think they’re opening themselves up to a whole new clientele being such. Any kid with the heart and passion to be a cook can barely afford to go check out what top chefs in the city are currently doing, which is a shame. At least at a BYOB those with less cash to blow can still indulge in the food and not get gouged on the wine. As far as limited menu goes, that limited menu changes at least once a month. And since when didn’t an upscale restaurant offer a tasting menu-only format? At least Schwa offers an affordable $55 three-course in addition to the big blowout for $100. Lastly, look at any contemporary menu in the country and you’re going to find “limited descriptions,” i.e. “pork + apple + maple + fennel.” If you’re worried that a restaurant is too playful, perhaps you’re in the wrong game.