LOGAN SQUARE — Lula Cafe, Fat Rice and Jam in Logan Square and Avondale's Urban Belly were among 59 restaurants named in the 2014 Michelin Guide "Bib Gourmand" category released Thursday.
The honor was a first for Fat Rice, which opened last year, and Jam made the list for the second year in a row since moving to Logan Square in November 2011.
Lula Café, which has made the list several times, returned after being left off the 2013 guide.
Though Avondale's much-loved Urban Belly is reportedly moving to the Near West Side after closing last month, it once again made the list in the guide's Humboldt Park & Logan Square section.
"It's an honor," Fat Rice co-owner and chef Abraham Conlon said Thursday afternoon. "We're happy to have such an awesome team that made it possible."
The popular Chinese-Portuguese fusion eatery, which will mark its one-year anniversary next week, is no stranger to kudos.
Aside from getting rave reviews from local critics, Fat Rice was also named fourth best new restaurant in America by foodie magazine Bon Appétit.
"We've achieved a lot in this year and this is just the icing on the cake," he said, though Conlon was quick to add that they're not letting it go to their heads.
"We're not resting on our laurels," he said. "We're always striving to making things better."
