Sightings: Miami Heat’s LeBron James, New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter and San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana, actors Vince Vaughn, John Cusack, Colin Farrell, Jeremy Piven, Channing Tatum, Josh Duhamel, Jared Leto, Leighton Meester, Jason Statham, Patrick Dempsey, David Schwimmer, Kate Walsh, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, singers Fergie and Kesha, rapper Common, rock bands Green Day and Soundgarden, the Bears’ Jay Cutler, the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and reality TV star Nicole Richie.

Star moment: Any restaurant with this much star power is going to have a wait — you just don’t expect to see the stars doing the waiting. That’s what happened when the cast of “Glee” unexpectedly stopped by in May. Guests at Sunda got to see the cast of one of the hottest shows on television standing in the foyer until a table was ready.

6. SUNDA
Celebs: “Entourage” star Jeremy Piven, Ryan Kwanten, “Today” co-host Meredith Vieira, Blackhawks’ Dave Bolland, “Project Runway” alum Santino Rice, UFC fighter Sean Sherk.

I might have ranked Sunda higher, but I’d never heard of Sherk. UFC makes my stomach queasy. (The rock shrimp tempura at Sunda, on the other hand, has the opposite effect).

A large, bustling pan-Asian funhouse, Sunda is a trendy place to be seen as much as it is a place to dine. The sprawling, chic dining room boasts high ceilings, an earthy color palette, polished bamboo, and carved stonework housing plenty of beautiful people.

The menu is presented family-style and roams the Asian continent, stopping to pick up salads, appetizers (dumplings, tempura, and rolls), sushi, rice, noodles, and an assortment of larger entrées. Charsiu barbecue pork is a must, presented as a lean boneless pork chop with a red tinged glaze made from honey, miso, and palm sugar, accompanied by tender pieces of bok choy. Rock shrimp tempura isn’t bad either with the crispy critters bathed in a sweet, honey aioli with glazed walnuts.

It may not be full-blown Chicago winter yet, but the cold weather has already arrived. If you are fighting the urge to begin hibernating, perhaps a tasty, seasonal cocktail will pull you out of the cave. Many restaurants and bars around the city have added special winter drinks to their menus, and we rounded up some of the options. Check them out–and let us know if we missed any!