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Category: Italian
Neighborhood: The LoopLake (Red)
Washington (Blue, Red)
State/Lake (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
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First and foremost i think this place is 80% good food 20% hype...but its good food none the less. The atmosphere is great and it is right in the middle of Chicago's Theater District.
Waiter service is good and they have a full bar. My company recently rented out the bottom of the restaurant for a company event. We had a great time and were catered to nicely.
Parmesan Chicken was excellent. I had the dinner as part of a family style set up so I was lucky to taste a little bit of everything. The pasta bolognese was so tasty!!! I loved every bite of it. The white fish wasnt as good though. It was regular fish and was a but under seasoned and I even picked out a couple bones out of it. So I wouldnt recommend it.
The dessert menu was simple and nothing out of the ordinary. It was actually just a set up of cookies and cupcakes and angel food cake.
Over all it was a good experience but I don't think its a place I'd like to become a regular at.
A place that bills itself as THE place to eat before the theater and does not provide parking is committing a gross misrepresentation. Had the meal not otherwise been splendid, this would have been a complaint letter.
So perhaps our 4PM dinner time was a little early. But we were a party of 6 and our show started at 7 so we believe it common courtesey to plan ahead and not rush the staff at every turn. Imagine our surprise when we pulled up and - nothing. No valet eager to drive away our vehicle. Judging by the number of people queued up for the same I don't think we were alone in our expectations or incredulity. When taking a dinner reservation for 4PM the staff ought to let the party know that there would not be a valet and to make alternate plans. Normally driving is cheaper than round-trip cab fare but not in the theater district. Thanks for wasting $30.
But on to the meal itself.
How many ways are there to ruin Calamari? Pretty much none. Like sex and pizza, even when calamari is bad it's still pretty good. So how did it come to pass that Petterino's made their calamari appetizer so good that all others tasted ruined in comparison? Also good was the fried asparagus, the garlic potatoes, soups and of course, the entrées of salmon and steak. Indeed, it has been a long while since I ordered a steak rare and actually got it that way. Yes, I know the risks, no I don't care. Not to mention, most meat is irradiated anyway so all the stuff your parents taught you is more nostalgia than reality. When I order rare, I mean it. And here, rare was delivered. It was excellent.
It's a shame that the most memorable part of the meal has to compete with the most memorable irritation of the evening. They really should get a valet.
Love,
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Screams 'Lettuce Entertain You' right when you walk in the door.
But that is ok...and the experience was very good.
Arrived just before the lunch rush which quickly packed the place...
Our waitress was very good...kept the diet coke filled and replenished the bread basket.
Ordered the Monday special...Beef Stroganoff with a cup of Tomato Bisque.
The Tomato Bisque was WOW and I would like to go back for the lunch option which includes the bisque and a grilled cheese sandwich...(maybe I will add some bacon)
Beef Stroganoff was very good. The beef was not overcooked and the perfect amount of sour cream was dolluped on top...
Probably the best lunch option in that immediate area.
Dinner and show tunes just make a perfect evening. Especially in the heart of the theater district. I was apprehensive in going here since of the location and the Lettuce Entertain You aspect of it, but we had an out of town guest wanting to go someplace 'different' and 'Chicago-y', so thanks Yelp in the help with this one!
We had made reservations but noticed that there weren't too many people inside so thought we chance going in a bit early. We got a 'no problem!' and then 'are you here for the cabaret show?'. What? Show? Fantastic! So they showed up to some prime seats for the show they do every Monday at 7:30.
A fantastic deal if you go later in the evening is the 7 after 7. A prix fixe meal set up. And great choices too! I opted for the fabulous tomato bisque (yum!), the Armando chicken with asparagus and finished with the peppermint ice cream with fudge. The chicken was great, but the bisque before that filled me up that I could barely finish the chicken and realized that I had gotten a dessert that I was going to be unable to take home! Uh oh! So I did my best and trudged on through it.
I never realized that this place was connected to the Goodman Theater, which now makes sense why they are promoting meals after 7pm. To get people that are not going to one of the many theaters around there. I think this is our kind of place with the arts around you, the menu has the current season line up for all the theaters around there. Plus we got a show to boot!
The Monday night live music show was a hoot and they had some talent that's for sure. They seemed mostly like regulars though, except for one kiddo who was visiting town. Our in town guest seemed to enjoy this taste of Chicago which was mattered the most of course. It just goes to show that you never know what you're going to get when you walk into a restaurant around here! I have definitely found my pre-theater/opera restaurant after much searching!
Service is bad and very slow. Our server spilled my friend's wine all over her, served her soup with no spoon (and didn't come back until the soup was cold). Our food had obviously been under the food lamp because of the mix up. BTW - crab salad does not taste good after being under a food lamp. Plus, $40 for a salad and a beer feels a bit steep!
I won't be back!
This loop restaurant is very good for business people as well as theatre patrons. They have a special menu, "7 after 7" which is a package menus served after 7:00PM daily for $19.95. This is a great deal.
As a resident of the loop area, I like to try out the local places and have a small list ready to make recommendations to visitors. Petterino's would be on my list for good food and reasonable value. Not only do they have a good variety of primarily Italian food, but their special package for after 7:00PM is a great value -- especially for those of you on expense accounts. We all know how the boss wants us to keep costs to a minimum. This is a place that is expense account friendly.
The service is reasonable and the establishment is usually not as crowded after the theatre crowd leaves around 7:00PM, hence the special deal after that time. It is also a short walk to the Palmer House, Wit, Allegro (almost wrote Bismark - shows my age!), and Renaissance hotels.
I had the Blue Cheese encrusted steak and it was very tasty. The tomato soup I had was really good, too. I also found the portions just about right.
So when you are in the loop and need a place to eat and you have a taste for Italian fare, this is a good place for you to try.
Have to downgrade a star because they took 2 of my favorite desserts off the menu, although they've added a decent beef stroganoff as a Monday special.
Bring back the chocolate pudding, and all will be forgiven.
My co-worker and I come here pretty often when we're in the neighborhood. The tomato bisque is some… Read more »
Good place for a business lunch or a pre-theater dinner. Standard meat and fish dishes. Good "big" salads. I especially like the asparagus milanese appy!
I think you could have a great or disappointing meal here, depending on what you order.
We went here for lunch and it was really fun. The service was great. Our soups were great. The Tomato Bisque was fantastic. We split the salad with avocados. Not sure what it was called but it was great. Then we got the tilapia and the fetticini. We wanted to share everything so they did all the splitting in the kitchen. Nice! Love that.
They have these two bite desserts that are perfect. Get the applause molton chocolate cake. I loved it!
Overall, I really liked everthing except the pasta. I wouldn't suggest ordering their pasta dishes.
I feel like there are not a lot of great lunch sit down restaurants in the loop. This one is. It has a fifties type charm and they take pride in their food. I Iiked it and hope to go again soon.
You should make reservations if you go for lunch. They get really busy.
Everyone I work with loves coming here for lunch, but I think its
secretly because the service is so slow and its an excuse to get out
of the office for awhile. I really don't think the food here is that
great. It's not bad, but not worth dealing with the pretentious
waitstaff for. They also always run out of their lunch specials
halfway through the lunch hour. Basically, I can't think of anything
stand-out that I've eaten here that would be worth coming back for. I
can only judge based on the lunches I've had here, but nothing has
been good enough to merit coming here for dinner.
I'll start by saying I've never 'eaten in' the restaurant, so I can't comment on service inside.
Our firm has had two holiday parties in the (basement) banquet space, and the food and service were fantastic for both. Much better than other places we've used; highly recommended for banquets. Five stars for that.
I've had carry-out for lunch a couple times. They have a separate entrance for carry-out, but strangely they almost seemed put out that I was calling in an order (I work directly next door), or put me on hold for so long that I hung up. Their burgers are very good, though slightly pricey, no surprise there (their on-line menu no longer has prices, which is a little odd). I ordered chicken marsala, or whatever eqivalent they offered (it's no longer on the menu).....for $16, it was skimpy, to say the least, and I don't think it came with pasta, soup or salad. Oh well. Their food is consistently decent, if a little bland.
I went here for a recruiting event for our future interns. The food was okay, mostly regular Italian food that we all know. Nothing particularly impressive but their molten chocolate cake is a must try!!! It is the chocolatiest (is that even a word?) in town. I would suggest trying it with a empty stomach unless you want to puke out the chicken carbonara you just had. Yea, it's that rich.
I was really impressed with the food and the value here. The 7 After 7 Menu was excellent, choose from 7, 3 course meals after 7:00 for $19.95. They were happy to pack up dessert to take back to the hotel. My only complaint was with the slow and absent minded waitress. She was nice enough, but very slow bringing the food, bill, and dessert.
That baked sweet potato that they say serves two can serve about five. It was as big as my head!!
The salmon is good. Not amazing, but good.
We sat in a booth. I prefer booths to tables. More cozy.
Very busy, even pretty early in the evening. I am guessing everyone else that was going to see Wicked that night was eating there too.
Definitely an older crowd. As in, "my dad walked in and knew, like, ten people at the bar" kind of old.
If you're going to the theater on Lake St- this is where you should have dinner.
PARKING- If you're seeing a show- let them know, and they'll expect to park for you until the show is over.
SERVICE- These people have food preparation in time to get you to your show- down to a science. Whether you are a couple or a group.
DECOR- This place is so much larger on the inside than you would first realize. It's all dim and country-club wood on the inside, nice white tablecloths and candles on the tables. The walls are filled with caricatures of famous celebrities.
FOOD- It's not amazing, but it's good, it 's generous portions, and comes quickly.
DRINKS- In summer (since the bar is right by the front), they open up all the walls a you can sit and watch people pass by. Quite nice.
I went to an event in Petterino's banquet room downstairs and was satisfied. The decor was classy, the staff was extra helpful, and the food was really good. The Caesar salad had the right amount of dressing, cheese shavings and sizable croutons. The pasta were flavorful and the mashed potatoes and asparagus were spot on. This place is definitely a joint to hit up before a play in the area or hosting a private event. FYI, alcohol prices are typical of the Loop/River North area...more than my frugalness like to pay.
Petterino's has a fabulous dining deal going on right now. If you would like to dine after 7 on ANY night of the week, you can get a great 3-course meal for less than $20. Yep, that's right Yelpers only $19.95 for a solidly good 3-course meal. Here's how it works:
Petterino's has selected 7 appetizers, 7 entrees (from each of their dinner categories) and 8 desserts (yes, that kind of messes up the 7 but how could you leave off the Chocolate Applause cake?!) for you to choose from. They even have 7 wine selections for $7 a glass AND free valet parking. Great deal.
I have to say that Petterino's service and the quality of their food is not what I remember it to be when I frequented there a few years ago, but I'm still A-Ok with it. There's less of a crowd after 7 so the servers don't seem as harried. Sometimes there are mistakes on items (oops you said medium on that steak? Sorry this one you got is burned to a crisp!) but overall I'm a happy client.
Recommendations for the After 7 deal -- asparagus appetizer (3 stalks lightly fried with a creamy dipping sauce) or the caesar salad; Pot Roast (so tender!) or the pepper steak (if its cooked properly); chocolate applause cake (so rich!) or the sour cherry crumble.
I love Petterino's - its got the right sort of laid-back, old-school vibe where you feel like you… Read more »
I have never been to the restaurant, however I was here for a wedding on New Year's Eve. Overall I was not expecting much based on the dark/old appearance of the place. After my experience there I felt compelled to write. The staff working the event was extremely friendly and accomodating. The food was wonderful, I was expecting scallops served on a buffet to be chewy...they were anything but that. The parmesean scallops melted in your mouth like butter. They also had the chicken parmesean and filet which were both spectacular.
This wedding has compelled me to want to try the restaurant too. I'll keep you posted.
I went here before a show and had a good experience. The waitstaff was very attentive and I didn't find it slow at all. In fact they asked what time our show was so that we had plenty of time to eat and get there before it started. Drinks were pretty expensive, but in the city you expect that - I opted for lemonade which was good after adding some sugar. I liked the optional prix fixe "Theater Menu", but opted for sharing the chopped salad, Chicken Armando, Strip Steak and Key Lime Pie with the people I was dining with. All of the food was good, but not amazing and I felt like the menu lacked pizazz. They do have a good deal for valet parking if you aren't close to public transportation, but expect a line in the bathroom no matter what.
Repeat visit because we happened to be in the area and were hungry. Again - they do have excellent service. But this visit really confirmed that the food is just plain mediocre.
I went with the servers recommendation for the special of the day. Why didn't I listen to myself?? I knew what I was ordering was probably going to be ehhh, but he raved about it. So I gave it a try and was sadly disappointed. On the other hand, my husband really enjoyed his dish. This place seems good for comfort food dishes, not anything too unique - as thats not their thing.
So all in all ... its a two star place, but the service gives it a bump to three stars.
Went with a group of friend for pre-theater dinner. Service was outstanding (too bad I cant… Read more »
I'd been hearing about Petterino's for a while and finally made it by a few weeks ago. We didn't have reservations, so when we dropped in we were seated at a small table in the bar area. Definitely a nice alternative to waiting around for two hours.
The bar area looked like a replica of something from an old gangster film. Maybe like a laminated photo of something from that time. That's not a complaint either. Nothing about the place was over the top or bombastic. I'd heard Petterino's had a reputation for making marvelous drinks, so I ordered a Manhattan to down before dinner. I'll give it a B. Not fantastic, but certainly better than most places. If I'm ever looking for a primo Manhattan, I'm still going to the Green Mill.
I ordered the Chicken Armando and my friend ordered some other delicious chicken thing. All I know is that they were both delicious. Good sized portions, great sauce, tender meat. Yes.
Nothing about the service leaps out at me other than the fact that after we finished our meal, even though there was quite a crowd now waiting for a table, we never felt rushed or hurried to leave by the staff. Not to say we sat and ordered coffee and pulled out a chess board, but it was nice not to catch attitude in a busy downtown restaurant on the weekend.
I will for sure, most definitely, absolutely, be back.
My goto for lunch in the Loop.
Standard Lettuce Entertain You quality.
For lunch, I prefer the Grilled Chicken Club. Perfect. Great tastes. The side pickup window provides for an easy in-out option.
For dinner, when they say jumbo, they mean it. The Crispy Coconut Jumbo Shrimp are huge. Went with a steak and glass of wine. Taste great, great service, great quality.
My only advice is for the walk-ins. Petterino's is located right in the theater district. After a show, the restaurant fills up. Be advised.
I love the bread here! It's good. I like the tomato bisque; it's a nice lunch dish. I like that I can come here and have some nice food without dropping too much dough. Service is good, and they didn't give me the stink-eye for sitting along and reading throughout my meal. Good times, good food.
Petterino's hearkens back to another era -- red plush banquettes, tuxedo-clad waiters, and framed caricatures of actors on the walls. This was also clearly a time period when restaurants weren't nearly as noisy as they are today; we enjoyed a wonderfully quiet meal on a Friday night and could hear everyone around the table (as opposed to dinner at Quartino last Friday, when no one in the party was audible).
The food is fair. We had a party of five, and several of us opted for the "theater menu," from which you can select a soup or salad, an entree and a dessert for a set price. The corn chowder had a good taste and was full of vegetables, though seemed a bit thin for something calling itself a "chowder". The entree of potato-crusted tilapia with a sherry-caper-butter sauce had a nicely browned exterior, although the texture of the fish leaned precariously towards mushy in the center; the sauce married well with the potato crust and was not greasy (sometimes a problem with butter sauces).
The dessert of "strawberry tall cake" was a deconstructed strawberry shortcake: angel food cake (not spongy or flavorless like the kind you get at the store; you could see flecks of vanilla beans in it too) sat on the powdered-sugar-dusted plate beside a small heap of sliced strawberries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Tasty, though why not put it all together?
If you don't order from the "theater menu," everything is a la carte, and side dishes are meant to be shared by two people (so be prepared for spoon wars...).
Service was polished in an old-school manner, overseen by the aforementioned tuxedo-attired waiter, (in our case, John) who'd clearly been doing this for more than a few years and didn't mind telling us what to do a little bit. His recommendations ended up being good ones.
You're here for the setting, even more so than the food; I really liked that it was subdued as far as noise, and when the theater crowd departed, it got even quieter! For this fact alone I would come back.
Petterino's is attached to the Goodman Theater, so it does draw the theater crowd of course, though other groups were in evidence as well. Dress was toward the nicer end (thanks to the theater group), though people were in jeans as well.
Valet parking was available and convenient; $10 for dinner, and $14 for dinner and the show.
I'd definitely come back to Petterino's for a quiet and classy meal in the Loop.
On our first night in Chicago after a long and stressful move, we stopped into Petterino's for dinner because it looked appealing from the outside (or perhaps we were just very cold). Inside, it felt charming and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Our waiter conversed with us, even my father, who has an odd sense of humor, and he was helpful with recommendations. My only complaint was that the service was quite slow at times. I felt we waited much longer than normal for our food, check, etc., but the friendliness of the staff and the professional demeanor made up for that.
The food itself was good but not excellent, with the exception of the tomato bisque soup, which was divine. I had a skirt steak with fries, which was tasty but the meat was quite tough. My boyfriend had the Steak Diane, which was flavorful and much more tender than my steak. My father ate ravioli, but he is very simple to please, especially with a good bottle of wine, which we did enjoy. We didn't try dessert, as the portions were big enough to fill us and the service was quite slow.
I wouldn't call Petterino's a place I'd go regularly, but it's interesting enough and the food is good enough to warrant occasional visits, especially with out of town company that would be interested in the decor and atmosphere. I also would like to try it for lunch, as the other reviews seem to suggest it as a nice sit down spot for lunch in the Loop, a good break from the regular fast food.
I was quite pleasantly surprised with my second (third I guess technically) time at Petterino's. The first time was a late dinner after a function at the Goodman, and it left a bad taste. I wasn't impressed with the food or the service and pretty much regarded it with a shrug thereafter.
The second time was only for one cocktail, a pretty delicious dirty martini - so that counts, but not for a ton.
Today I took myself to lunch via a Lettuce gift card and prepared myself to make an official judgment. It was after 2 so the place was empty except for the bar, but my server was on top of it. He greeted me immediately and brought me bread and iced tea with a smile.
I ordered the grilled chicken club which was easily the best club sandwich I have ever had. Hands down. Fresh ingredients, perfectly cooked bacon and chicken, fresh bread. They graciously subbed out the fries with some excellent steamed asparagus, and I inhaled almost the whole thing. The tea was fresh brewed and fantastic. They refilled me before the glass was empty (that goes a long way).
The bill came to $13, I let him keep the rest of the money on the gift card. He called me "miss" instead of "ma'am", which is worth a nice tip I say.
I'm working nearby and went for lunch. Had the chicken club per Penny's suggestion - it was really quite nice. Very busy lunch spot with a pleasant atmosphere. Great waiter, friendly staff.
Side note - I came here 7 years ago when i was in town. They make phenomenal dirty martinis with bleu cheese stuffed olives. F*cking tasty!
Petterino's is good for a special dinner but for a regular lunch I found it quite pricey and what I ordered, glorified fetticini alfredo, was rather tasteless. The server who came around to refill my Sprite instead filled my glass the rest of the way with water leaving that all too familiar watered down soda taste. Service other than that was fast and with that quickness came every server who walked by stepping on my foot. This is a great place to go if you want to listen to Rich business men discuss their personal views on the world which is comedy in and of its own. Where else can you go and listen to a business man discuss how he would feel if the economy tanked and he wouldn't be able to live the Petterino's for daily lunch lifestyle anymore. I gave it the 3rd star only because of the humor content of eating there for lunch on a business day!
i had a club sandwich here. what? it was hot and my dad wanted to sit on the patio. a steaming plate of steak or fish was not appealing to me. it was just ok although my dad said he liked his steak. 1 star for the club, 2 for my dad's steak and the nice atmospheric patio and good wait staff. but i've had better. also the lemonade was way too sweet.
We went to this restaurant before a play, and it was really good food.
I was impressed, with the wait staff and the food. Nice atmosphere.
A hidden gem in Chicago, because it's not on Rush, but not be missed, if you get a chance to go there.
so i've been holding onto these lettuce entertain you gift cards for almost two years. when our company holiday party turned into a byobb (bring your own brown bag), i decided that two coworkers and myself should use the gift cards and splurge on lunch for ourselves. so, we pick petterino's.
my friend ordered the salmon, i ordered the sea scallops, and my other friend ordered a cheeseburger. let's go through it shall we? we picked up our order and the gentleman working the carryout was very friendly. we left in good spirits. we get back into the office and my mouth is watering for these sea scallops. i open my tupperware container and am confused. what am i looking at? my first thought is - they messed up my order. my second thought is - this looks disgusting. it was a log-shaped breaded thing....it couldn't be sea scallops, could it? it was!! apparently by "garlic crusted" they meant breaded. and the sauce! yuck! i think i ate one and a half scallops before i threw it away, and tried to forget about. and believe me, i'm a member of the clean plate club.
it was practically inedible and i could just imagine the following scenario tomorrow: so i got carryout from petterino's....yeah....the sea scallops...and i haven't stopped yaking.
my friend's salmon, which i only had a tiny bite of, tasted better than mine but i didn't sample enough to really judge. and my friend's cheeseburger was pretty good. it's hard to f up a cheeseburger, though, am i right?! they also forgot her french fries - who wants a burger without french fries?
we also got soups and bread with our meals. but everything was slightly warmer that room temperature (i know it was a three block walk but really?) and i just couldn't eat lukewarm soup after losing my appetite after looking at/tasting those f'n scallops! my friend ate her soup, she said it was bleh.
so, $55 later, i understand why it is that i write yelp reviews....because i love to eat and i know what good food tastes like. this is a shit restaurant in a prime location in downtown chicago and tourism has to be the only thing keeping it alive. man being a tourist sucks sometimes.
The hostess and wait staff here don't prefer to help anyone who doesn't look like they're coming from a hard day of museum benefits and spa treatments. As you can imagine, they didn't like the looks of us- even though we were dropping a ton of cash (this place ain't cheap). So, just to spite them, we frequented it multiple times one summer, ordered fancy drinks, talked really loud about violent video games and our sex lives, and then tipped really well. WE SHOWED THEM!
One day though, we finally got fed up and moved our lunch parties across the street to Arby's.
I do not really like this place since it's very cramped in. The table were too close to one another. You always feel the need to move your chair closer to the table whenever a waiter or a customer pass by. Therefore, I end up eating my meal while putting my awareness on "high" which kind of ruin the mood.
The service was quite good.
I would not go here or take any of my friends here since their foods were ok but not special to introduce to friends. I only went here because a friend like it and she always wanted to dine here after the Goodman.
I just enjoyed a delicious lunch here. Everything was very good, starting with the bread basket (hooray, rye with raisins & seeds!). The corn chowder had plenty of vegetables and tasted creamy but was not too thick or glue-like. The Chicken Armando was extremely tender and moist, and the parmesan crust was tasty. I also ate one of my friend's baked ravioli, which was tasty and had a great texture --- crispy on the outside & light on the inside.
The service was excellent. We were out of there almost exactly an hour after we were seated, but this is not a place to enjoy a quick work lunch. Prices for lunch were reasonable; it looks like they increase at dinner.
No complaints at all. I will happily be back.
My favorite Lettuce Entertain you lunch spot. Not only because it is around the corner from my office, but because it is a nice lunch place to splurge and I know it is going to be good food and good service. Love the salads - I could eat the steak salad and tomato bisque soup for every meal. Finish it off with some flourless chocolate cake and I am good for a good food coma in the office for the rest of the afternoon. Dont forget to get your Lettuce Points and grab your leftover bag!!!
TIP: If you are headed to the theater, this place is a great stop...and they will serve you fast if you are running late for the first act.
I've been here twice now-- both times right before a show nearby. And both times, the food was delicious, the service was wonderful, and the caricatures were quite entertaining to look at. When the waiter tells you that the items on the menu in red are their specialty, they're not lying. All red items rule! So, while I wouldn't go out of my way to come here for a random Friday night dinner-- this place is a must before going to a show (especially because the $14 dinner + show valet price is such a deal).
Speaking of valet, though-- my friend swears the valet took all the silver from his coin tray (leaving only the copper) and also rifled through some of the other compartments (without even trying to cover it up). So yeah. Make sure you don't leave anything valuable or important in your car. And maybe hide your shiny Mr. Washingtons while you're at it.
I came here to get the chocolate applause everyone kept yapping about on yelp but after a medioacre t-bone steak, I was informed it is now called the 'Chocolate Ovation'. was it still good? yes very much so, but I was expecting a hot chocolate cake, with chocolate oozing out. that, to me, is how chocolate cake should be. but oh well, I was somewhat satisfied with the ovation. a nice old-fashioned spot that did not change its style to be with the new metro look, for this I like.
I went here on a business lunch and found it to be like a step back in time. And I mean that in the best way possible. When I first walked in, I noticed the VIP wall. This wall has nameplates of frequent important diners. If one of these VIPs makes a reservation, they take your nameplate off the wall and put it on the table to reserve it. Crazy! I also got a kick out of the portraits on the wall. With the slew of political ads we see in the city, it was easy to pick out their portraits on the wall.
The service and food were great. I had the Chicken Pot Pie. I was tickled when they brought the puff pastry to me without the pot pie filling. Then the waiter preceeded to poke a hole in the pastry and spoon the pot pie filling in! It was tasty and the pastry stayed crispy. My only complaint was that the salad dressing was a little too heavy on my side salad.
This was one of the first places I went to when I moved to Chicago, and I have come back periodically ever since. A great menu, with excellent service is the story here. You'll have to share the place with a constant theater crowd (read: mostly tourists who can't figure out north from east... yes, Lake Michigan = East, big tall buildings = west). The decor is a throwback to swank, Rat Pack-ish joints with the illusion that a celeb will pop out from around the corner (haven't seen one there yet).
The bar area tends to stay smokier than I like, even at lunch... but then again, it's the bar.
Try their chocolate multi course dessert... pretty amazing. As for the rest of the meal, I haven't run into anything I wouldn't try a second time.
Been here twice. Once for a banquet, and I chalked the mediocre experience up to banquet food until I went here yesterday.
The Decor is great. Very old-school theater restaurant with carricatures on the walls and waitstaff in tuxedos. I ordered a chesseburger medium rare as I am wont to do.
This thing came out PURPLE. So rare that it barely held together. I fought with stomach pain all night from it.
The taste was decent, but c'mon people. I expect more out of a $9 cheeseburger.
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Places I like to visit with the family when they…
