Petterino's

Recommends

MealSchpeal com

Joined 4 years ago

Eat, see show. Can't go wrong.. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

Colonel79

Joined 4 years ago

Mediocre food at high prices. This place is popular before shows since it's so close, but avoid it. It's a tourist trap. I feel like I paid for Applebee's quality food at 4 times the price! I expected much considering their prices, but will never ever return. The food is mediocre at best. Next time I'll take a cab or go to Catch 35 or Bin 36. It's worth the extra money or walk to avoid this place.

Me: I got the Prime Rib with twice baked potato. Someone needs to teach the chef how to cook a prime rib. The outside of my prime rib was overcooked while the inside was almost raw. The waiter's solution was to toss it back on the grill. It also had a HUGE fat chunk in it. Medium grade meat completely mis-cooked. Also, my twice baked potato was dry and bland. Sour cream, cheese and bacon couldn't even save it.

Girlfriend: Skirt steak with french fries. The skirt steak was overdone and lacking flavor. She always gets skirt steak and this one ranks dead last. The fries came out cold.

We also split the coconut shrimp and iceberg wedge: Nothing special.

Doesn't Recommend

seriouslysincere

Joined 5 years ago

Someone tell them raw chicken makes you sick. While we were there, the service was good. However, they undercooked my dinner which was chicken armando and I paid for it for about a week. I started eating it and I thought it might be a little pink, but I couldn't imagine that they really messed it up that badly. It wasn't until the last two bites that I discovered it was RAW in places. I didn't eat that part, but by then it was too late. Unfortunately, I was there in a social situation that precluded me from confronting them at the time, and they never responded to my email informing them that they made me sick. But stomach cramps and intestinal distress (this website won't let me use the medical term for it) aren't fond memories.

Obviously, I won't be back there, and I would recommend that you avoid it as well.

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dcintron1

Joined 5 years ago

Wonderful time!. I loved this place! Food was wonderful and our server was WONDERFUL! Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. Everything about it was just PERFECT!

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suecole13

Joined 6 years ago

Avoid if you're in a wheelchair! Service horrible.. For the price, the quality of the food should be better. Just average, and one of our orders wasn't even prepared as requested, which the waitress noticed half way through our meal. Speaking of service, our waitress was terrible and the restaurant was almost empty as the theatre had already started. I had to ask the bus boy for coffee, and finally yelled across the restaurant to get her attention and request our check. She was talking to the same table the whole time we were there. My mother is in a wheelchair. I had to scour the restaurant to find her chair, which was put in the coatroom and struggled w/the door and my mother in her wheelchair trying to exit the restaurant while the staff looked on. Unbelievable. I guess because it's the Loop theatre district, they can treat their customers any way they want because they'll always be packed. Avoid if you have special needs!

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simplesue77

Joined 6 years ago

Great place for excellent food and memories!!. This is my first review, so please bear with me. We had the most delightful dinner here! Our server, Mimi, was personable, friendly and prompt. I found the food to be scrumptious and the portions to be perfect. The spinach was out of this world and the Chocolate Macaroon cookies were indescribably delicious, they melted in my mouth and sent my tatste buds into orbit! Sticking to my budget was easy, the Roast Special melted in my mouth, it was better than my Mom's. (sorry Mom) And the presentation of the food rivaled Carnival, Oceania, and NCL. It was like being on a cruise again, very, VERY nice.

My friend and I found the ambience to be most enjoyable, trying to guess who's caricature it was made a great conversation starter. The only thing I am dissappointed with was the lack of explanations of the special, they advertise that if you show your theatre tickets the dessert is free, wish I had known that then, but, those cookies were heaven and worth every penny, as a matter of fact they were surprisingly inexpensive, next time we will show our tickets!!

We used the Valet service and were NOT dissappointed at all. Even the Valet had a gracious smile for us when we arrived and left. Kudos to Petterinos for a night to remember.

I am looking forward to many more meals here, and hope that everything will remain as special as it was. Thank you Mimi and Petterinos for such a wonderful meal. SimpleSue77

Doesn't Recommend

accucast

Joined 6 years ago

Detestable Service. If you want a "special evening" with a mate, this is not the place. I made every effort and precaution to let the retaurant hostess and Maitre De' know this was our anniversary dinner. They ruined it with the worst service I have ever had in a Chicago Restaurant.

We were basically unatended, ignored, and left-out. Our server was short, cold and not very gracious. In fact she was just short of rude in a pleasant sort of way. After we ordered, we never saw the server again. No matter how much I tried to get another bottle of wine, or just a re-fill on our water glass, nothing worked.

Although we enjoyed the server's recommended wine selection, and the entree....... That is all that is mentionable as being positive. The server was horrible, and had no business in the service business. Although I tipped the Maitre De' upon being seated, reminding him of our special evening, he found the (2) single ladies in the next booth more interesting to flirt with, along with many of the other attendants and staff hanging around for the same opportunity. Maybe my wife and I should have moved into their booth, but then agin, we probably would have gone un-noticed and ignored there as well.

If you are looking for that "special evening" kind of place, I would recommend looking somewhere else.

Mark

Recommends

sbrady

Joined 7 years ago

Very nice menu. This is the perfect spot for pre/post theater dining. Highly recommend reservations based on the location. Lettuce has scored again with this restaurant. Good down home food here, service top notch.

Recommends

kay1150

Joined 10 years ago

Great food - Classy place. I used the private dining area for a large group. The food and service was top notch, and the place is beautiful. The only complaint was the group in the next room was really rowdy and the partition didn't block much of it.

Recommends

larryh

Joined 9 years ago

Larry. The food was great. Bone-in Ribeye, cheesy potatoes and the soup was the best I've had. They have a new Cab blend wine by Hedges from Washington State that was awesome if you like a lighter Cab/Merlot. The Manager Evan, whom I spoke with a week after my visit, knew the wine I had for dinner just by its description over the phone. Great service! This place is top notch and priced very well.