Cornelia's

06/16/08

What happened ?

by chgofoody at Citysearch

We wanted to try Cornelia's since its last makeover, which I don't think did the establishment any favors. It had a respectful reputation for food and service in the past. The weather was great to dine outside this past Sunday evening, so we decided to give it a try since there were several tables outside available. We stepped inside the front door to find a host to seat us. Staff was not present as well as not a single customer inside, after 4 minutes a waiter appeared to greet us and seat us outside. The menu was uninspiring for being "Mediterranean", wine selections were limited and all overpriced. It took 10 minutes for wine to arrive, another 20 for the appetizer, then an additional 45 minutes for the main course. There was only one other table seated and they were inquiring where their food was as well. The pumpkin soup (typically a fall menu item) was served luke warm and tasted the equivalent to pie filling. Was that supposed to be garlic infused olive oil served with the bread? If so, it was tasteless. The stuffed chicken was dry and bland. The stuffed pork tenderloin lacked the flavors of the ingrediants as described on the menu. Both were served warm at best when finally brought to the table. The waiter was nowhere to be found between courses check on us or for us to comment on the food. My knife for cutting my food arrived as I took my last bite...we shared the only one we had. Sensing our displeasure the server kindly appologized and somehow directed the blame on the dishwashing staff...I did't ask for details. Our $80 check arrived with only a food and beverage total, no itemization or detail of what we ordered. In an effort to end this dragged-out dining experience we just paid the bill without questioning, included tip and left. My partner and I concurrently agreed this was our worst dining out of several hundred in the past year or so.

• Pros: Alfresco dining appealing. Charming if you ignore the buiding facade.
• Cons: Slow, unattentive service, food lacked flavor and temperature.

06/11/07

do you like faux lounges with banquet food?

by mgbear1 at Citysearch

If so, definitely check out Cornelia's. The bread was flavorless, as was the "garlic" oil. The wine list is uninspired, overpriced, and (I sensed) geared toward a sweet tooth. I ordered a wine described as "dry" and "semillon/sauvignon blanc" and it tasted like a super-oaky chardonnay. The food (I had the stuffed chicken) looks and tastes like the food you get at a pop warner football banquet or a cheap cookie-cutter wedding - complete with demi-glaze-type sauces and the requisite handful of unexotic vegetables. And I second the other reviewers' take on the potatoes: definitely from a box. I have not eaten at a restaurant in Chicago this bad (especially given the steep prices) in a long time - possibly ever. The patio is charming - if you can't resist the building's cute paint job and the jazz piano singers, then just have martinis out there. The food is a complete waste of time.

04/24/06

Take it as a waring !!!

by chicagoclaus at Citysearch

On Friday Apr. 7 a colleague and I looked for a restaurant where we can sit outside.

We found the Cornelias Restaurant located on Cornelia and Halsted.

So, please take it as a kind of warning. If you are hungry and you think a Dinner for two which contains one Salad as the starter for both of us, 3 small glasses wine ( 10 $ each glass ) , one steak and 4 very small lamp chops totaling 120 $ a kind of pricy then stay away from this restaurant.

Greetings,

Chicago Claus