Blue Line Club Car

11/09/07

great brunch--good drink specials (bloody marys & mimosas $3!!)

by doused at Citysearch

We recently passed by one Saturday morning and discovered that the Blue Line offers brunch on the weekends!--great for those of us in the neighborhood who want to roll out of bed and walk around the block for a decent breakfast with great drink specials.

• Pros: good specials, great service
• Cons: hard to find parking at times

05/02/07

Bad Service

by mendoza969 at Citysearch

My friend and I visited Blue Line Club Car on a Tuesday evening around 7:00pm. There was plenty of seating. Our waitress took our order, and we didn't see her again for 30 minutes. We had ordered an appetizer and we were starving! We walked to the other side of the restaurant and found her, and she said there was only one person working in the kitchen. We asked if they had started cooking our appetizer, and she said yes. Ten minutes later, we flagged her down and she told us she had cancelled our appetizer. When we started to ask why, the busboy pulled her aside and she never came back. We left the restaurant.

• Pros: Plenty of seating, proximity to Blue Line Damen stop
• Cons: Rude and very slow service

09/14/06

don't expect to leave feeling like you are valued as a customer

by joshinbuckown at Citysearch

I live in the neighborhood and have eaten at Blue Line at least 6 times. Although the food is generally good, without exception, the service is always poor. The wait staff is not attentive and the service is very slow. In addition, the restaurant is not flexible or accommodating and the waitstaff openly complains that management does not allow them the flexibility to accommodate even the simplest special requests. For instance, the sweet potato fries are fantastic but don't bother asking for 1/2 sweet potato fries and 1/2 regular fries (which is always happily permitted at most other restaurants) because management just won't allow it. Apparently, the kitchen just can't be troubled with such requests. Although it's not a big deal, it is one example of how the service at Blue Line is more like Burger King than a fun neighborhood place to eat.

During another visit, a hamburger that was ordered "medium" was served raw in the center (I'm absolutely certain that it was not even warm enough to meet the minimum health code). Rather than simply apologizing and replacing the hamburger (which the waitress said that she did not have the authority to do), the manager came to the table and attempted to argue that the hamburger was fine. Absurd!

Everyone who I have discussed Blue Line with agrees -- If you go to Blue Line, don't expect to leave feeling like you are valued as a customer.

• Pros: The food is generally good but don't make any special requests
• Cons: The restaurant is extremely loud and the service is terrible.

04/22/04

Slick Wicker Park hangout under the El offers fine food and a buzzing bar scene.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Amtrak wishes it had club cars this cozy. Spacious and low-lit with plenty of comfortable booths, the U-shaped room sits under the Blue Line Damen stop. Aluminum accents jazz up the rich wood and cobalt-blue decor. Laid-back locals chill at the bar or at high tables, and watch sports on one of several TVs.

The Food
The eclectic menu is all over the map, from sushi cake to Creole shrimp. Highlights include mussels steamed in Corona with spicy jalapeno broth; cheese-stuffed house ravioli in tomato cream sauce; and an eight-ounce beef tenderloin, accompanied by asparagus and mashed potatoes.

• Pros: comfortable spacegood servicegreat location
• Cons: uneven food