02/27/09

Consistantly great food and ambience

by cover

I have been to Wilde three times with my wife and the food, service and ambiance never dissapoints. We have had the rosemary garlic chicken; I can say this is the best roasted chicken I have every had. Moist, juicy and bathed in a cognac sauce that is out of this world! The macaroni and cheese is a must have. The Reuben sandwich is in a class by itself and the roast sirloin beef is excellent.

Personally I recommend this restaurant.

Ambiente calido y acogedor, buena comida y buen servicio. Vale la pena pagar !!!

• Pros: Food, Ambiance and Service
• Cons: signage and parking

02/08/09

WORST SERVICE EVER!!! THE WAITRESS STOLE MONEY!

by Jcousino

I used to be a fan of Wilde Bar...that was until last night. I live just around the corner and was glad when a decent bar came to the neighborhood. I had guests in from out of town so we decided to have dinner and drinks there. From the moment we were seated it was a distaster. AMBER...the snotty, theif of a waitress was horrible. She was no where to be found through most of our dinner. My friend ordered a fuzzy navel and AMBER litearly rolled her eyes at her. We managed to make it through our meal and tried to get her attention before she brought the bill so she could give us separate bills. There were 4 of us and we just wanted 2 bills. She ignored us and proceeded to bring one bill. We asked her to please split it up and she tried to tell us that she couldn't do it b/c the restaurant wouldn't let her. My brother basically told her to do it and she walked away again with an attitude and an eye roll. Somehow she managed to do it and came back with 2 bills. This is when the night went sour. My boyfriend and my bill was $43, we put $25 cash and a card in the black bill holder they give you. AMBER came back with our bill and had charged the entire $43 to my card. When I asked her why she didn't use the $25 cash towards the bill, her answer was...What $25? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!! She stole the $25 and acted like we never put it in there. I asked for the manager, RON, and he was even worse. RON said he had no reason to believe his staff would steal and that AMBER was his best waitress. There happened to be a security camera behind our table so we suggested he check that. RON left for about 10-15 minutes to "check the camera" and came back and said he distinctly saw me put only a card in the bill holder. HA! He basically said that we were lying. He ended up taking off the $25, but that was it. No apology and he made us feel like we were the ones in the wrong. I am outraged at what happended and can only say to watch your money while there!

• Pros: Atmosphere, Beer Selection
• Cons: Service-Waitress & Manager

01/14/08

Worst Dinner Ever!!!!

by epicurious123

This place was recommended to me by a friend, and as a lover of Irish food and beer, I was excited to try it. I could not have been more disappointed. I will admit the place is lovely- they obviously spent a lot of money on the decor. The selection of beer is amazing, and the wine list isn't bad either. The biggest problem I see with this place is an inability to handle large crowds. It's getting a lot of buzz, so that is a BIG problem. I spent my entire meal with someone's rear end in my face. We were crammed into a tiny corner two feet from the host station, so the ever-growing crowd pushed in on our table so much I kept having to ask people to move. It was freezing that night, and every time the door opened (which was every two minutes), we were blasted with frigid wind. My date ordered the Shepard's pie- it was bland and quite pricey considering how small the portion is. I had the blue on blue burger. It was ok, but the fries were disgusting. We rushed to get through our meal. Overall, I felt uncomfortable and unimportant. I hope they come to their senses and remove this table entirely. Is adding one additional two-top really worth it? This area would be much better as a small waiting area. With 45 minute waits, wouldn't that make more sense?

• Pros: really cool decor, great bar
• Cons: too crowded for dinner, blaring music, bland food, unpleasant atmosphere

12/10/07

A cozy, comfortable place

by jeffatuofl

A friend who lives in Chicago suggested we stop at Wilde tonight for dinner. Opened in November 2007, Wilde had some inconsistent reviews on other sites, so I was not sure what to expects. I think they found their equilibrium in recent weeks. Our waiter, Sam, was outstanding. The menu has a good variety of English/Irish themed dishes, but just about anyone could find something to enjoy. I had meatloaf ($12.95) served on a bed of champ (Irish mashed potatoes) with some peas and corn scattered around as garnish. The meatloaf was moist, but solid with hints of roasted garlic. My friend had molasses glazed corned beef and cabbage ($12.95), which was served with horseradish sauce. The corned beef was only slightly sweet, alleviating a concern we had about the molasses glaze. We each had an alcoholic beverage and split a dessert of Guinness chocolate cake ($5.95). The total bill was $49.40 including tax. We left a tip of $12 for the totally outstanding service. The interior look and feel is very warm and comfortable. Two working fireplaces are present and were welcome on our chilly-night visit. In better weather, the front of the restaurant opens to a small open and fenced patio, which will be something to look forward to in late spring and summer. I recommend giving Wilde a try. I think it will be a Lakeview favorite very soon.

• Pros: Great atmosphere, FANTASTIC service, good food, decent prices.
• Cons: A little hard to find unless you know where it is. Was a little too warm late in our meal.

If Disney had an Oscar Wilde-themed world, where everyday was a blustery, mysterious Dublin day, this would be the pub.

by Fred Schlatter

In Short
A polished wood-framed front hints at the richness inside this Boys Town pub. Expensively inlaid floors feature buffed wood and mosaic tiles--a perfect backdrop for acres of turned banisters, crown molding, crackling fireplaces and cushy seating. Raised, upholstered booths line the front, while highboys and four tops dot the remaining space. Weathered volumes and burgundy club areas comprise the library. Young couples and groups gather around frothy pints and fancy bar food.

11/20/07

Wilde's knows what they do well, and it isn't just the food.

by columthursday

Wilde's went one step further than taking only food and drink from the Irish. The warm welcome and friendly conversation is straight from a seaside town in Co. Cork. Here is a recap of my "much better than expected" experience.

My wife and I met another couple for an early supper on a Sunday afternoon. We were welcomed by a hostess who asked "Would you like to sit by the fire or in a booth?" Not the typical/expected "How many of you?" We chose a booth (which could seat 6 adults comfortably) and got settled in with a short, but to-the-point menu.

Shepherd's Pie, Corned Beef & Cabbage, an Irish breakfast with bangers and mash (served all day) round out the traditional Irish fare. A burger with caramelized onions, a killer meatloaf sandwich, and great soups finish the menu. The portions are HUGE.

The wine list is daunting; could probably be cut in half and still be adequate. The beer list is enough to make a beer snob grin with appreciation. The staff really clicks - at the time of our visit, Wilde's had only been open for 7 days, and the staff didn't miss a beat. We were seated quickly, the food was hot and brought out correctly and timely, the staff was attentive (not annoying), and the meal was reasonably priced.

Patrick, one of the owners, went to each table and struck up a friendly conversation with each table. He asked questions like "What else would you like to see on the menu," and "Is there anything I can do for you?"

The traffic pattern is good, not great - the line of patrons that snaked out the door could've been reconfigured so they were standing (or sitting) inside, next to the hostess stand. And that's the only negative about my experience at Wilde's.

Slainte!

• Pros: ambience, menu
• Cons: Poor signage and parking.