Celebrating on the Southside

So, as I watched the White sweep the Red this afternoon, I noticed my other half pop up on my buddy list.

I sent him a message, "Where you at..."

After a bit of typing back and forth, I told him that I'd swing by in 15 minutes and pick him up.

Fourteen minutes later, I turned off Jackson onto Plymouth Court and picked Barry up in front of John Marshall.

About twenty minutes later, I turned North onto Oakley from Blue Island and scored a parking spot. Soon we were at Bruna's...


We waltzed in around 7:20 and got a table without waiting. I ordered a bottle of Chianti...


For appetizers, he got some baked clams...

While I had a bowl of minestone...


Suddenly the lights went out, and a cake with tons of candles came out while a table of ten sang "Happy Birthday" to someone's elderly aunt. We all joined in. When the song ended, I started singing in Polish...Three words into it, a bunch joined in.

A women at the table tapped my shoulder and asked how I knew that song... "Ummmm.... I'm Polish..." I replied while looking very Hispanic. Such is the life of true Chicago half breed....lol

Anyway, our main courses arrived; Barry had Veal Limone

And I had lasagna...


Overall, it was a great night. The food rocked in an old school way, the Sox swept Boston, I dined with my one and only and we got home in under ten minutes.

Nice review and pictures. Everything looks great, especially the Lasagna. Unfortunately my one and only experience at Bruna's wasn't as good.

We went on Labor Day and there were only two other parties in the dining room. I ordered the penne bolognese and the wife had mushroom ravioli Alfredo. My dish was fine with a very tasty sauce and a huge portion. Hers was bad. Smelled bad, tasted bad and must have been old. I at first thought that it may have been some unique flavor from the mushroom, but after another bite, came to the conclusion that it was spoiled. We left most of it as it was inedible. She helped finish off the penne.

I wouldn't write this place off because of this one bad dish, and it being Labor Day they may have had the second string cooking, yet a simple dish like ravioli Alfredo should be a staple of any fine Italian restaurant.

I think it may have just been bad timing and I would like to to give it another go.

BTW-We didn't tell the waiter about this or send the dish back. Cooks don't like to see things come back and can get very angry and sometimes the replacement dish might be even less edible.

PJ Murphy wrote:

BTW-We didn't tell the waiter about this or send the dish back. Cooks don't like to see things come back and can get very angry and sometimes the replacement dish might be even less edible.

I've developed something of a reputation among my friends for sending things back to the kitchen. If it's not what I ordered or the way I ordered it, back it goes. That said, it's all in the way you do it. If you have a demonstrable grievance (cooked incorrectly, spoiled, wrong order) and you're polite to the server, he or she will deal with the chef to make it right. After all, a satisfied customer is a better tipper. If, however, you're overly picky, sarcastic or condescending, you'll just p*ss them both off, and eat the replacement dish at your own risk.

PJ MUrphy wrote:... the wife had mushroom ravioli Alfredo. ... Hers was bad. Smelled bad, tasted bad and must have been old. I at first thought that it may have been some unique flavor from the mushroom, but after another bite, came to the conclusion that it was spoiled. We left most of it as it was inedible. She helped finish off the penne.

From what I have observed of wild mushrooms sold in grocery stores, there is so little familiarity with the product and they are so expensive, that they get sold and used anyway. I will harbor to guess the same may have happen at this restaurant.

My local grocery store had wild mushrooms selling for $20 plus per pound, wrapped in plastic on a styrofoam plate with obvious decay. I found the produce manager to explain what was wrong with them. While appreciative of the information, he was still disappointed because they are so dear and expensive.

I have seen morels sold at the Farmer's Market in Madison, which if I saw them in the forest I would walk right past. So while there is this great consumer interest and desire to sell, selling a bad mushroom cannot really encourage return business.

I don't return food too often, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it either.

Regards,

Several of my Polish co-workers travel to Indiana right about now and bring back lots of mushrooms. They have a secret place somewhere. Anyway about the Sox...Go Cubs!

Great looking food BUT ....


***MONSANTO WINE***

Did it have a chemical taste?? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

PJ Murphy wrote:BTW-We didn't tell the waiter about this or send the dish back. Cooks don't like to see things come back and can get very angry and sometimes the replacement dish might be even less edible.

After working in the industry I have a different take on this. Management appreciates it when an issue is brought to their attention. If I saw a server dumping a plate full of food my first question would be, "What table was that?" so I could visit with the guest and find the reason(s) that they didn't finish or take home their item. If you don't bring a problem to the restaurant's attention then there is no way to rectify the situation possibly resulting in more than one dissatisfied guest.

I agree that cooks don't like to see food come back, but dealing with the cooks is the chef's or manager's problem. In any respectable restaurant you should not have any problems.

Flip