Di Pescara - Conceptual Fish

I met the parents last night for dinner at the latest suburban Lettuce Entertain You outpost, Di Pescara, described on the LEYE website as:

An Italian Seafood House, Di Pescara is an original concept developed by Lettuce Entertain You.

Concept being the operative word here. There was nothing at all Italian about the place, in fact, until I looked at the website to get the address I had no idea that there was supposed to be an Italian component to this restaurant at all. If, the "concept" is to get you to eat overpriced fish in a shopping mall setting then they have succeeded.

There is a very large 6 page menu that they have somehow managed to fill with the choice of only 3 - 4 kinds of fish and some chicken and steak options, mostly copied from other LEYE restaurants. There is a section of 4 - 5 preparations each of just a few species of fish. There is also a section of the menu featuring the house "specialty" of tilapia Milanese style (Pounded thin and breaded). I thought to myself, "I'll order a nice piece of grouper. It's a thick enough fish that they might not completely dry it out." The only problem was that they were out of grouper.

Having had a rather large lunch at Ed's Potsticker house and not being all that hungry or interested in tilapia or other bland farm-raised fish, I ordered a crab cake from the appetizer menu. The crab cake was undistinguished, with quite a bit of breadcrumb filler and not a whole lot of taste, though what little crab the cake contained was fresh. It was served with a thousand island looking dipping sauce, which added no flavor, but a bit of moisture. It was a fair crab cake, but certainly nothing I'm going to go back for...especially at $12 for a very small serving. The Chow Poodle ordered the "hot and crunchy" crusted tilapia Milanese, which turned out to be pounded paper thin and dry as shoe leather. The crust was not too bad, although calling it spicy is stretching the definition of spicy to the breaking point. My mother ordered potato crusted whitefish, which was perfectly executed as per the corporate manual. There was nothing to distinguish this dish, but she seemed to like it well enough (although she didn't finish her dinner). My father ordered a chicken preparation called chicken giardiniere that he described as not having nearly as much taste as the original version which he had sampled at Mangiano's.

This is a place with almost no redeeming qualities other than to be conveniently located right in the mall if you happen to be shopping and looking to overspend for a bad meal. Enjoy!

Di Pescara
2124 Northbrook Court
Northbrook, IL
(847) 498-4321

Steve,

If you're still looking for Italian food after that meal, I am pleased to be able to tell you that Culver's is offering a number of Italian themed sandwiches at the moment, chicken parmesan and so on, all of which may be enjoyed with the traditional secondi of French fries and vanilla custard.

I learned this when dining at the Culver's in Huntley, yesterday, where the light-up sign beneath the Culver's logo read "A TASTE OF ITALY."

Culvers
13240 S. Route 47
Huntley, IL
847-669-3554

steve,

Thanks for your post. I've been looking for a restaurant that can perfectly capture the flavors of the famed "tilapia ponds of Milan".

Best,
Michael

Mike G wrote:I learned this when dining at the Culver's in Huntley, yesterday, where the light-up sign beneath the Culver's logo read "A TASTE OF ITALY."

I'm betting Culver's dishes are much more authentic and better prepared.

The name itself reeks of corporate 'cleverness'*... Original concept?... fleece the public with pseudo-Italian food, that's original?

Thanks for the warning, Steve...

***

* Pescara is a coastal city in the region of Abruzzo but the name was obviously chosen for its similarity to the Italian word for fish, pesce. I'm sure no one involved with this place has ever been in Pescara and, needless to say, there is nothing Abruzzese about the offerings whatsoever.

The menu is an amusing compilation of Italianoid restaurant infelicities and clichés but one item truly stands out:
HOMEMADE FLAT PASTA WITH MEAT GURU $12.50
Now, since Alpana Singh has consulted on their wine offerings, we know they have a genuine wine-guru, but who is this 'meat-guru'?

http://www.leye.com/restaurants/menus/d ... .htm#pasta

Antonius

On the run last week, I stopped in at Mickey's on Harlem and instead of having my usual Big Baby, I opted for what was labeled a "Fish Sandwich." It was a very slender slice of breaded fish squished between bun halves, "paper thin and dry as shoe leather." Perhaps Mickey should re-name this offering a "White Fish Milanesa" and bump the price from $4.00 to $12.00. 'Atsa nice!

Hammond

Interesting that Di Pescara, from stevez's description, isn't a better effort given the location and the LEYE firepower. I've never been there but have heard secondhand that it's decent quality food but uninspired preparation & the decibel level in there is quite high. Thanks, I don't need to find out for myself.

A seemingly similar venue that I've become fond of, however, also in Northbrook, is Bonefish Grill. Owned by the Outback folks, they appear to do everything right that Di Pescara does wrong or inadequately. Seven or eight types of fish with 4 choices of sauce, their preparation is simple. Each fish, whether it be salmon, ahi tuna, mahi-mahi or grouper, stands up on its own just grilled, because I've had their sauce on the side each of the 3 times I've visited.

And the most recent time, last Friday night with the senior citizen parents, was the litmus test and Bonefish passed with flying colors. My dad even said that despite the 'low lighting' he'd be back. I imagine that before they take off for Florida in January we'll have a few more dinners at Bonefish Grill.

Antonius wrote

Pescara is a coastal city in the region of Abruzzo but the name was obviously chosen for its similarity to the Italian word for fish, pesce. I'm sure no one involved with this place has ever been in Pescara and, needless to say, there is nothing Abruzzese about the offerings whatsoever.

LEYE says the restaurant is named for a quaint fishing village. Pescara is a regional capital with a population of more than 100,000. Also, it's a mere 400+ kilometers from Milan, the inspiration for their house specialty [fill in the blank fish] Milanese.

My favorite part of the menu is the soup section where they feature New England Chowder. How very Italian.

I'm irked at LEYE because, when I first heard about Di Pescara nearly a year ago it sounded appealing; then I saw the menu. I missed LEYE's Shaw's outpost which used to be in the area, and liked the idea of an Italian seafood restaurant.

To make a long story short, I have not yet been to Di Pescara. But because it created a longing for a real Italian restaurant, I wound up taking wife #1 to Trullo's in Evanston for our anniversary dinner last January. Trullo's owner is from Bari in Puglia and it's the real deal. We've been back several times.

Trattoria Trullo
1700 Central Street
Evanston
847-570-0093

George R wrote:To make a long story short, I have not yet been to Di Pescara. But because it created a longing for a real Italian restaurant, I wound up taking wife #1 to Trullo's in Evanston for our anniversary dinner last January. Trullo's owner is from Bari in Puglia and it's the real deal. We've been back several times.

Trattoria Trullo
1700 Central Street
Evanston
847-570-0093

Yes, but George, I bet Trullo's doesn't have a MEAT-GURU!

A

Not only does Trullo lack "Meat-Guru" but they don't have cheeseburgers either -- which you can get at Di Pescara!

Seriously, do you think they meant meat ragu? Because that's all I can come up with.

riddlemay wrote:Seriously, do you think they meant meat ragu? Because that's all I can come up with.

Obviously, that's what they meant... one hopes...

Antonius wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Seriously, do you think they meant meat ragu? Because that's all I can come up with.

Obviously, that's what they meant... one hopes...

The Guru was conspicuously missing from the actual menu I was handed last Sunday. In fact, the menu bore little resemblance to the one on the website. There were quite a few items on the web menu that aren't really on the menu at the restaurant. Hey...maybe it's a secret menu.

stevez wrote: Hey...maybe it's a secret menu.

Hey Steve, that could be a great marketing idea! A secret (corporate) Italianoid menu!



A

P.S. Maybe the Guru was missing when you were there because Sunday is his day off.

It's ragu . I had the "meat ragu" pasta the one time I've eaten there. We went a few weeks after they were open, and overall I thought it was good... pricey, typically over-hyped LEYE food, but not bad, haven't been there since though.

I ate there tonight. Average place, cool decor.

Absolutely nothing to do with Pescara, Italy or the Adriatic. Not one iota. Cool name though.

Litebrite wrote:I ate there tonight. Average place, cool decor.

What made it average, what made it cool?

Did you have appetizers, main course, dessert? Care to expand on the food and/or decor? One sentence toss-offs don't tell us much, if anything, about your experience.

jnm123 wrote:A seemingly similar venue that I've become fond of, however, also in Northbrook, is Bonefish Grill. Owned by the Outback folks, they appear to do everything right that Di Pescara does wrong or inadequately.

I've been to several locations of Bonefish Grill, including the one in Skokie, and it's pretty good, as is McCormick and Schmick's, which recently opened a location in Skokie, too. However, my very favorite mid-priced seafood place in the near northern suburbs is Mitchell's Fish Market, in the Glen development in Glenview. All of these chains specialize in very fresh seafood. What makes Mitchell's a significant step up, for me, is their preparations. I love their kung pao fried calamari, and I also love their "shang hai" fish preparations (steamed with ginger and scallions). I also enjoy some of their combination platters which let you try several of their preparation styles, such as their "Fish Market Trio" (Blackened Mahi-mahi, cedar-roasted Atlantic salmon, Shang Hai sea scallops). If you enjoy fresh seafood, in preparations ranging from the simplest to more complex, all of them bringing out the best flavors of the seafood, Mitchell's is an excellent place to go. It's the wrong time of year to mention this, but they have a similar gift certificate deal to Lettuce Entertain You during the December holiday season.

I haven't been to Di Pescara yet.

I might take a little heat for this, but I have to disagree with the general consensus about Di Pescara. I agree that it is not Italian and it is not a great fish house either, but I find the place to be a reasonable alternative on the north shore when the non-sushi fish options are all chains, ie Mitchells Fish House, McCormick & Schmicks, Bonefish, etc. (Chinn's is an exception)

Anyway, I love the miso black cod preparation. It is not nearly as good as the Nobu/Matsuhisa dish that is clearly its inspiration, but it is tasty novertheless. Also, I find the "milanese" preparations of the tilapia and whitefish to also be tasty. Maybe the years have been kinder to these dishes. I also like the salads, LEYE always has a competgently prepared chopped salad on its menus.

Anyway, for a sunday night dinner in the suburbs with your parents and kids, i find Di Pescara to be pretty good. I think there are other better Italian places and fish places too. My two cents....

iblock9 wrote:I find the place to be a reasonable alternative on the north shore when the non-sushi fish options are all chains, ie Mitchells Fish House, McCormick & Schmicks, Bonefish, etc. (Chinn's is an exception)

Chinn's is a chain, too, with locations in Illinois and Wisconsin.

nsxtasy wrote:Chinn's is a chain, too, with locations in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Hmmm, i have been eating at Chinns for as long as i can remember and i was unaware of any other locations (other then the failed LaSalle St location that was Chinns in name only)

Lo and behold the Chinns website mentions a Kenosha location. It appears they havent yet open, so i guess you can learn something new everyday. Even so, I still wouldnt call Chinn's a chain.

I prefer to support the independant operators rather than the chain joints.
For constantly good (non-sushi) seafood on the North Shore, my favorite:
Shrimp Walk
444 Lake View Ave
Highwood
847-432-7080
www.shrimpwalk.com

Tonight four of us went to Di Pescara for dinner. We thought it was quite good - not earthshattering, but decent and enjoyable.

We were seated in their contemporary-designed dining room. The decor was pleasant, in various tones of brown, although the tables were a bit too close together to be comfortable (squeezing between tables to be seated was a chore).

They brought a basket of decent, warm Italian bread and also multi-grain crackers. There was a plate of olive oil on the table (probably poured when my dining companions arrived before I did). No butter, though, although they were happy to bring that too when requested.

It took a little while for the server to take our order. She was actually helpful, friendly, and attentive throughout the meal; it appeared that they may have been slightly short on waitstaff, because as far as we could see, she was working hard. The restaurant was full when we arrived at 6:00, and was starting to empty by around 8:00-8:30.

We started with appetizers. We had the "calamari marinara". These were cooked perfectly, neither overcooked nor undercooked, so they were very moist, not at all chewy. They were very lightly coated with the marinara sauce, which gave them only a subtle tomatoey flavor, which seemed just right. Delicious. The only downside was that it was not quite as hot as it should have been when it arrived at the table (not cold, but not overly hot either) - again, perhaps a result of an overworked waitstaff. We also had the "baked garlic shrimp". These were cooked properly too. They were served in an escargot dish (with holes designed for individual escargot) and the preparation style was similar. These were good too, although rather conventional in style. Another member of our party had the New England clam chowder and said it was good.

We had three different mains. Two of us each had the steamed Alaskan king crab legs, which were on special (they're $29.95 Monday-Thursday, $39.95 Friday-Sunday). These were excellent. Their serving style made them unusually easy to eat. Although the legs were served in the shells, the spiny stuff on the outside of the shells had been removed or smoothed down so they were easy to handle. And instead of the legs being split the length of the leg, as many places do, at Di Pescara they actually removed a slit (maybe 1/4" wide) the length of the leg, which made it even easier. The other thing they did to make them easy to eat was, instead of serving the parts of the legs that are most difficult to eat - the "knuckle" and the skinny tips - they put that crab meat loose in a dish to eat. Accompaniments were corn on the cob, redskin potatos, and a pretty good cole slaw.

One of us had a nightly special of potato crusted halibut, served on a bed of spinach, which was good, flavorful and moist. Another had the "sesame crusted Chilean sea bass - herbed rice". This was also good, also flavorful and moist, although the crust was rather soggy. (If you want a really great Chilean sea bass, I recommend the one at Stoney River.)

We had several desserts. Many of the desserts were available in three sizes: "one bite", "two bites", and "full", with varying prices - a very clever and welcome idea. We had the "bites" of their mascarpone cheesecake, and each "bite" was about a fourth of a generous sized slice. The cheesecake was good, although it was really a rather conventional cheesecake, i.e. the mascarpone really didn't make it particularly distinctive. We had a "full" slice of the "chocolate mousse pie"; this was okay, although based on the consistency of the dish, it would have been better labeled as "chocolate pudding pie". We also had the "bite of the night" which was a small chocolate-coconut-macaroon cookie that was unremarkable.

The final dessert was a special and it was outstanding, for me the very best dish of the entire meal. They called it a "strawberry tiramisu" although this name, too, is somewhat misleading. Instead of soaking the lady fingers with Kahlua or espresso, they were soaked with chambord, so there was no coffee taste to the dessert - thank goodness! In between the layers was a light mascarpone pastry cream, and it was topped with slices of fresh strawberries. As noted, this dessert was superb, just delicious.

Overall, as previously stated, our meal was very good. Some of the dishes (the crab legs and the "tiramisu") were outstanding, while others were generally pretty good, and nothing was bad.

The check, including moderate wine and tax, but before tip, was $226.xx for the four of us. (You can view item prices on the pdf version of the menu on their website.)

I like to rate restaurants according to the following scale:

4 stars - Wow, Incredible (worth traveling long distances to dine)
3 stars - Very Good (worth recommending to others)
2 stars - Just Okay (worth visiting if you're in the neighborhood)
1 star - Disappointing, seriously flawed (worth forgetting)
0 stars - Dreadful (worth warning others away)

By this scale, I would give Di Pescara 2.5 stars.

I have to try that tiramisu! It sounds like a decadent version of strawberry shortcake. The reason I never like traditional tiramisu is my profound dislike for coffee.

Is there a bar area? I wonder if they'd mind me stopping in for just dessert.

Katherine_84f wrote:I have to try that tiramisu! It sounds like a decadent version of strawberry shortcake. The reason I never like traditional tiramisu is my profound dislike for coffee.

Same here!

Call ahead, though, because it was a daily special, so they may or may not have it on any given day.

Katherine_84f wrote:Is there a bar area?

There is indeed; in fact, the bar is like an extension of the dining room, with a large open area between the two rooms (almost like they are one room). Enter the restaurant from the entrance that's outside the mall. I think you can walk directly into the bar rather than walking to the hostess stand to be seated in the dining room, but if not, you can walk through the hostess entrance and then back to the right.

Ate at Di Pescara last night. While the overall quality of the food was about average (which is unacceptable at this price point) there were two serious problems. First we were in the takeout side room against the window that borders the main dining room. On the shelf of the open space was a massive layer of dust that must have been "overlooked" for at least a week. This shows an overall lack of regard for cleanliness which makes me wonder where other laziness was. Second, why do some restaurants feel they have to add sugar to their marinara? We had the calamari marinara and my wife had the shrimp fra diavola, both of which were exceptionally sweet. I had the burger, which after a bit of seasoning, was quite good. I just don't get why savory dishes need to have added sugar. It detracted from the actual flavor of the sauce.

All in all we were underwhelmed, which again at this price point makes us hesitant to go back.


One last point. When the restaurant first opened the wine list had some really eclectic and unusual selections that were better than the food. Now, the list is overloaded wit the usual suspects of mass produced uninteresting wines. Has Alpina lost her focus? Or is customer demand really that focused on the big producers?

Dave148 wrote:I prefer to support the independant operators rather than the chain joints.
For constantly good (non-sushi) seafood on the North Shore, my favorite:
Shrimp Walk
444 Lake View Ave
Highwood
847-432-7080
www.shrimpwalk.com

While the food at Shrimp Walk may be oustanding,
I have never understood how resturants feel by using names like PO Boy
Cajun, Creole etc makes them a New Orleans Resturant.
Nawlin's Barbecue Shrimp with BBQ Sauce.
Shrimp Creole with melted cheese on top?
Grilled Chicken Po Boy?

I had dinner at Di Pescara tonight with my family. It was completely unremarkable.

=R=

An Italian Seafood House, Di Pescara is an original concept developed by Lettuce Entertain You.

I believe Esca in NYC is the first italian seafood house. If it is a italian seafood house, were is the crudo, octopus, zuppa di pesce ( served w/ cavatelli puglese.

Poor take on an italian seafood house imo.

luvtruffles wrote:

An Italian Seafood House, Di Pescara is an original concept developed by Lettuce Entertain You.

I believe Esca in NYC is the first italian seafood house. If it is a italian seafood house, were is the crudo, octopus, zuppa di pesce ( served w/ cavatelli puglese.

Poor take on an italian seafood house imo.

Other than its name, I saw no evidence whatsoever that this was an Italian seafood house . . . oh wait, there was a Tilapia Milanese on the menu and Italian dressing was available for the salads.

=R=