bbarkin wrote:I'm almost ready to have a backup plan if it really sucks!

I suggest the Kuhdo model, if your first dinner is not up to snuff you owe it to yourself to have a second.

I thank you for your suggestion, but par for the course, it was not offered. For anyone considering going to Alhambra Palace, the only excuse to go is because of the decor and it is the biggest new space in Chicago.

Past that, you have every reason not to go. I wanted so badly to like this place because of Aubriot. But it sucked. The service was awful. It took 20 mins. for my glass of wine, and 90, yes 90 minutes for my food to arrive. We had a 3-top, so not even that demanding!!! The waitress was hardly trained well enough - she didn't even know what a pinot noir was. Hardly her fault. We had a reservation, but they couldn't find the name, so they just seated us. Little did I know, a fashioin show (literally, and honestliy) broke out. It was unbelievable. We had an 8:30 reservation, didn't eat until 11:30, and were screaming at each other to communicate by the time the clock struck 10:00. I feel bad for Eric Aubriot who can do excellent food. I also feel bad for anyone who goes and spends $26 on a lamb shank that has 4 bites worth of meat, or $8 for hummus that has enough for 3 people, at most to munch on. I don't know how this place will ever last. As a huge supporter of new Chicago restuarants, this newest and largest puts a black eye on the scene. The waitstaff is so poorly trained, they cannot help but ask for bad tips, and the food is the same (or worse) as what I could find a a corner middle eastern take-out such as Pita Inn, old Jerusalem, or Sultan's Market, except 3x as much. The biggest scam to hit the restaurant scene in years. I feel bad for investors and Aubriot

bbarkin wrote:I thank you for your suggestion, but par for the course, it was not offered.

Bbarkin,

Kuhdo model second dinner is at a second restaurant.

Far as Alhambra Palace, thanks for the head up. I think I'll go have lunch at Salam and pretend the decor is nicer. I'm actually quite interested in trying Alhambra, but will give them a few weeks to settle in.

Enjoy,
Gary

why doesn't this surprise me and by the way "is the fire hot mommy?

how many people were there?

The Khudo Model wasn't even on the menu. That was another problem, we had to ask our server what the specials were, and this was after she asked us if we were ready to order. She had a great deal of trouble telling us what the specials were. "Some kind of seafood special, with a bunch of seafood in rice," was how her description went. The place was crowded, but you could have walked in. In fact, they lost our reservation, so just led us to an open table. I asked how the rest of our party would find us without the name of our reservation, and the hostess said, "That's what cell phones are for." My throat is hoarse this morning from trying to shout at each other over to converse over the middle eastern band that was playing. And they came on after the fashion show that was going on at 9:00. I feel bad for the investors who are certain to lose a boat load of money.

bbarkin wrote: I feel bad for the investors who are certain to lose a boat load of money.

Unless someone held a gun to their head, your sympathy is probably undeserved.

This is second-hand info, so take it with that in mind, but friends who ate there last weekend reported:
1. Long lines at the hostess stand to check in for their reservation.
2. They were shown to a table with less seats than there were people in the party.
3. After waiting a few minutes for an employee--any employee--to bring a chair for the unseated person, they finally just stole one from another table.
4. It took a long time for a waitress to acknowledge them, bring menus and take their order.
5. There was another long wait after ordering before food was served, and one entree never showed up.
6. The line to claim cars at the valet station was long--there was a 20ish minute wait.

Oh, and the food apparently wasn't worth the headache.

As my friend described it, "It doesn't know whether it wants to be a restaurant or nightclub."

myself and a group of 11 friends went to Alhambra on Saturday.

And we all agreed on this: long on the spectacle, woefully short on the food. It should be called Medieval Times: Baghdad.

I don't quite understand the rationale behind hiring someone like Eric Aubriot for a place that gigantic. There's no possible way he's back there paying attention to anything when there are 1000 people to feed. The dishes were completely rote versions of Persian standards -- lamb, chicken, kabobs. The only semi-different thing I saw was a fish en papiotte. The lamb I had was pretty gnarly in spots and other's chicken breasts were totally dessicated and featured grey, mushy peas & carrots, without the "signature" pomegranate and walnut sauce.

Prices ranged from $20-$28, I think. Appetizers were similarly overpriced -- $8 for a tea saucer full of hummus and we had to ask for pita bread separately. $8 also got you 4 pieces of falafel. The only one that seemed worth it was the fatoush salad. Note that the menus listed online are nothing like what was available Saturday night. Some serious scaling-back has gone on already -- no rack of lamb, no risotto, no leg of lamb.

And they, too, are having the service issues you'd expect w/ a place this huge. They first didn't seem to know we had a reservation (as if we'd have 12 people walk in off the street) and then tried to cram all of us onto two tables that could hold maybe 8 people. We insisted that we be moved and they complied after about 5 minutes of "consulting" with about 3 different floor managers. Our drinks took probably 20 minutes to arrive as well.

All in all, it's extremely mediocre food-wise. The "wow" factor is certainly there -- the stage, the mosaics, chandeliers, hookah pipes, fake palm trees, the army of dolled up hostesses. It's certainly not a place that anyone is probably going to go more than once or twice a year. And at $80/person, it's certainly not worth the $$. None of us could see it lasting more than 6-12 months.

Hookah pipes? Aren't we going non-smoking in less than a year? Dumb.

tem,

interested in how crowded it was for dinner?

jazzfood wrote:tem,

interested in how crowded it was for dinner?

It was hard to tell as the place is so huge. when we got there at 8:30, I'd say it was busy but not full. The main floor by the stage was basically empty. By the time we left around 11:15-11:30, it did seem pretty busy. The bar was fairly packed as we walked out.

eric aubriot is already gone.

eric aubriot is already gone

Damn, I didn't get the When is Eric Aubriot Leaving Alhambra pool started soon enough!

yeah, heather shouse and jeff ruby were on 848 this morning, on WBEZ and heather talked about how bad the food was at alhambra and jeff mentioned he'd already lost a bet on how long aubriot would last. personally, even tho i havent been and have no intention of going, this kind of place gives me the creeps. i went online, read some reviews, saw some video of the place. i wont be sorry if it closes, but there are enough people with bad taste and poor judgement around to possibly make the place a big hit. it was pretty funny watching the video as the voiceover is talking about all the imported tiles and marble used to duplicate the alhambra palace while the camera is panning over the many flat screen tvs in the bar.

How many restaurants has Eric Aubriot opened in the past several years only too see them close in record time? More than a couple...

I'm tempted to go there just to experience the chaos first hand, or see the decor while I still can. Perhaps they should have named it Xanadu. (Orsen Wells anyone? If it folds, maybe they can have their bereavement party at Rosebud...)

So I see there are two new chefs - Daniel Wright and Bouch Khribech. I would guess that the departure was not unexpected if they already had replacements lined up. I wonder what the appeal was. Must fall into the "well, it can't get any worse..." mindset. Certainly a formidable challenge.

At any rate, it would be nice if they could soemhow make the operations and food match the opulance of the building.

My husband and some friends went to the Palace. While the interior is amazing, the food was nothing special and the service mediocre. The food was very very basic. Hummus (for $8), falafel...the standards. Entrees were either tangines or kabobs. All with rather steep price tags. Obviously you are paying for the "entertainment" factor of the place. But I was hoping for a more creative menu. It was fun and a place to be seen, but I could get better food at better prices elsewhere.

hello all,

it appears that Daniel Wright has left Alhambra Palace.

does anyone know where he landed?

regards,

eve

pixie wrote:hello all,

it appears that Daniel Wright has left Alhambra Palace.

does anyone know where he landed?

regards,

eve

I've noticed you've posted this twice. Are you a fan of his cooking or (ahem) an ex- girlfriend/IRS henchperson/ex-employer, etc. trying to cull his whereabouts?

I've noticed you've posted this twice. Are you a fan of his cooking or (ahem) an ex- girlfriend/IRS henchperson/ex-employer, etc. trying to cull his whereabouts?

well technically i posted only once -- the moderators moved my post to this thread.

i hate to dissapoint, but my interest is purely professional.

i am the editor of a series of chef profiles called "Reel Chefs" and i'm trying to track him down. any help would be appreciated.

regards,

eve

pixie wrote:

I've noticed you've posted this twice. Are you a fan of his cooking or (ahem) an ex- girlfriend/IRS henchperson/ex-employer, etc. trying to cull his whereabouts?

well technically i posted only once -- the moderators moved my post to this thread.

i hate to dissapoint, but my interest is purely professional.

i am the editor of a series of chef profiles called "Reel Chefs" and i'm trying to track him down. any help would be appreciated.

regards,

eve

I think I read somewhere that he is at Bravo Tapas and Lounge on Division St.

Fujisan wrote:

pixie wrote:

I've noticed you've posted this twice. Are you a fan of his cooking or (ahem) an ex- girlfriend/IRS henchperson/ex-employer, etc. trying to cull his whereabouts?

well technically i posted only once -- the moderators moved my post to this thread.

i hate to dissapoint, but my interest is purely professional.

i am the editor of a series of chef profiles called "Reel Chefs" and i'm trying to track him down. any help would be appreciated.

regards,

eve

I think I read somewhere that he is at Bravo Tapas and Lounge on Division St.

thanks!

i gave them a call & unfortunately this doesn't appear to be the case.

regards,

eve

Anyone eaten here lately? I have to admit that I'm curious -- especially since it is still around -- and am considering checking it out in the near future.

=R=

Has anyone gone here for lunch on the weekends? I was thinking of stopping by on a sat just to check out the interior space, also the prices are obviously more reasonable. If the manager really does give tours when things are slow it might be worth it to see this spectacle even if the food is just average...

I went last night. At 9:30, the place was packed. The design of the interior is palatial. The place is huge. This is similar to the lead in when you ask someone's opinion of an employee and they start by saying, "He/She is a really nice person...but". It may be worth going in for a drink, just to see the inside of this place. But....
I don't get it. People can't be going here for the food Perhaps I need to be a connoisseur of belly dancing. Then I could appreciate the nuances of the art form. Although I must admit, anytime a woman wields a scimitar, it does tend to get my attention.

Perhaps this attracts people for the same reason Rainforest Cafe finds an audience. It certainly isn't the food. The tagine appeared to be microwaved and the lamb was, well kind of like the belly dancers, no spring lamb. I think they picked up the baba ganouch at Pita Inn and warmed it up. Not sure how this place keeps going. Lesson learned if someone from work invites you to Alhambra Palace, feint illness, or suggest another spot. Someone here in the forum used a term Meideval Times, Baghdad. But I think the entertainment value is better at MT, and there you can get away with calling someone a wench.

Going to be attending a business dinner here in a couple of weeks. Sort of stuck and have to go. Not overly thrilled after reading the forum here as well as reviews elsewhere. Are there any really 'safe' items on the menu that they don't screw up? thx

Yeah - I'm in the same boat as musicwidow. I'm stuck going there because the Brother-in-law wants to check it out for "Restaurant Week". Anyone have suggestions? The restaurant week menu looks uninspiring (honestly I'd rather go to Pita Inn).