Mike G wrote:There's actually a simple solution for all of this.

Only order the primi at Terragusto. They're by far the better (not to mention better value) part.

We , too, stick with the antipasti and the pastas (which are some of the best I've had in Chicago). This, by the way, is a strategy we often use in Italy, too, since we often find, in the smaller trattorias, these courses to be (and this, I admit is a huge generalization) more interesting, of higher quality, and a better value than the secondi on the menu, and in this respect, perhaps Terragusto is indeed adhering to Italian tradition.

A few months ago there was a thread having to do with what some of us thought were restaurants who's patrons were sheeple(sp)?

Perhaps, after reading all the comments on this place, we should think of this place as being famus, because it is famous, and not because of the dinning experience?

Terragusto isn't a sheeple type restaurant because people acknowledge the strange policies and disagreeable course pacing and continue to eat there anyway, I think because a lot of the food really is that good. Also, not everone who comes in has a disappointing customer service experience. disclosure: I used to work there.

bnowell724 wrote:Terragusto isn't a sheeple type restaurant because people acknowledge the strange policies and disagreeable course pacing and continue to eat there anyway, I think because a lot of the food really is that good. Also, not everone who comes in has a disappointing customer service experience. disclosure: I used to work there.

Replace your "Terragusto" with "Great Lake Pizza" or "Hopleaf" or "Kuma's" or countless other places, and your statement still stands. This is why I think the whole "sheeple" thing is pointless & unnecessary - too often when people say "that's a 'sheeple' restaurant", the translation is "I don't like that restaurant, and clearly my taste & opinions are infallible, therefore those who disagree with me are 'sheeple'."

jimmya wrote:A few months ago there was a thread having to do with what some of us thought were restaurants who's patrons were sheeple(sp)?

Perhaps, after reading all the comments on this place, we should think of this place as being famus, because it is famous, and not because of the dinning experience?

Have you eaten there? What did you think of it?

No I have not eaten there, and based on the about 100 of the previous postings, I am not likely to try it. When we do go out to dinner, I expect the experience to be close to perfect. I am not the type of person that will accept poor service because the food is very good,or the reverse.

I am a part of this forum to get ideas on places that others have gone to and reviewed, and seems to be a place I will like. What others who have eaten there have said about this place are enough to keep me away, and I suspect others also.

Just an FYI, an additional location of Terragusto is currently in the works in downtown Glencoe, of all places.

Opening is slated for June 1st, 2010.

Here's a link to the article in the Pioneer Press:

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/glencoe/new ... s1.article

jimmya wrote:No I have not eaten there, and based on the about 100 of the previous postings, I am not likely to try it. When we do go out to dinner, I expect the experience to be close to perfect. I am not the type of person that will accept poor service because the food is very good,or the reverse.

I am a part of this forum to get ideas on places that others have gone to and reviewed, and seems to be a place I will like. What others who have eaten there have said about this place are enough to keep me away, and I suspect others also.

Well said. I have been to Terragusto once, shortly after they opened. It was good, but I didn't think it was anything special. Based on the comments about the food, they must have improved the food quality drastically since they opened. However, I will not go back specifically because of all the comments about poor service and quirky rules. There are far too many really good restaurants to give my money to where I won't have to be concerned about what type of experience I'll have that day.

I went to Terragusto last night and left underwhelmed.

As explained above, they have a prix fixe, with two options. The first is an antipasto, pasta, and choice of bread or dessert. The second is that plus a meat course--the meat is shared at the table, so everyone would need to agree on it. Given that I will sometimes have fish, but never any other kind of meat, and one of my friends really hates fish, this just wasn't an option for us. I guess you could say we're picky, but the menu just doesn't allow for much flexibility.

There were three of us and we got two vegetable plates and one spinach custard as the first course. We also opted for the "fresh baked bread" instead of desert. The bread was a disappointment. Even though it was clear they made it in house, it had been toasted, so it was hard to tell when it was baked. We were also given a fairly small portion. Each person got one piece of rosemary bread, and then there was one piece of whole wheat bread and one small triangle of a Parmesan bread. Given that there were three of us--it felt weird, like we had to ration ourselves. Also, it did not seem to be any kind of substitute for three full deserts.

The custard was creamy and topped with a mild cheese sauce and some olive oil. It was pretty good, but a little bland -- not something I'd order again.

The vegetable plate was a bit of a mess. There were small pieces (less than an ounce total) of gorgonzola cheese, two small slices of buffala mozzarella, two tiny pieces of eggplant (the size of erasers you'd put on the top of a pencil), five pickled mushrooms, one potato dumpling sliced in half, and about a tablespoon of what was described as an "heirloom tomato salad" which looked and tasted like a pale Jerusalem salad. The eggplant was delicious, but there was barely a bit of it. The rest of the plate was pretty bland. The cheese was good, but it wasn't paired with anything. Usually when I order this kind of plate, at somewhere like Anteprima or Boca de Verita for example, I have a sense of bounty. Here, other than the eggplant, which had been roasted and doused in balsamic vinaigrette, the food was bland and meager.

Around the time we got the antipasti, we saw the next table get their meat course--the theme of paucity continued--they had a very small piece of beef to split between the two of them.

For the pasta, I ordered the squash pasta with brown butter, sage and amaretto cookies. It was delicious. The pasta was silky and thin and the filling was very well seasoned and spiced. It was a touch sweet, but well balanced as a savory dish. I would eat it again in a second. In fact, last night I would have eaten it again because the portion was fairly small.

My friends both ordered the tagliatelle ragu with cream sauce. They loved the fresh pasta, but were disappointed with the sauce. The menu described a hearty meat sauce, but there was hardly any on the pasta at all and the cream was fairly bland. I've seen my partner order this same dish other places where the meat was piled on the pasta--here, it was sparse.

We were still hungry, so we got two desserts (an upcharge after we each had our piece of bread). I had a semifreddo lemonciello with warm berries and my friend got a pistachio cream. They were both tasty, but bland. The "berries" seemed to be dried cherries and they were pretty tough. The pistachio cream was tasty, but there was no counterpoint to all the cream.

Overall, we were underwhelmed. The meal seemed sort of cheap--like everything was being rationed. I'm sure we had more than enough calories because everything was drenched in olive oil or butter, but there wasn't a sense of plenty. Given the prices, which more than make up for their BYOB status, I was really disappointed.

does anyone know what a restaurant's obligation is after it closes to gift certificate holders?

i have a gift certificate for terragusto from last christmas. i called ripasso (the owner's new restaurant) asking if they would honor it. i got a voicemail back from the restaurant saying that legally it's a grey area, but they would honor half of it. i haven't called back yet, because i'm not sure what my rights are. it seems kind of ridiculous, but maybe there are different investors, etc. in the background.

jfibro wrote:does anyone know what a restaurant's obligation is after it closes to gift certificate holders?

i have a gift certificate for terragusto from last christmas. i called ripasso (the owner's new restaurant) asking if they would honor it. i got a voicemail back from the restaurant saying that legally it's a grey area, but they would honor half of it. i haven't called back yet, because i'm not sure what my rights are. it seems kind of ridiculous, but maybe there are different investors, etc. in the background.

While I'm not a lawyer, I think you're at the mercy of the new entity and what they want to do. While the investors may be mostly the same, I'm sure you're talking about separate legal entities. You're probably classed as an unsecured creditor of Terragusto, which has no corporate relationship with ripasso, unless the two are actually owned by the same corporation (ala Lettuce Entertain You). It's definitely fuzzy.

John Danza wrote:

jfibro wrote:does anyone know what a restaurant's obligation is after it closes to gift certificate holders?

i have a gift certificate for terragusto from last christmas. i called ripasso (the owner's new restaurant) asking if they would honor it. i got a voicemail back from the restaurant saying that legally it's a grey area, but they would honor half of it. i haven't called back yet, because i'm not sure what my rights are. it seems kind of ridiculous, but maybe there are different investors, etc. in the background.

While I'm not a lawyer, I think you're at the mercy of the new entity and what they want to do. While the investors may be mostly the same, I'm sure you're talking about separate legal entities. You're probably classed as an unsecured creditor of Terragusto, which has no corporate relationship with ripasso, unless the two are actually owned by the same corporation (ala Lettuce Entertain You). It's definitely fuzzy.

Even though the owner is probably not under a legal obligation to honor the gift certificate, it strikes me as petty that he's only willing to honor half of it. How much money would he be out if he honored the whole amount despite not being legally compelled to--versus how much good will he could engender by doing so? (And how much bad will he could engender by not?) It seems a very small amount for him to pay for a large return.

I can't imagine there are hundreds or thousands of these gift certificates out there, so it's not like he'd be setting a dangerous precedent. And for however many of these gift certificates do exist out there, he could look at them as ways to encourage trial of his new place and spread the word. But apparently he doesn't see it that way.

riddlemay wrote:

John Danza wrote:

jfibro wrote:does anyone know what a restaurant's obligation is after it closes to gift certificate holders?

i have a gift certificate for terragusto from last christmas. i called ripasso (the owner's new restaurant) asking if they would honor it. i got a voicemail back from the restaurant saying that legally it's a grey area, but they would honor half of it. i haven't called back yet, because i'm not sure what my rights are. it seems kind of ridiculous, but maybe there are different investors, etc. in the background.

While I'm not a lawyer, I think you're at the mercy of the new entity and what they want to do. While the investors may be mostly the same, I'm sure you're talking about separate legal entities. You're probably classed as an unsecured creditor of Terragusto, which has no corporate relationship with ripasso, unless the two are actually owned by the same corporation (ala Lettuce Entertain You). It's definitely fuzzy.

Even though the owner is probably not under a legal obligation to honor the gift certificate, it strikes me as petty that he's only willing to honor half of it. How much money would he be out if he honored the whole amount despite not being legally compelled to--versus how much good will he could engender by doing so? (And how much bad will he could engender by not?) It seems a very small amount for him to pay for a large return.

I can't imagine there are hundreds or thousands of these gift certificates out there, so it's not like he'd be setting a dangerous precedent. And for however many of these gift certificates do exist out there, he could look at them as ways to encourage trial of his new place and spread the word. But apparently he doesn't see it that way.

that's exactly how i felt. i still have to call him back, so we'll see.

on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.

on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.

On that same note, I would call Chef Gilbert at his new place and ask if he would be interested in honoring (a portion of?) the Terragusto certificate.

bean wrote:

on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.

On that same note, I would call Chef Gilbert at his new place and ask if he would be interested in honoring (a portion of?) the Terragusto certificate.

Isn't that what he did?

jfibro wrote:
on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.

If I'm looking at the right thing, the Groupon is for a four-course meal and wine class. This isn't the traditional $40 for $20 deal that attracts the so-called wrong crowd. Rather, it seems like a nice way to attract the exact crowd he wants.

bean wrote:
Quote:
on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.


On that same note, I would call Chef Gilbert at his new place and ask if he would be interested in honoring (a portion of?) the Terragusto certificate.


Isn't that what he did?

My bad--I was under the impression he was talking about the folks who took over the old Terragusto space.

jfibro wrote:on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.

Deteriorating clientele set to one side, it's strange that he obviously recognizes the need to create trial at his new place through Groupon, while at the same time, when it actually comes to an actual, you know, person, he behaves in such a way as to show he doesn't care.

Darren72 wrote:

jfibro wrote:
on another note, i find it ironic that the same guy who moaned about his clientele deteriorating up-thread is now offering a Groupon in his second week at his new restaurant.

If I'm looking at the right thing, the Groupon is for a four-course meal and wine class. This isn't the traditional $40 for $20 deal that attracts the so-called wrong crowd. Rather, it seems like a nice way to attract the exact crowd he wants.

I think it's amazing that this guy either has enough business, or enough access to investor cash, to be so selective on the types of people he wants. This is especially true since he opens places where you look overdressed if you happen to wear nice slacks and a jacket.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I meant that by offering a groupon that is somewhat expensive, but includes a four course meal and wine class, he is attracting people who are especially interested in good food and wine. The common knock on the $40 for $20 groupons is that they attract people who spend exactly $40 and never return. He's offering a different type of deal that will appeal to the clientele he hopes to build.

Darren72 wrote:Maybe I wasn't clear. I meant that by offering a groupon that is somewhat expensive, but includes a four course meal and wine class, he is attracting people who are especially interested in good food and wine. The common knock on the $40 for $20 groupons is that they attract people who spend exactly $40 and never return. He's offering a different type of deal that will appeal to the clientele he hopes to build.

No, all that was clear.

While I'm not a lawyer, I think you're at the mercy of the new entity and what they want to do. While the investors may be mostly the same, I'm sure you're talking about separate legal entities. You're probably classed as an unsecured creditor of Terragusto, which has no corporate relationship with ripasso, unless the two are actually owned by the same corporation (ala Lettuce Entertain You). It's definitely fuzzy.

IANAL either, but the moral case is a little more clear. The new entity has the same managing partner as the old one, who happily pocketed the cash for the gift certificate when it was paid for. While they legally have no obligation to you, I'd think that Theo would at least recognize that he did get the money and should provide the goods and services which were paid for. If he wants to trade off the Terragusto name (though comments in this forum suggest that might not be a great idea), he should honor his obligations to his loyal customer base.

As a restaurant owner, I would honor the certificate as this is a low cost way to introduce my new place to former patrons.

I knew I liked your restaurants for a reason, Tim

(had a lovely Mother's Day brunch at Acre)

crctim wrote:As a restaurant owner, I would honor the certificate as this is a low cost way to introduce my new place to former patrons.

This is such a no-brainer, even to a non-restaurant-owner like myself, that it elevates the Terragusto guy's response fully to the "what is he thinking" category.

(I enjoyed a recent dinner at Acre a lot, and of course Anteprima is great. Thanks. Either earlier quibbles about Acre on LTH have been addressed and rectified, or--I just disagree with them!)

No more attitude for them... they're papered over.

They closed last summer(2011) and pretty quickly opened up over on Damen in Wicker Park as Ripasso. Same concept and menu.

Ripasso
1619 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
773-342-8799

We had a superb dinner at Ripasso tonight - four small plates (vegetable custard with mushroom strudel; baccala with fried polenta; Swiss chard with anchovies and golden raisins; insalate with arugula, shaved carrot and shaved fennel), a pasta ( house- made pappardelle with veal, pork, beef and lamb ragù) and dessert (a pistachio mousse with a white chocolate wafer and a candied cherry).

All dishes were delicious, but the Swiss chard and the pappardelle were especially memorable - the pappardelle rivaled my favorite at Merlo on Maple.

The service was great - friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. The front of the house is well-run.

ld111134 wrote:The service was great - friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. The front of the house is well-run.

This sounds like an improvement over Terragusto. Our one experience there was in line with reports of some others here--a combination of being handled like we'd never been in a restaurant so wonderfully special as Terragusto before, while making sure we were out of there before the next table arrived. The improvement is welcome news.

riddlemay wrote:

ld111134 wrote:The service was great - friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. The front of the house is well-run.

This sounds like an improvement over Terragusto. Our one experience there was in line with reports of some others here--a combination of being handled like we'd never been in a restaurant so wonderfully special as Terragusto before, while making sure we were out of there before the next table arrived. The improvement is welcome news.

Yes, riddlemay, the service was welcoming and enthusiastic. My wife noticed the hostess wiping down chair legs - a sign that the staff was trained to notice small details.