Convito Italiano

Ate there for Christmas Eve Dinner.
Did not notice new name & owner. What a mistake!!!
Enjoyed the original Convito in downtown Chicago. Delicious.
This place, 2 THUMBS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wally Wade

I gave up on them the day they sliced my pound of Prosciutto di Parma and unceremoniously dumped it in a huge, tangled pile before wrapping it.

To be fair, this was a very, very long time ago.

Did not notice new name & owner. What a mistake!!!

Convito changed ownership? When? Who is the new owner?

PS Plaza del Lago has gone straight to Hell in the past two years, accelerated by the abrupt departure of Crate & Barrel in early January of this year. Ballpark guess is that HALF of the stores in this landmark mall in the toniest North Shore 'hood imaginable are now empty and forlorn, and have been for several months, if not longer. I am baffled as to why the PTB in Wilmette and Kenilworth have not done anything to reverse this trend. . .

sundevilpeg wrote:

Did not notice new name & owner. What a mistake!!!

Convito changed ownership? When? Who is the new owner?

PS Plaza del Lago has gone straight to Hell in the past two years, accelerated by the abrupt departure of Crate & Barrel in early January of this year. Ballpark guess is that HALF of the stores in this landmark mall in the toniest North Shore 'hood imaginable are now empty and forlorn, and have been for several months, if not longer. I am baffled as to why the PTB in Wilmette and Kenilworth have not done anything to reverse this trend. . .

FYI - CVS is opening in the former C&B space in October, 2012.

Late Nov. 2011, had dinner at Equinox in D.C. For $ 25-30.00 more than "this Convito" we had an outstanding meal.
All Convito Christmas "specials" were short cut on ingredients, quality, but not price.
The current business is trading on Convito's reputation. It will catch up to them.
If you don't want to be disappointed, avoid the place.

Wally Wade

Dave148 wrote:FYI - CVS is opening in the former C&B space in October, 2012.

That's not going to do much to restore the toniness.

Dave148 wrote:
FYI - CVS is opening in the former C&B space in October, 2012.

That's not going to do much to restore the toniness.

This would have been such a perfect location for a Sur la Table store. Perfect sized property set up for this specific type of store, well-heeled clientele, no competing store closer than Old Orchard. . . *sigh* Instead, an outsized chain drugstore? Very, very disappointing.

The question remains unanswered: When did Convito change ownership, and who operates it now? Very curious. Hadn't heard.
Hard to believe that a small, upscale mall can't be sustained in that neighborhood.
Wonder what is changing that it's not even worth it for C&B to maintain a shop there.

mrbarolo wrote:The question remains unanswered: When did Convito change ownership, and who operates it now? Very curious. Hadn't heard.
Hard to believe that a small, upscale mall can't be sustained in that neighborhood.
Wonder what is changing that it's not even worth it for C&B to maintain a shop there.

Crate & Barrel's Old Orchard shop, which is just a couple of miles from the Plaza del Lago store, pretty much obsoleted the PdL shop. That's what I was told by a manager at C&B months before the planned closure, which lined up with the expiration of their lease at PdL.

As for the status of the mall, things are tough all over. There are vacancies in just about every north shore downtown. Highland Park is a veritable ghost town compared to what it once was. Not sure why it would be any different in Wilmette.

I too, seem to remember something about an ownership change at Convito but I can't remember the details or find them anywhere online.

=R=

I doubled checked. It appears ownership is the same.
In the past I ate many times at Convito on Chestnut in Chicago. Always outstanding food, quality.

The quality of their meals on Christmas Eve did not measure up.

If you like the place, by all means contiune to eat there. I for one don't and wont.

Wally

walter wade wrote:I doubled checked. It appears ownership is the same.
In the past I ate many times at Convito on Chestnut in Chicago. Always outstanding food, quality.

The quality of their meals on Christmas Eve did not measure up.

If you like the place, by all means contiune to eat there. I for one don't and wont.

Wally

I think damning any place based on the quality of a meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, Valentines Day, Mothers Day, etc. is a bit short sighted. If your conclusion is based on visits on "regular" days, then never mind.

sundevilpeg wrote:

Dave148 wrote:
FYI - CVS is opening in the former C&B space in October, 2012.

That's not going to do much to restore the toniness.

This would have been such a perfect location for a Sur la Table store. Perfect sized property set up for this specific type of store, well-heeled clientele, no competing store closer than Old Orchard. . . *sigh* Instead, an outsized chain drugstore? Very, very disappointing.

If it didn't make financial sense for Crate & Barrel why would it make sense for Sur la Table?

If it didn't make financial sense for Crate & Barrel why would it make sense for Sur la Table?

1) It's not as if C&B's presence was a short-term venture; that store was at PdL (and had great success) for 30+ years. The closest competing stores were the Williams-Sonomas in HP and Old Orchard, both of which are several miles away.

2) Sur la Table decided to open in Northbrook Court - where there is a HUGE free-standing Crate & Barrel, and where a Williams-Sonoma previously failed. Inexplicable decision, unless the owners of PdL really jacked up the rents there, which I suspect is what happened.

3) Given the astronomical per capita income of Kenilworth, I don't think that the economic downturn has affected the PdL clientele in the slightest.

sundevilpeg wrote:

If it didn't make financial sense for Crate & Barrel why would it make sense for Sur la Table?

1) It's not as if C&B's presence was a short-term venture; that store was at PdL (and had great success) for 30+ years. The closest competing stores were the Williams-Sonomas in HP and Old Orchard, both of which are several miles away.

2) Sur la Table decided to open in Northbrook Court - where there is a HUGE free-standing Crate & Barrel, and where a Williams-Sonoma previously failed. Inexplicable decision, unless the owners of PdL really jacked up the rents there, which I suspect is what happened.

3) Given the astronomical per capita income of Kenilworth, I don't think that the economic downturn has affected the PdL clientele in the slightest.

If Crate & Barrel was still making money there they wouldn't have left. Just because it was viable at one time doesn't mean it will stay that way forever. People's shopping habits change and it may be that it's all about mall locations these days.

And don't overlook the Internet. The affluent all have computers and Internet access and they are likely turning there for their shopping just like the rest of us.

spinynorman99 wrote:If Crate & Barrel was still making money there they wouldn't have left. Just because it was viable at one time doesn't mean it will stay that way forever. People's shopping habits change and it may be that it's all about mall locations these days.

And don't overlook the Internet. The affluent all have computers and Internet access and they are likely turning there for their shopping just like the rest of us.

Totally agree. The current state of things at PdL clearly says more about the current state of things than it does about any (bad) decisions made by anyone or any entity. Meanwhile, Sur La Table opened a shop recently in Northbrook Court. I'll be curious to see how it goes for them there, especially with a large C&B store on the same piece of real estate.

=R=