A friend says that it is very common for restaurants to sub 7-up and a teeny drop of coke for ginger ale.

leek wrote:A friend says that it is very common for restaurants to sub 7-up and a teeny drop of coke for ginger ale.

Actually, we did that about 30 years ago when I worked at a private club as a waitress in the late 70"s...interesting that they still do that. And interesting that we ever could have pulled that off!

leek wrote:A friend says that it is very common for restaurants to sub 7-up and a teeny drop of coke for ginger ale.

Those that do meet my ire as well. In some ways, that's even a bigger lie.

leek wrote:A friend says that it is very common for restaurants to sub 7-up and a teeny drop of coke for ginger ale.

I've worked in private clubs and hotels for more than 30 years, and for any reasonable request (ginger ale, for example...skim milk, etc...) it is standard operating procedure to send someone out to a convenience or store. For a so called "big name" restaurant to not have something so simple as ginger ale is just plain sad. I can't tell you how many times I've given a cook a few twenties and sent them out in a taxi.

Evil Ronnie

x

I certainly learned to mix Swanel lemon-lime soda with a touch of cola to make ginger ale during my busboy/barback days at a place-which-will-remain-unnamed. It came in handy when mixing during college, but is admittedly pretty deplorable.

I walked through Paris Club tonight and I can say with some authority that it did not smell like shit.

David Hammond wrote:I walked through Paris Club tonight and I can say with some authority that it did not smell like shit.

VIP.

Seriously, I walked in, did a circle on the first floor, and...nothing. Perhaps managment took emergency action to correct the situation, or maybe the smell comes and goes, who knows. It seems at least possible that when others went, that the place was atmospherically acceptable.

This is going back a ways, but when Sol de Mexico opened years ago, I remember that there was a very pronounced sewer-like scent there on some days but not others. Few people commented on it, perhaps because of the big (and well deserved) love they had for the place, or perhaps because when they were there, the stench wasn't.

When I was there Friday night, I didn't notice any such odor.

I honestly don't know how you guys could miss it. To me, it wasn't subtle.

=R=

jesteinf wrote:For those that have been, have any of you noticed the odor that Sula describes here?

"It smells like a barn in here."
...
In the meantime, I began to hear the rumors circulating among industry folks: the miasma, they said, arose from the floor, salvaged from an old French barn the Melmans purchased, deconstructed, and installed, which failed to disperse after repeated cleanings and refinishings.

What were they thinking? Barn smell never goes away. I have boots that still stink and they haven't been in cow **** in four years!

I didn't notice a smell either, and we were there right after it opened. And we also would have noticed a strong masking perfumey smell.

leek wrote:I didn't notice a smell either, and we were there right after it opened. And we also would have noticed a strong masking perfumey smell.

LOL. I guess that I just imagined it and that the server who confirmed it just did so to make me feel better.

Very likely that if you were there just after opening, the masking attempts may not have yet been underway.

=R=

I made my third visit to Paris Club on Saturday night. Based on my two prior experiences, it wasn't a place I sought out, but rather fit the night's dining parameters (table available, within a few blocks of the Hotel Sax, where a friend was staying). I have to say, this time around I left actually feeling excited about the place!

(It's also worth noticing, the percentage of people dressed in green was lower at Paris Club than any other venue I visited on Saturday. Given the warm weather + St. Patrick's Day celebrations, the city was a mess on Saturday with a even-higher-than-normal number of drunk idiots. Paris Club was a refreshing haven from the chaos.)

Two of us split:
Charcuterie platter
Foie gras mousse
Short rib drippings & toast
Braised Brussels sprouts with golden raisins
Roasted beet & goat cheese

The charcuterie platter stole the show...really, one of the best I've had in the city. It's $15 per person (and we ordered for two), but really could have been our entire meal. It included:

4 pâté (country pâté with pistachio, chicken terrine with cognac & truffle, foie gras and short rib pressé, and a duck roulade)
Several slices each of 4 or 5 different preserved meats & salamis
Two pieces of hot grilled sausages
A small pot of pork rillettes
A few hunks of cheese
Two perfect radishes, each pre-slathered with fresh butter & course salt
Two different mustards
A generous serving of lightly toasted baguette slices

Other items of note:
* The short rib drippings & toast is a brilliant idea. A small cast iron pot (maybe a cup, at most) of the delicious fat from the bottom of the short-rib pan plus some some shredded meat, served with toasted baguette slices. Brilliant idea, considering they're already selling a short-rib bourguignonne entree...take what's left at the bottom of the pot, throw in some bread & charge $5 for it!

* I criticized the beet & goat cheese terrine after my first meal at Paris Club. It has grown in size since then, and was a refreshing palette cleanser considering that the rest of our meal was guaranteed to cause a heart attack or send our cholesterol sky high.

* The foie gras mousse was heavenly. Of course, I'll never be able to eat foie gras without thinking of the donut holes & foie gras icing on a beater at Next Childhood.

* I love Brussels sprouts, but these were just average. Honestly, braised isn't my ideal prep....I prefer them roasted so they get crispy, but these were still good.

I think we each had one drink with dinner, and the total bill came to <$100 for two of us (and maybe only $80). Really, a good bargain for a great meal on a Saturday night in that neighborhood.

David Hammond wrote:I walked through Paris Club tonight and I can say with some authority that it did not smell like shit.

Perhaps they've figured out a solution, but from my recollection of the meal that we had last time I visited, "absence of shit smell" may not likely be enough of a draw.

Thanks for the positive comments, going there for my birthday celebration on Saturday!

stevez wrote:... I ordered a ginger ale and was served 7-up. When I called the bartender on it, she claimed that I was wrong and that the clear lemon/lime tasting liquid in my glass was ginger ale. I know it doesn't sound like such a big deal to most alcohol drinking readers, but to put it in perspective imagine if you ordered a bourbon and they brought you a shot of vodka and then claimed it was indeed bourbon.

Had a work-group lunch today at a forgettable place in the 'burbs, where I initially asked for a ginger ale. The manager, who was taking drink orders in advance of the waitress' arrival, said they were out of ginger ale, but I could have their standard substitute: sprite mixed with coke!

I hadn't heard of this subterfuge before--this may just be an example of what I think of as the "Pregnant Woman Effect" (i.e., once you know someone who is pregnant, you start noticing it seemingly everywhere)--but I'll restrain myself from suggesting a new LTH fake-drink/-food-a-thon...unless of course there's a lot of interest...but I rather doubt it.

I went to a business dinner last night at PC and they completely revamped the menu. There are far fewer small plates, and as the server explained it is more of a focus on "courses." However, except for the special entree of the day, none of the full entrees seemed to come with a side or garnish, so you'd still need to order vegetables sides, kind of like steakhouse dining.

I'm not sure why this changed. Interestingly enough, I was with a party of 8, and the table consensus was to order lots of the big and small plates, and split the big plates into smaller portions for sharing.

The food was as before, pretty good but not amazing. I had the duck breast entree. It was done properly but not a lot of seasoning to it.

I ordered the Brussels sprouts, and my pet peeve on veggies is when they add BACON without acknowledging it on the menu*. So these had bacon, and I passed, but they looked good.

The celeriac gratin was good. The chicken drumettes were tasty, but again, not breaking any ground. I did not really enjoy the baked Brie. Too much greenery on the top and the mushrooms just made it unwieldy and like a weird queso dip.

All in all, I still miss Brasserie Jo.


*my personal sad attempt at kosher style dining.

All in all, I still miss Brasserie Jo.

You and me both! But if you ever get to Boston, you can still go visit.Interestingly, Brasserie Jo Boston is not an LEYE restaurant. Bet there's a story there. . .

Paris Club restaurant in River North is closing temporarily on Jan. 6 for a broad renovation that calls for putting a noodle shop in part of the building.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... ramen-shop

I hate how in Chicago the ramen think totally skipped the stage of having affordable ramen bars for normal people that other cities had (I guess you have to go to the burbs here for that) and invented its own stage of overpriced ramen for fratdudebros.

Dave148 wrote:

Paris Club restaurant in River North is closing temporarily on Jan. 6 for a broad renovation that calls for putting a noodle shop in part of the building.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... ramen-shop

Revamped Paris Club opens today

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... pens-today

We went pre-theater last night and had a nice time. Per the DH their wine by the glass selections were reasonably priced for what they were and interesting. The menu on their web site today is what we were presented with (Fall 2015), with some specials added. I had "crispy duckling" which came with a slightly-too-sweet sauce. It also came with quince, which was lovely but candied. I like things a little less sweet. The duck itself was excellent - really crispy and the fat was almost completely rendered out. DH had the special which was a Basque seafood stew/soup. We also ordered a side of fries and brussels sprouts. They were both tasty and done well. We were there very early on a Sunday, so it was pretty empty, though not completely dead.

It has reverted back to the kind of classic French Bistro food that was originally served at Brasserie Jo, in perhaps a little more formal setting. I saw no evidence of their upstairs bar/lounge - perhaps that is now accessed only through the Ramen place?

The owners of Paris Club have closed the River North bistro in favor of a new Italian restaurant coming soon.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160105 ... restaurant

Dave148 wrote:

The owners of Paris Club have closed the River North bistro in favor of a new Italian restaurant coming soon.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160105 ... restaurant

Finally, an Italian option in River North!