Petterino's is THE WORST!!!!

Went to see Wicked last night with the family. Youngest son has been very interested in seeing it, as it is all the rage in Middle School.

My wife booked us into Petterino's after reading some good reviews on-line. Now, I have eaten at some "colorful" places, some "poor" places, and some "interesting" places.

Petterino's was just BAD!!!

Service was horrible - though the Tuxes are a nice touch. Food recommendations were off - there was no true service during the meal (except the water guy who appeared the moment you took a sip of water - ugh!) We had been asked if we were seeing a 7:30 show (we were). We finished our main meal at 6:50 - it took until 7:15 for the waiter to show up and ask if we were interested in desert! Give me a break!

The meals were AWFUL!!!

Salmon - overdone and dry.
Baked Ravioli - burnt with too much crusted, dried, parma cheese (too salty).
Chicken Sandwich (simple?) Horrible!

I will NEVER go to a Lettuce Entertain You restuarant again - if I can help it! This is a warning - stay away!

I'd certainly suggest complaining directly to LEYE, as well. They're generally very good at dealing with customer complaints.

It's too bad the waiter didn't ask about desserts soon enough -- the only thing I've heard praised there is the chocolate pudding.

I hear that TRU place ain't too shabby.

peters wrote:I will NEVER go to a Lettuce Entertain You restuarant again - if I can help it! This is a warning - stay away!

That's too bad you had a bad experience at Petterino's, but I wouldn't use that as a justification for damning the entire LEYE family. TRU and Everest are great. Brasserie Jo is very solid. I agree with gleam. Write a letter to LEYE corporate. They are very customer-service oriented and I'm sure will be happy to remedy the situation.

PS - How were the portions? (Sorry, couldn't resist)

While I have had many enjoyable meals, and many bad meals, one bad experience should not cause you to frown on an entire restaurante empire, which has been around Chicagoland since the 70's. Obviously it is your choice to dine or not dine at said establishments, but you will be doing you and your family a disservice by doing so.

jesteinf wrote:PS - How were the portions? (Sorry, couldn't resist)

You beat me to it.

gleam wrote:It's too bad the waiter didn't ask about desserts soon enough -- the only thing I've heard praised there is the chocolate pudding.

That and the mixed drinks, although I suppose that's not a relevant consideration for the middle-school crowd and small comfort if you are hungry. I've never eaten a bite at Petterino's, but have enjoyed the ambience (of the bar), excellent service (at the bar) and convenience to the Goodman (it's certainly the most convenient bar!), on many occasions.

I've had a number of business lunches there over that last several years and they were always okay. Nothing to write home about, but nothing evil. A lot of my co-workers are fans of the bar.

gleam wrote:It's too bad the waiter didn't ask about desserts soon enough -- the only thing I've heard praised there is the chocolate pudding.

The best damn chocolate pudding I have ever had in a restaurant bar none!

One meal at Petterino's was enough to convince me never to return (but then I was dragged there for a second time). All that I can recall is that the food was pretty bad and overpriced.

But, I certainly wouldn't avoid LEYE restaurants all together. You're not going to get a bad meal at Joe's or Shaw's (although perhaps overpriced), and I think BaBaReeba is decent for what it is. I also hear that Nacional 27 has really lifted itself up. And of course there's Tru and Everest. The key with LEYE is knowing which ones to avoid, with Tucci Benucch probably being at the top of the list and Vong's Thai Kitchen making a strong run at TB.

Another interesting trend I've noticed with LEYE is that many of their restaurants tend to start off very good, then progressively go downhill, then get really good again . . . before eventually reformatting or going out of business. In any event, they've introduced a number of successful and fun concepts to Chicago and I agree with others that I wouldn't write off the chain based upon a couple bad restaurants in the group.

BR wrote:In any event, they've introduced a number of successful and fun concepts to Chicago and I agree with others that I wouldn't write off the chain based upon a couple bad restaurants in the group.

They invented the salad bar (of course this has been disputed by one poster), so you've at least got to give them props for that.

Another interesting trend I've noticed with LEYE is that many of their restaurants tend to start off very good, then progressively go downhill, then get really good again

I've observed before that they only seem to be able to run one good Italian restaurant at a time; the newest one always seems to have a pretty good commitment to fresh, high quality ingredients and dishes, while the rest make plastic food. As soon as they open the next one, the previous good one goes downhill.

Mind you, this observation is rooted in the situation some years ago-- and I'm not planning on trying Osteria via Stato, Di Pescara, Antica Posto, Tucci Benucch, Maggiano's etc. to determine if it still holds as it did in the days of Avanzare, Tucci Milan, etc. I've done my time having business lunch in LEYE places.

I fear Petterino's has gone down hill. I first ate there about 4 years ago, and had an excellent meal. The au gratin potatoes were sublime, and the chocolate pudding was to die for.

Sadly, I was there last year (also for a Wicked performance), and found that neither of the dishes I had yearned for lived up to my memories. Didn't much like Wicked, either.

I frequent Petterino's at least once per week. It is close to work, close to the Goodman and close to my parking garage. The bartenders are probably some of the best I have ever encountered and my mixed drinks are always great.

When I eat there, I eat at the bar. Usually I have a steak and have never been disappointed. It is not David Burke, but it is fine. The chicken parm got good reviews from friends and the cheeseburger is also good. I have had one bad meal there lately-chicken hash which was pretty bad (dry and tasteless). Then again, it is a weird menu item for a dinner place so I probably just should not have ordered it.

I have had the scalloped potatoes recently and I thought they were quite good and one of their better sides. Maybe the kitchen had an off night?

One further observation. I don' t think they have enough staff for the pre-theatre rush especially with a near continuous flow of Wicked theatregoers. This is a fairly recent phenomena and will have to be addressed by management. I agree that the OP should contact corporate. I had an awful experience at Scoozi and was always sorry I didn't squawk about it to the right people.