Petterino’s
150 N. Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60601
Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, July 22nd, 2009
The Victim: Kevin
The Damage: Unknown, because Kevin paid. But probably about $30.
The Background: I’m in the mood for a good American salad for lunch. London just doesn’t do good lunch salads. We discuss this in the office and someone suggests Petterino’s so that’s where we go.
The Entrance: Petterino’s is a pre-theatre restaurant. The walls are full of caricatures. And if you eat there often enough, they’ll put your name on the wall. It’s so large that personally, I have to wonder if they make all their food on site or if it comes from a “Restaurant Depot” kind of place. Hmmm.
The Food: After perusing the menu, I decide to screw the salad. I’ve been up since 4:45 a.m. and I’ve biked for an hour. I need dense carbs. So instead, I opt for the crab salad sandwich special. It’s the pumpernickel that’s got me. You don’t find pumpernickel so much in London. (Although I believe Silverbrow has a source.) The sandwich arrives and its very American-sandwich-y. I don’t like pickles at all…but there’s 1/4 of a dill pickle right there. The crab salad is pretty nice…a bit salty. (Which is something I’ll find myself saying more than once during my week in the States.) Most disappointing is the pumpernickle. It’s soft. Too soft. The fries are good though.
Ah, but I forgot to mention the bread basket. Petterino’s does a nice bread basket. Very nice. Very assorted. Very dense carbs.
The Service: Kevin told me that because Petterino’s is a pre-theatre place, they turn around tables in no time. But our food took forever. Our server was nice though. So this means that either Kevin is a liar or Petterino’s was having an off-service.
The Verdict: Eh. This was okay. The bread basket was great though. Sorry I didn’t snab a photo.
7 comments
Premier chefs shop at Restaurant Depot, because they can see, and select, the foods they will later work with.
This as opposed to haveing to accept what shows up, or doesn’t show up, on a truck. Yes, we also sell prepared foods, but the majority of our business is in fresh foods that are used by caring chefs.
Interesting comment… (And you must use Google Alerts.) I thought I totally made up the name "Restaurant Depot." I was thinking about an episode of Kitchen Nightmares in the U.S. where Ramsey asks the chef who made the ravioli and the chef admits he bought it from a restaurant supply store!
Any pizza point reviews coming?
Need the 411 for my Amtrak cross-country trip in Sept.
Any thoughts?
Krista, that was a great episode of Kitchen Nightmares. What a dope!
Sadly, no pizza in the pipeline. But seriously…Pizzeria Uno/Due for more of the atmosphere and central location, but I've always enjoyed Lou Malnati's.
I’ve heard good things about both Uno and Due. You just sealed the deal for me. Thanks a bunch!
I agree re: salad lunches in London, though I’ve found that Villandry do a stonking chicken and avocado salad. Absolutely monstrous in size (a major plus for me).
I find the best deep dish pizza at Pequod’s. They have the best crust, sprinkled with cheese so the hot pan gets it nice and crispy. That sets it above the rest for me.
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