This is Bruschetta?
Written: Mar 29 '03 (Updated Apr 02 '03)
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Pros: decor, accommodations
Cons: cuisine, service
The Bottom Line: Maybe I came in on a bad day, but Harry Caray's left nothing desirable for a recommendation. Go for the deep dish somewhere else.
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| deeblackthorne's Full Review: Harry Caray's |
Harry Caray's was my first stop after arriving at the downtown LaSalle Station. My friend and I hadn't eaten since that morning, and he wanted to stop in at a sports bar to watch the Illinois-Notre Dame. So, here we arrived; I figured I could give it a shot.
I must admit that the overall atmosphere impressed me. In between bathroom breaks, I read the copious wall memorabilia concerning this Harry Caray fellow and some important moments in this bar's history. Once, I read, his restaurant sold pint beers at forty-five cents until the Cubs won a game. A host stand in the center greeted guests in the formal dining area, and we enjoyed the immaculately done space in the bar. Tiled floors, high bar tables, baskets of kettle crisps. I was ready to sit down and have a beer or two.
Unfortunately, that's about the best of it.
Fairly crowded for the game, we sat in the far back right next to the server's station, which wouldn't have been so bad had I not had to arch my neck in an uncomfortable position to watch the game. (The remaining sets all displayed different games going on.) And worse than that, the reception kept going in and out; I had to squint through the snow to read the score. Needless to say, Notre Dame maintained its arm's length lead over the Fighting Illini the entire time.
I had finished reading a book on vegetarianism, and I figured it couldn't hurt to pick up something earth friendly for dinner. I settled for bruschetta. Yeah, I admit I'm a stooge for having been influenced by a Real World Chicago episode displaying the dish, but hey, it looked appetizing enough. I'm pretty sure the restaurant sets out baskets of kettle crisps (i.e. a thicker, crispier chip lightly fried in oil sans all the preservatives of popular potato chips) first thing upon opening, and by the time we got to them (going on one in the afternoon) they were pretty stale. So, anything had to be better than a stale, salty chip.
Harry Caray's offers a fine selection of Italian pastas, pizzas, ales, and wines, but mixes it up with the standard fare hamburgers and other sports-bar type foods. I got the bruschetta; my bud settled for a huge chili dog. If anything, that's a strong testament for the variety of food the restaurant offers. Selection's pretty good with plenty of choices for both appetizers and meals.
The food let me down, though.
The bruschetta arrived at a reasonable time but in an less than appropriate condition. The grilled bread slices met in the center of a jumbled mess of half-arranged and a heavily vinegared (almost pickled) vegetable medley. Grated parmesan was sliced over the whole dish, but because the cook used so much vinegar, the acidic taste easily washed out any sort of texture or taste to come from the tomato, onion, or the cilantro. It was an absolute mess. I took a look at Joe's chili dog, too, and quickly noticed its rather unappetizing appearance. It was a foot-long dog, but the chili appeared too dark, as if it were scraped out from the bottom of the single boiler. It was very brown, not red, and the dog itself looked flat and bland. He ate it all, but again, if you're that hungry... you know...
To think that I drank a Michelob Amber Bock to balance out the taste, I didn't enjoy my dish but ate it because I was too hungry to fuss. I know what it's like to work in a busy restaurant on game day, and I could sympathize, but hell, she looked like she didn't want to bother with me or my friend any longer than necessary. She kept my water supply stocked and the busboy promptly swiped my plate -- I think my frown gave it away.
For my first taste of Chicago cuisine, "unimpressed" does not adequately describe my sentiment. Leaving the restaurant, I could only hope that authentic Chicago deep dish wouldn't let me down.
Recommended:
No
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations It couldn't hurt to ask how the cooks prepare items of your choosing. Had I known they would botch up the bruschetta, I would have selected something more appropriate for the venue.
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
deeblackthorne
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Member: Dee Hill Zuganelli
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA
Reviews written: 133
Trusted by: 13 members
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