You're kidding me right, fellow Yelpers? 4 stars? What have you guys been smoking?
My boyfriend and I are visiting Chicago and, after quickly checking out the reviews on yelp, went to the Rosebud tonight as we're staying nearby. I was told by our driver that the portions are "large" - the understatement of the year. The portions are gargantuan, and unfortunately, the concept "quality over quantity" doesn't apply at this restaurant.
When we first sat down, I should have known things were not going to be up to my standard when a metal bowl of cheap parmesan cheese was place on our table. Uh oh.
To start, we shared the Caprese Salad, which was pretty standard. Although, I don't know what type of "traditional" Italian restaurant would bastardize Caprese with olives and roasted red peppers! The mozz was decent, but I would have rather them left off the "extras" and instead opted for Buffala Mozz and a little more balsamic reduction.
For dinner, I ordered the fresh papardelle pasta with an alfredo sauce, mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli. When it came out, it nearly choked on my wine! It was seriously large enough to feed a small village. Before even taking a bite, I was nervous because portions *this* large are never good...and this time was no exception. The "alfredo" sauce was basically heated cream with the smallest hint of flavor. There wasn't even the slightest hint of nutmeg. The papardelle itself was perfectly cooked, but the rest of the dish did nothing to compliment the restaurant's 'original' creation. In hopes of salvaging some sort of goodness, I asked the server if they had any fresh parmesan - pecorino, reggiano, anything! - but he said no. NO FRESH PARM AT AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT? Oh god.
My boyfriend had the Brick Chicken, which he said was good. He said he'd give it about a 7/10. It looked really tender although, being a vegetarian, I can't comment on the actual flavors. It did, however, come with one of my all-time favorite sides - broccoloni! Which he said was "yum!"
We ordered dessert - opted for the carrot cake. Of course, it was also a huge portion, though not as gargantuan as the others. It was pretty decent, definitely the best part of my meal (but that's not saying much). It was really missing the sweet tang of the cream cheese frosting. I'm not sure if they call their frosting cream cheese - but I am a baker and I couldn't taste the slightest hint of it. So, that was a bummer for me.
The service was OK. Our sever and busboy were friendly and the busboy really prompt, but I had to ask him to bring our server the check after waiting for 10 minutes. While the server was nice, he was often absent.
I would have probably given the restaurant 3 stars if it weren't for the bill. I was already grumpy about my mediocre meal, but I got downright choked when I saw that my $18 on-the-menu pasta was now $28 because quote "the mushrooms and other stuff are extra." Sigh. I could have gone to a significantly pricier restaurant, had a killer meal, and been totally satisfied for $28. Our nearly $100 check was ridiculous for the quality of the meal and service. I have *zero* problem paying for great food, but when the food is blah and I could have bought a new pair of jeans instead, I'm not happy.
Being that we are staying in a hotel, our insane amount of leftovers were taken by our driver to be delivered to a homeless fellow he knows. So, at least someone appreciated the meal!
Overall, I'm pretty damn crushed that this is the experience I'm taking away from Chicago's Little Italy. Maybe I'm a food snob (ok, not maybe), and maybe I'm spoiled by Miami's insanely awesome selection of Italian restaurants (not maybe), and maybe my own Italian cooking is head-and-shoulders above the average Italian restaurant (definitely not maybe) but seriously. In no way, shape, or form is this restaurant worth 4 stars. And it's certainly nothing to write home about - unless you're a grump, like me! read more