CORNELIA’S
750 West Cornelia Street
(773-248-8333) A WBBM RESTAURANT REVIEW BY SHERMAN KAPLAN
BROADCAST SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
Cornelia’s at 750 West Cornelia Street looks tired. Its paneled walls need fresh paint, the room needs better lighting, and a ballroom sized chandelier looks like it could use a good dusting.
Still, that does not detract from the fact that Cornelia’s is more than a restaurant, with nightly live entertainment and a sense of the friendly.
But, as restaurant, there was little if anything tasted that rose above the ordinary. For example, Shitake Mushroom Pancakes are described as, “Mushroom pancakes with corn & basil served with balsamic syrup & sun dried tomato butter.”
Unfortunately, the reality is more like breakfast pancakes. How much better this could be if French crepes were at center. And, less sweetened syrup would be more appealing.
Among other tapas, crabcake comes with spicy mayonnaise. Some restaurants make their crab cakes with too much filler. Cornelia’s does not use enough. The cake practically crumbles on the plate. Though warmed, it’s got a pale color as if it has not hit the sauté pan, much less a broiler.
We also tried Caesar Salad, whose dressing is rather weak and could use a good dose of flavor.
As for entrees, grilled salmon flakes nicely and has the expected fresh taste, while a saffron based sauce is a pleasant bonus.
My choice was smoked beef brisket. The smoky taste was evident, but the beef was gray and fatty, while an accompanying horse radish sauce was much too creamy. I left half on my plate.
The wine list is promising enough; the glass of Pinot Noir I ordered was too warm, not an uncommon occurrence at many restaurants, I’m sorry to note.
As for dessert, our waiter offered cheese cake, carrot cake and bread pudding. “What kind of bread pudding?”, I asked. “The regular”, he said, and with that I decided to let it go, and asked for the check.
Expect to pay about $60 a couple plus add ons. Parking is tight, though there is alot around the corner on the West side of Halsted. Cornelia’s is at 850 West Cornelia
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