Drover wrote:

shakes wrote:So I guess the real problem here is a misunderstanding on your part. Advocating for something to fail and predicting something will fail are two different things. I suggest you read up on the differences and maybe you won't have such a hard time interpreting posts on the forum.

There's no way to interpret a command that a place shut down as merely a prediction. You're responsible for your own formulation. If you don't want to be misinterpreted then don't state a "prediction" in the form of a command.

I'm sorry you have trouble reading.

Last word.

We locked the thread for reasons that are probably obvious to everyone.

Thanks - have a great weekend!

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for the Moderators

ronnie_suburban wrote:We locked the thread for reasons that are probably obvious to everyone.

Thanks - have a great weekend!

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for the Moderators

Unlocked - Please keep it civil, cordial and friendly.

Mirabella is open and Sula seemed to really like it . . .

at the Reader's website, Mike Sula wrote:This is no carbon copy of Gene & Georgetti. They're always happy to see you at Mirabella. The first time I visited the chef dropped whatever business he had with the bartender and rushed over to open the door for me. Napkins are refolded when chairs are vacated. Servers in black vests with name tags leap at your every whim.

[Arturo]Aucaquizhpi credits Mario Navarro, his predecessor at Gene & Georgetti, with teaching him everything he knows. A quick look at his menu reveals it's been a faithful study. Nearly everything you could possibly order at G&G is on the menu at Mirabella, at significantly lower prices. Boost your lipids with the bacon with blue cheese dip or its ostensibly healthier alternative, a wedge salad tottering under a blue cheese avalanche, itself carpeted with crushed bacon. The signature Mirabella salad is a dead ringer for G&G's garbage salad: a pile of antipasto, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and olives. Fried ravioli, pizza bread, baked clams, sausage and peppers—it's all there, with no concession given to the culinary currents of the day.

Mirabella is the Gene & Georgetti of the neighborhoods

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ronnie_suburban wrote:Mirabella is open and Sula seemed to really like it . . .

I read Sula's review of Mirabella and immediately started thinking of the earliest possible date I could go for dinner.................

riddlemay wrote:

lodasi wrote:—Mirabella Italian Restaurant’s opening has been delayed. ... The restaurant, from the executive chef at Gene & Georgetti, was to open inside the Mirabell space. That’s the beloved German restaurant that closed after 38 years.

And now I'll jump in, only to add that the "beloved German restaurant" wasn't beloved by me. They treated us and our friend abominably on a visit in the eighties or early nineties. Speaking for myself, because of this experience, the new occupant of the space couldn't make a worse decision than to pay "homage" to that place in the name of his restaurant.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about the party of two you alienated 28 years ago?! That changes everything!"

Given the benefit of 3-4 months of hindsight, I think the cheesy name-tweak has worked out. The intermediary failure is beyond memory & the enterprise's story has better momentum than if it were just Italian Cliche X. The name evokes curiosity at a minimum. Even the cynicism behind a quarter century grudge might want to try the food knowing that their money won't be going to the same people.

bweiny wrote:

riddlemay wrote:

lodasi wrote:—Mirabella Italian Restaurant’s opening has been delayed. ... The restaurant, from the executive chef at Gene & Georgetti, was to open inside the Mirabell space. That’s the beloved German restaurant that closed after 38 years.

And now I'll jump in, only to add that the "beloved German restaurant" wasn't beloved by me. They treated us and our friend abominably on a visit in the eighties or early nineties. Speaking for myself, because of this experience, the new occupant of the space couldn't make a worse decision than to pay "homage" to that place in the name of his restaurant.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about the party of two you alienated 28 years ago?! That changes everything!"

Given the benefit of 3-4 months of hindsight, I think the cheesy name-tweak has worked out. The intermediary failure is beyond memory & the enterprise's story has better momentum than if it were just Italian Cliche X. The name evokes curiosity at a minimum. Even the cynicism behind a quarter century grudge might want to try the food knowing that their money won't be going to the same people.

In giving my own personal response to the name, I was suggesting that we might not have been the only customers turned off by Mirabell, and that, if I was correct about that, the new name was a marketing mistake.

I'm aware the new owners are different people, and I've done nothing but wish them success from the beginning. In fact, my desire for their success was what motivated me to be critical of the name they chose, as it could stand in the way (IMO) of that success.

riddlemay wrote:

bweiny wrote:

riddlemay wrote:And now I'll jump in, only to add that the "beloved German restaurant" wasn't beloved by me. They treated us and our friend abominably on a visit in the eighties or early nineties. Speaking for myself, because of this experience, the new occupant of the space couldn't make a worse decision than to pay "homage" to that place in the name of his restaurant.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about the party of two you alienated 28 years ago?! That changes everything!"

In giving my own personal response to the name, I was suggesting that we might not have been the only customers turned off by Mirabell, and that, if I was correct about that, the new name was a marketing mistake.

It was a joke. You have to admit that your personal anecdote as proof that keeping the name was the worst possible decision, seeing as they lasted 25+ years after it, was extremely specious.

You're FAR from the negativity of shakes (still time for Mirabell Sushi & Pho this year!). My point is that by just playing to curiosity, as opposed to some overt theme or trend, the owner is showing confidence in the quality of his food. He's making the play for customers to just give it a chance, letting the quality (theoretically, I haven't been yet) bring you back.

Jeezus - can we please drop the personal shit -- jokes or otherwise -- and move the fuck on?

Thank you,

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for the Moderators

Friendly, relaxed, efficient. 6:30 Saturday reservation promptly honored, bar sparsely populated and restaurant 3/4 full. Tables slowly filled over the course of our meal and I was slightly surprised to see a standing room only bar when we left at 8:30.

Happy casually dressed crowd, prices easily 25% lower, including alcohol, than downtown. Salad or soup included with entrees and our small survey of menu items, pictured above, speak for themselves. (tasty and prepared as requested)

Mike Sula was spot-on in his Chicago Reader review "Mirabella is the Gene & Georgetti of the neighborhoods"

Free parking in the K-Mart lot directly across the street.

Mirabella with an A, count me a Fan!

I love prime rib, and that looks like a very good one. Do you remember what it cost?

I don't like it when a restaurant posts its menu online without prices.

Katie wrote:

I don't like it when a restaurant posts its menu online without prices.

I agree. When a restaurant fails to list prices, there's a suspicion it will be more expensive than you expect.

Not listing prices is fairly common for high-end steak houses. I can understand part of the reason is margins for steaks are smaller than for most other food items and thus prices can be subject to frequent changes depending on the beef market. Nevertheless it's irksome.

Also, Mirabella's menu announces that it's open for New Years Eve. Perhaps an update is in order.

Katie wrote:I love prime rib, and that looks like a very good one. Do you remember what it cost?

$35.75 and the prime rib was excellent. Perfectly cooked with choice of soup or salad and mashed or cottage fries. Only offered Saturday night.

G Wiv wrote:$35.75 and the prime rib was excellent. Perfectly cooked with choice of soup or salad and mashed or cottage fries.

That's good to know; thanks.

G Wiv wrote:Only offered Saturday night.

That's also good to know. The online menu doesn't say that either.

I don't think it's a case of intentional deception when places don't list prices online -- just the opposite, in fact. If they list prices -- and there are any increases that they fail to update on their website (and many places do not control their own content), that's where problems can pop up, e.g. customers showing up to find items priced higher than they are shown online. Better to just list the items and know that if exact pricing is important to someone browsing their site, they can always call.

Can't wait to hit Mirabella later this week.

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I don't think Mirabella is being deceptive in not posting their prices (or that the prime rib is only available on Saturday); I just think they're just getting going and they clearly haven't worked on their online menu much. The "About Us" tab shows only the restaurant logo, and there's no info on hours of operation. Maybe they will be adding prices along with other information.

As for the general practice of not showing menu prices online, if I understand correctly, Ronnie, that you think that's the better practice, I disagree with you. I don't take it as deceptive but I do take it as unhelpful. I'd rather not spend an hour each way to drive to and hunt for parking near a restaurant that won't provide any idea of its menu prices when there are plenty of others that will. Once at a restaurant, I wouldn't be greatly bothered if I ordered something and was told, sorry, we've had to raise the price on that because we had to get it from a different supplier, or whatever, just as I wouldn't be highly bothered to be told, sorry, we're all out of that tonight.

My comment about it not being deceptive was in response to this comment . . .

George R wrote:When a restaurant fails to list prices, there's a suspicion it will be more expensive than you expect.

I couldn't disagree more with this statement. As I posted above, there are reasonable and practical reasons why a restaurant may not list pricing on their online menus. In such cases, if you're a price buyer, you can always call first.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:My comment about it not being deceptive was in response to this comment . . .

George R wrote:When a restaurant fails to list prices, there's a suspicion it will be more expensive than you expect.

I couldn't disagree more with this statement. As I posted above, there are reasonable and practical reasons why a restaurant may not list pricing on their online menus. In such cases, if you're a price buyer, you can always call first.

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+1 on this. Many restaurants either forget, or are not able to change the content on their website. If they list prices that are not current...well that's deceptive. Not listing prices means that they can concentrate on their business and not worry about hiring a developer to update content when prices change.

Ronnie /Steve,

Of course there are many possible reasons why a restaurant doesn't list menu prices on-line. I thought I made that clear when I noted steak houses may not want to publish prices because of commodity market fluctuations

However, these reasons are not mutually exclusive. That includes matters of intent. As so many restaurants do post prices on-line, generally with reasonable accuracy it leaves one wondering.

My comment about suspicion was a general one and not aimed at Mirabell. In fact they should want to publish their prices to show the value they offer compared to other steak houses such as Gene & Georgetti's which does post prices on-line.

Regarding being a "price buyer" (translation: cheapskate) there are again many reasons why a person wants to know prices such as a limited budget, an unlimited budget but a limit on what one is willing to pay to something, plain old curiosity.

As for calling to ask about prices, there were at least half a dozen items on Mirabell's menu that I would be likely to order (and more that I would gladly eat). I don't see calling to ask about multiple items as being an entirely comfortable conversation. They could make better use of their time by updating the website.

I stand by my original post in its entirety,

While I doubt it to be as premeditated and purposeful as I will describe below, I think the lack of online menu prices is charming.

It clearly doesn't maximize the website's utility, but it is consistent with every other articulable aspect/feature of Mirabella that I have heard. The much LTH-derided name gave nothing away. Without overtly stating so, every business decision can be viewed as anti-modern. They include a soup or salad with entrees for crying out loud.

If you follow along with the opinions of Sula and those who have been there on this thread, they are a throwback with good value. It is absolutely not guaranteed to engender charm unanimously, but they have made a consistent business decision. If you don't post prices, and play the experience close to the vest, then you allow for an element of surprise value that would be unavailable with prior notice of prices. I tip my hat to Mirabella for disregarding everything foodies think they are entitled to.

1.IMHO, there is no case where it is preferable to NOT know prices. Understand the charm and risk factor, but there are ways around that (e.g. put a date on the menu along with a disclaimer that prices are subject to change, or show typical prices for a few select items).

2. Even non "price buyers" often go out to group dinners with a mix of people in terms of price sensitivity, expectations, etc. Last thing I want is to recommend a group go to a place only to find some of the people unable to enjoy the meal over fear of the final bill. This is especially true with steakhouses, which (for me at least) are more of an occasional splurge than a regular destination.

3. It is a pain in the butt to call to ask prices, but not a bad last resort.

4. In many cases, previous diners post pictures of the actual menu on Yelp. That is the case w Mirabella, and assuming the prices haven't changed much, the place looks to be an exceptional value for the quality described and illustrated in previous posts.

5. I plan to visit Mirabella, and knowing the prices has increased the likelihood of my doing it sooner rather than later.

Thanks bweiny,

Your suggestion about limited on-line info being a throwback made me smile. I like old-fashioned.

Thanks also to alessio20 for the suggestion to check yelp posters for menu images. As of January the steaks ran around $30 plus or minus a few dollars. Sounds like a great value.

bweiny wrote:While I doubt it to be as premeditated and purposeful as I will describe below, I think the lack of online menu prices is charming.

It clearly doesn't maximize the website's utility, but it is consistent with every other articulable aspect/feature of Mirabella that I have heard. The much LTH-derided name gave nothing away. Without overtly stating so, every business decision can be viewed as anti-modern. They include a soup or salad with entrees for crying out loud.

If you follow along with the opinions of Sula and those who have been there on this thread, they are a throwback with good value. It is absolutely not guaranteed to engender charm unanimously, but they have made a consistent business decision. If you don't post prices, and play the experience close to the vest, then you allow for an element of surprise value that would be unavailable with prior notice of prices. I tip my hat to Mirabella for disregarding everything foodies think they are entitled to.

My 2 cents... and it works for the regular schmuck. Both Olive Garden (across the street) and Mirabella are listed as "Italian" and "Moderate Priced($$)".

By the way, how was the soup?

Lenny007 wrote:By the way, how was the soup?

Soup or Salad, choice of potato* included. Bride and I both opted for salad. Her, "house" with a request to add blue cheese, which they did no fuss, no muss, no up-charge. Me, my guilty pleasure dressing, 1000 island, which I enjoyed.

I sincerely hope another LTHer goes to Mirabella and posts their experience before this thread hits page three.

*Might just be cottage fries, might be choice of mashed, which the bride received without specific request with her prime rib, might be more choices or none. I did not quiz the server, had a few well made Maker's Mark old fashions (muddled cherry/orange) and generally just enjoyed a rare Saturday night out with my wife.

based on Sula's review, just look up G&G's prices and take 25% off. Done.

Actually ate at Mirabella this past Sunday with my husband. The chef/owner is the nicest guy - I told him that I remembered years ago Gene & Georgetti had an anchovy canape with strips of pimento alternating with anchovies. The chef made me his version (not laid out in strips, but pimento topped with anchovy - it tasted the same!), and it was gratis. Very nice. We then ordered the crab cake appetizer, and it was two crab cakes, served with a remoulade sauce. The cakes were full of crab with a minimum of binder, very well seasoned, and the remoulade was great.

I tried to order the Lobster Diavolo, but it turned out they were out of lobster, due to the unexpected huge volume of business the previous two nights (the result of a review in the Sun Times, I believe, plus the one in the Reader). I ordered the Veal Marsala instead, and my husband ordered the filet. The veal was delicious - tender veal, and a delcious Marsala sauce, the whole dish topped with sauteed mushrooms. The filet was less successful. It just wasn't a great piece of meat (maybe they sold all the good filets during the weekend blow-out). At any rate, their photos of their other steaks make me think they might be better bets.

Other notes: decent drinks (any place I can get a vodka gimlet made with Rose's Lime Juice is aces in my book), free bread service with a trio of spreads, decent wines by the glass (I had a nice Malbec), and we both chose soup with our meal (cream of chicken with rice - a nostalgic throwback that was also delicious). Ordered a Ceasar salad that was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. A nice piece of carrot cake ended the meal. Very friendly and attentive service.

I'll be back for the Lobster Diavolo, the veal dishes, the Shrimp deJonge and some of the other old G&G favorites.

Had dinner here earlier this week with the wife and another couple. I thought the food was very good. Thanks to Sula and G Wiv, I knew exactly what to expect. Sausage & Peppers, Grilled Calamari, Tuscan Soup, Rigatoni Country Style, Farfalle Mirabella, Skirt Steak, Chicken Mirabella were all winners, and dishes I'd order again. That said, the 2 pasta dishes were sauced almost identically, so I'd probably order one or the other next time, rather than both. And thanks to the printed menus in the restaurant, I was very aware of what everything cost.

The bar was charming in a retro sort of way, and adequate for a pre-dinner beverage or 2 (Makers/rocks), but not exactly a cocktail destination, and the drinks were not on the same level as the food. There's nothing fresh going on here at all. It was very mid-90's in its aesthetic. Again, charming but not compelling. Also on the beverage front, our friends brought 2 bottles of wine and we were charged $20 each corkage, which seemed very reasonable to me.

Service was a bit wacky as well. We experienced some long periods during which no one came to the table at all. These were intermixed with moments where it felt like servers were literally running to our table with various dishes. This didn't always help the presentation of the dishes, as the food was clearly being jostled in transit. As an example, 2 bowls of the Tuscano soup looked so different, it didn't feel like they came from the same kitchen. This was a weeknight and the place was about 2/3 full. Maybe someone didn't show up for work that night? In any case, even though everyone was as friendly as they could be, service was notably uneven and became a distraction.

The bottom line for me is that I'd definitely return. The food was that good. And, as others have posted, this is a very good value relative to other places in its category. I'm not a stickler for great service, especially when it's as friendly as this was. But that aspect of our meal stood out to the point where I feel I have to mention it. They're still fairly new and I'm sure they'll smooth it all out. Once they do, this could be to downtown Chicago steakhouses what Psistaria has become to Greektown -- a bona-fide alternative far from the madding crowd.

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I've been back a few times this year and Mirabella continues to be a really great spot that delivers consistently excellent, generously-portioned food at relatively low prices. Dinner last night, for 5 of us, was probably my favorite meal there to date.

We started with Grilled Calamari and Sausage & Peppers, both of which I consider must-order appetizers. After that, entrees included juicy, perfectly-cooked steaks (Rib-Eye, Skirt and NY Strip) along with Lobster Ravioli and Chicken Vesuvio. The vesuvio may have been my favorite of the lot. The chicken was flavorful and moist, the potatoes (cubes, not wedges) were delightfully crispy and the peas were taut. And it was damned near close to a whole chicken on the plate. Sides for the table -- Creamed Spinach, Sauteed Mushrooms and Cottage Fries (the last of which are included with entrees) were all stellar, as well. Just for kicks we also ordered a side of Meatballs with Red Sauce, which we also really tasty.

All this, plus soup (minestrone or clam chowder) or salad and a really nice bread service that includes whole cloves of roasted garlic in olive oil, and the tab came in at $200 before tip. And we brought home a ton of leftovers, too. But it's not just about the price. This place is a genuine value given the quality of the fare being served. And service is quite friendly, which is a great bonus.

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Katie wrote:I love prime rib, and that looks like a very good one. Do you remember what it cost?

I don't like it when a restaurant posts its menu online without prices.

Prices are on the online menu.

Ronnie,

We're going to Mirabella for an early New Years Eve dinner. I really like the place. After reading about your dinner, I'm looking forward to it even more. Thanks for the forespice. Happy New Year.

ronnie_suburban wrote:and the peas were taut.

And just under the wire for 2017 Ronnie_Suburban delivers the culinary descriptor of the year! Well done my friend, well done indeed.