I met up with the following LTH'ers for lunch today: sdritz, mhl, Rich4, Bill, BettyT, Pigmon, SteveZ, Vital Information, Condiment Queen, JeffB, JMS and Tommy.
We met for a first-of Loop Lunch. We met at J&C's because of recent posts, a GNR nomination and because I have never quite "got" what others have found to love about J&C's
I did notice some little charms about the place that I have missed before. I thought the sign that says "slicing the potatoes so thin drives Joe crazy, but then so does Claude (referring to Joe and his wife, Claudette in the J&C name), was a hoot and evocative of Mr. and Mrs. Bickerson's little family joke on the rest of the world.
First off, I would hit this place right at noon or a little before. Then, the service was quick, the cottage fries looked great and everyone seemed to be happy. By 12:15, including with about 10 LTH'ers, the line was about 5-10 minutes wait and fries were not being tended as well.
Aside from the lovits or hateits dichotomy, this place is hugely inconsistent, even the loveits find somethings off at times. My unscientific observation reveals that the problem is the serving line is one big cluster@#$%& when the lunch rush hits. As someone remarked, "they are only open for lunch." Well, that, and they have been at it for a few years, time to smooth things out.
The beef was overcooked in my combo to the point that it had the texture of ground beef, the cottage fries were not quite what I saw going past in baskets, as I waited to shuffle folks upstairs. BTW, if they are going to have additional seating upstairs, how about a door that you can open while holding a tray, or a place to put the try while you open the door.
I admit that Italian Beef is not a favorite of mine, I can't comment on the taste, but several others did, mostly negative.
Yes, I converted a bit, I liked some of the family-owned business schtick, I didn't quite notice or appreciate before. But, I still would not recommend this place to anyone or go out of way for lunch there.
JeffB had a bit of a laugh, that I keep coming back even though I don't like the place. I guess I am close enough to the edge or gullible enough to keep trying to find what is that people like about J&C. Although at $11.65 for combo, cottage fries and a drink, I can't afford to do it too often.
p.s. we did notice in additon to other awards, an award was hanging in the window from
Not For Tourists
Bombacigno's J & C Restaurant
558 W. Van Buren Ave., Chicago
312-663-4114
Last edited by
pdaane on December 13th, 2005, 3:09 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Unchain your lunch money!