hanging around in new york in cubs gear....like they say, there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity!:D

I wondered where you went. I thought you went to the john to pull something else and take a look.

That would have taken him alot longer....

Il Paradiso is owned by the same folks that had Don Peppe's on Leffert Blvd in Queens. They used to have Villa Balsamo out on Rte 50 but that has been shut down for years.

I'm pretty sure that is where we all went on opening weekend before realizing our ragtag crew didn't exactly fit in there (nor did we feel like spending $24 for a house salad).

Villa Balsamo was a Victorian mansion a couple miles past SPAC on the right out Rte 50. As of last year, it was overgrown and appeared to be abandoned.

That is the name of the restaurant where our kind wasn't accepted

Your kind, meaning People of the Windy City?
:D

I believe that it has reopened

Too freaking funny... lmfao

yes :)

Yup, that is the place. Has definitely been reopened. Looked like an awesome place, just not what we were looking for at the time.

Understatement of the year.

We still managed to run up a $750 bill at Auggie's the next night. :rolleyes:

I know... I saw it on my credit card statement and I got a little misty eyed... I miss Sarah's Toga! I wish I could make it back up there before the meet ended.

Paradiso was closed for this summer and Villa Balsamo was reopened. The opposite was the case last summer, one additional time as well. They've been going back and forth a bit between the two.

Personally, I always liked Paradiso better -- bar, in town, a bit more casual, etc.

Eric

I don't understand why the Balsamo family does this. I originally went to Villa Balsamo in '78 or '79. Then it was closed for years and then reopened and then closed again. Then Paradiso opened about 5 or 6 years ago and now it is closed.

I remember back when I first went to VB, they closed Don Peppe's in Queens for the one month meet and the entire staff, waiters and all, went with them and was housed upstairs.

Regarding the prices, it is on the expensive side, but when you saw a $24 salad, it is probably because it is a family style Italian place and the salad is meant to be shared by the table.

Expensive is of course a relative term. If a $24 salad feeds 3 people, and this one has, it's not so bad all things considered.

Anyway, Joe (I think that's his name) B. is no longer involved in the Queens restaurant so the entire shift upstate is not neccessary any longer. As far as going back and forth between the two, every year or two, I have no idea why that's going on. As I said, in recent years it's been every year or two. In 06 Paradiso was open and when I called a friend of mine who is a local food industry guy he told me that for 07 they were going back to VB. Maybe there is something to it or maybe there is no method to the madness, I have no idea.

Eric

We wound up going to Auggie's and getting family style dishes there and at first glance the prices did look high until you realized one dish could feed an army. I think it was more our appearance than anything that was the issue. We were all dressed for the picnic area at the track, not for Villa Balsamo.

Who's tippin a few with me tomorrow night ? I'll be in town and look forward to meeting and greeting. Even those on my ignore list :D