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Bombacigno's J & C Restaurant

Bombacigno's J & C Restaurant
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  • Bombacigno's J & C Restaurant

    Post #1 - December 13th, 2005, 2:32 pm
    Post #1 - December 13th, 2005, 2:32 pm Post #1 - December 13th, 2005, 2:32 pm
    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. :wink:

    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!
  • Post #2 - December 13th, 2005, 2:53 pm
    Post #2 - December 13th, 2005, 2:53 pm Post #2 - December 13th, 2005, 2:53 pm
    I was early enough in the line to get some great fresh cottage fries, which were great, but fries alone cannot make a restaurant. I had a sandwich with two, large, spherically shaped pieces of ground beef. There was some chopped parsley in there, and I'm not sure what else, if anything. They called it a "meatball sandwich with lots of sauce" but it remains largely a mystery to me.

    1. How, exactly, did they cook the meat? The meat showed no signs of browning whatsoever. The inside of the meatball was the same grey color as the outside. It certainly wasn't fried, which would have brought out much more flavor from the meatball. I'm not even sure it was baked, because that would also color at least part of the meat brown. Someone at the table mentioned the M word, but I don't know...

    2. Whatever happened to the sauce? The sandwich was specifically advertised with "lots of sauce" but there wasn't even enough to leave a red stain on the meat. I had to open up the sandwich and look for signs of red on the inside of the bread to make sure they just didn't forget to include it.

    An enigma, wrapped in a mystery, inside a D'Amato's roll.
    there's food, and then there's food
  • Post #3 - December 13th, 2005, 2:57 pm
    Post #3 - December 13th, 2005, 2:57 pm Post #3 - December 13th, 2005, 2:57 pm
    Let me start by thanking the group for letting me tag along to my first LTH gathering. I enjoyed meeting you all, and the conversations we had during lunch.

    About Bombacigno's: Maybe I posted my comments in the wrong spot (in the GNR thread nominating the restaurant for consideration), but I'm not going to repost what I said there, here.

    To read my comments click here: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6083

    Thanks!
  • Post #4 - December 13th, 2005, 3:12 pm
    Post #4 - December 13th, 2005, 3:12 pm Post #4 - December 13th, 2005, 3:12 pm
    Bill,

    Posting there with a link here is fine. I simply wanted to start a thread here about our lunch, without regard to the nomination. The thread on the GNR board is more focused on support for or against nominees.
    Unchain your lunch money!
  • Post #5 - December 13th, 2005, 3:41 pm
    Post #5 - December 13th, 2005, 3:41 pm Post #5 - December 13th, 2005, 3:41 pm
    I thought my lunch today was disappointing. I ordered the homemade lentil soup with potatoes and sausage and a sausage sandwich. I took a pass on the cottage fries. I do like them and have ordered them before.

    I must have been envisioning something different than the soup I received. The potatoes were a little crunchy, not a plus in my book. Also, I'm assuming they put miniscule pieces of ground sausage in the soup because I was hard pressed to find any chunks or slices of sausage in my cup. The flavor was o.k., but nothing special.

    As for the sausage sandwich, well, I come from the sout' suburbs, a place where homemade italian sausage rules supreme. It was o.k., but I've certainly had better.

    I don't mind eating at J&C. Meeting some of my fellow LTHers was fun, although I had to dine and dash. I just think there are better places to spend my lunch money that are easier to get to from my office.

    Suzy
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  • Post #6 - December 13th, 2005, 3:59 pm
    Post #6 - December 13th, 2005, 3:59 pm Post #6 - December 13th, 2005, 3:59 pm
    I suppose we all have a friend who find the silver lining in everything. Mine is a guy who, after 15+ years of friendship, has stayed true to that claim and has never had a meal he didn’t find something positive about.....until we had lunch together at J&C’s a few months ago.

    I’ve only eaten here once before and to the best of my recollection, it went down as one of the worst beef sandwiches I’ve ever had. I knew I wasn’t being overly harsh when my buddy concurred.

    I suppose I should say that everyone has their opinions about what constitutes a quality sandwich and a judgement is just that; a judgement. Nothing more.

    My second attempt today at J&C’s beef sandwich brought me right back to my initial impressions: a pasty and dry meat with a 1-dimensional dip that had no discernable garlic to it. I suspect that the only thing I could taste in it was some combination of dried herbs (thyme and oregano?). Maybe it was just my mood but the sandwich couldn’t inspire me to finish it, as is my usual ritual at virtually any establishment that serves up Italian beef .

    No matter what level restaurant I eat at, a primary consideration is the kind of value it represents. Although Stevez so graciously popped for my lunch today, I couldn’t help but think that even in this part of town, this was an extremely poor value.

    It truly pains me to write this because all I’ve tried is their beef, but if I was reading my fellow LTHers’ faces and hearing the quiet stray comments correctly, their choices didn’t inspire much glee either.

    This is, without question, not my type of place.

    Thanks, Mr Pdaane for setting up today’s lunch. It’s always a real pleasure to break bread, regardless of the conditions, with my fellow LTHers.
  • Post #7 - December 13th, 2005, 4:06 pm
    Post #7 - December 13th, 2005, 4:06 pm Post #7 - December 13th, 2005, 4:06 pm
    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


    Hell, it wasn't until my second or third time that I realized there even was an upstairs!

    Otherwise: sigh...
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  • Post #8 - December 13th, 2005, 6:10 pm
    Post #8 - December 13th, 2005, 6:10 pm Post #8 - December 13th, 2005, 6:10 pm
    OK. Now it's my turn to add to the comments. I've been to J&C's at least 5 - 6 times. At best, I'll say it's uneven. On some occasions, the vaunted cottage fires are crispy and delicious, but on more than one of my visits, they were greasy and limp (not at all what I am looking for in a cottage fry). I'd sworn off the beef after my second try at liking it, so today I decided to try something completely different. I started off with one of the soups of the day, pasta fagiole. This particular version's pasta was not the usual small macaroni or ditali, but rather a version of orzo that more closely resembled the ant eggs I had sampled on a couple of Thai restaurants. The overwhelming taste of the soup was garlic (and little else). 3 out of 4 people at out table commented on the garlic as soon as they had their first bite. The beans were somewhat overcooked and sparse.

    J&C’s Pasta Fagiole
    Image

    I followed that up with an order of their meat & cheese lasagna, which was on special, but also a regular menu item. It was perfectly fine and if I had to go back again, I might even consider ordering it a second time.

    J&C’s Lasagna
    Image

    Here's a picture of the beef, in case anyone is interested.

    J&C’s Beef
    Image

    The bottom line is that J&C’s is a place that I really want to like, but they just can't win me over due to average food at sky high prices.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #9 - December 13th, 2005, 7:30 pm
    Post #9 - December 13th, 2005, 7:30 pm Post #9 - December 13th, 2005, 7:30 pm
    I think Bombacigno's has benefitted from a lack of competition in the area. Sure, there's Lou Mitchell's, but the rest of what's available in walking distance for workers in that corner of the Loop is pretty much dreck. Every time a new building goes up on Clinton Street, I hope against hope something worthwhile will go in; maybe the new USG building at the northwest corner of Clinton and Adams (the one for which they tore down the perfectly acceptable Italian place that used the be Red Kerr's and before that the place that sold wild game). And the Grey Bunker behind my building, the one that used to have a Burrito Buggy and Popeye's, has been vacant for over a year and guess what -- we lucky denizens of the southwest Loop soon will be getting a brand new Panda Express! And a Subway and a Charlies Subs on the same block! So by comparison, Bombacigno's has some personality that makes it a breath of fresh air. And I actually like the Italian beef, although I've admitted elsewhere my taste in Italian beef is perverse; maybe I just don't like it, but have built a tolerance for certain Italian beef simulacra like Bombacigno's and a couple of others. Anyway, after reading these posts and doing some serious rethinking, I don't think Bombacigno's deserves the GNR (and will be withdrawing my seconding of the nomination).
    JiLS
  • Post #10 - December 14th, 2005, 12:44 pm
    Post #10 - December 14th, 2005, 12:44 pm Post #10 - December 14th, 2005, 12:44 pm
    What can I say ? I've been meaning to try this place for the last few years. Maybe I should have done it sooner. Lentil and potato soup with Italian sausage sounded good but turned out to be totally bland, 5 seconds in a blender and it could have passed for baby food.

    The menu board says that they've been messing with the beef recipe for 13 years.......TIMES UP! somebody call Scala's, these guys need a beef intervention. None of the flavors I usually associate with Italian beef were present here. Garlic and oregano were replaced by a kind of clove/cinnamon like flavor that I just couldn't pin down, although the sandwich kept giving me hints all afternoon. The meat itself was cooked down to a slurry like consistancy that would easily make it through a feeding tube.

    The one good thing at J&C's was the fried potatos, and on the ride home I was overcome by a sense of deja-voodoo. Even tho this was my first time at J&C's it suddenly dawned on me that I have been there before....only on Taylor St. Same back in the day, old neighborhood atmosphere, same limited hours (dinner only on weekends and you gotta get buzzed in), same overpriced food and you quessed it ....Exact same fried potatos.

    The first person to name J&C's Taylor St. doppleganger wins the $9.80 that Pdanne owes me for yesterdays lunch. :wink:
  • Post #11 - December 14th, 2005, 1:52 pm
    Post #11 - December 14th, 2005, 1:52 pm Post #11 - December 14th, 2005, 1:52 pm
    The menu board says that they've been messing with the beef recipe for 13 years.......TIMES UP!


    Chortle...
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  • Post #12 - December 14th, 2005, 2:25 pm
    Post #12 - December 14th, 2005, 2:25 pm Post #12 - December 14th, 2005, 2:25 pm
    Hi, LTH.

    I've been lurking for a long time. So long that I am a bit embarrassed. But you all seem like interesting people and I think I may actually have something to contribute on the all-important topic of J&C's beef. So here goes.

    Garlic and oregano were replaced by a kind of clove/cinnamon like flavor that I just couldn't pin down



    It's nutmeg. That beef tastes like they ground way too much nutmeg in there. As well, they boast of "the leanest beef", which makes me think they don't understand much about what makes meat tasty.
    Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.
  • Post #13 - December 14th, 2005, 3:18 pm
    Post #13 - December 14th, 2005, 3:18 pm Post #13 - December 14th, 2005, 3:18 pm
    JimInLoganSquare wrote:Every time a new building goes up on Clinton Street, I hope against hope something worthwhile will go in.


    I hear you on that one. My latest hope against hope is that the new circuit court on the corner of Harrison and Clinton will provide enough demand that new lunch places will have to open. So far, that hasn't proven to be the case.

    As for J&C, despite maybe two dozen visits over the past five years (usually office birthday lunches) I've never been terribly impressed by the food and am always annoyed by how expensive it is.

    Plus, they always mangle my name when calling me to pick up my food.

    Plus plus, I always feel unsafe in the upstairs, like the building is on the verge of collapse.
  • Post #14 - December 15th, 2005, 12:22 pm
    Post #14 - December 15th, 2005, 12:22 pm Post #14 - December 15th, 2005, 12:22 pm
    I'd been driving by this place for years, but the parking lot at Manny's was full and the lot across Jefferson is verboten (a sign at Manny's says you will be towed) so I said screw it, let's try Bombacigno's.

    Looked like a neat place, but more of a sandwich stop--I had been expecting some old-time gem with penne with killer marinara sauce, which is always my litmus test. I did get there minutes before the lunch rush, and ordered some rigatoni with marinara and sausage on the side. they said about 5 minutes. So I waited...and waited...and then the lunch rush started, and truly it was the cluster**** described above. Three- ring circus. I ended up waiting 25 minutes for my food. At a sit-down restaurant that's tolerable, but not for walk-up service.

    The rigatoni was cooked pre-al dente, maybe 9 minutes when 13 is right. Decent pasta, but the sauce was disappointing. When I'm saying to myself that I could easily do better at home doctoring up some Emeril's, that ain't good.

    But an above poster is right--this place could be made into a real hip 'dive', with great food under the right circumstances.
  • Post #15 - December 23rd, 2005, 9:57 am
    Post #15 - December 23rd, 2005, 9:57 am Post #15 - December 23rd, 2005, 9:57 am
    ate there yesterday and had the melt-in-your mouth egplant parm with pasta. both were perfectly prepared and had plenty of "red gravy" (the real thing- the old taylor street neighborhood sauce). Lady next to me had a cold cuts and cheese sandwich with balsamic vinegar and raved about it. People were inhaling beefs and meatball sandwiches all round me. As far as service, i agree it's a cluster! they refuse to pre-make anything, including pasta. i still go whenever i can tho. enjoy your portillo's and scala's beef in glenview--i'll stick with J&C's.
  • Post #16 - December 23rd, 2005, 2:04 pm
    Post #16 - December 23rd, 2005, 2:04 pm Post #16 - December 23rd, 2005, 2:04 pm
    El Panzone wrote:As far as service, i agree it's a cluster! they refuse to pre-make anything, including pasta.



    J&C's is still a mystery.

    What about an Italian Beef sandwich is NOT pre-made? And, why is J&C's assembly any different than 101 other Chicago restaurants that get the job done faster?
    Unchain your lunch money!
  • Post #17 - December 25th, 2005, 11:12 am
    Post #17 - December 25th, 2005, 11:12 am Post #17 - December 25th, 2005, 11:12 am
    When I arrived for our group outing at the restaurant earlier in the month I was prepared for surley counter-staff and a long wait for my food. I wasn't looking forward to that part of the "experience." However, my actual (vs. anticipated) experience at the counter surprised me. The woman taking orders and collecting money treated me like a relative, the food was up and ready to eat in less than 10 minutes and the counter staff was courteous. Maybe my being the first in line of our group to order had something to do with the nice/quick treatment, but given the fact that we arrived at the busiest time of day I was impressed (with the service).
  • Post #18 - August 10th, 2007, 8:08 pm
    Post #18 - August 10th, 2007, 8:08 pm Post #18 - August 10th, 2007, 8:08 pm
    In the past year and a half I've visited Bombacigno's J and C Restaurant 6 or 7 times - since our Italian Beef Sandwich group visit. As hard as I try to really like this place, something stands in the way.

    What I like about the restaurant is the comfortableness it projects; it's a step back in time, about 40 years, and the employees are very friendly and accommodating. I find the food okay, sometimes good, and sometimes evoking a neutral reaction. I've eaten full meals of pasta with sausage or meatballs covered with the house marinara, beef and sausage sandwiches, and a couple of chicken dishes.

    What's been turning me off about the place is its higher prices - higher than the food and the neighborhood justify, IMO.

    Today, in search of a pepper & egg sandwich I had lunch at the restaurant. Pepper & egg is offered only on Fridays during Lent - so I ordered a sausage/beef combo sandwich with sweet peppers and gardinare, and a fountain drink. The sandwich comes with no sides, and with the drink and the sweet hot the tab was almost $11.00. Ouch!

    The bread today wasn't very good (it typically is excellent - from Damato's, I've been told), the sausage tasted fried through - very dry - and there was very little beef on it - and what there was wasn't very good. I felt ripped-off. You could taste some excellent seasoning in the sausage and it would have been better presented had it more moisture. The gardinare was oily, full of seeds (which is a style I don't like) - and a small portion.

    The restaurant seems busy, always - and appears to have a loyal clientele - and I haven't yet figured out why.

    Bombacigno's J and C Restaurant

    Image

    Italian Sausage/Beef Combo Sandwich

    Image

    View on the way back to the office

    Image


    Bombacigno's J and C Restaurant
    558 W Van Buren St
    (between Clinton St & Jefferson St)
    Chicago, IL 60607
    (312) 663-4114
  • Post #19 - August 12th, 2007, 7:56 am
    Post #19 - August 12th, 2007, 7:56 am Post #19 - August 12th, 2007, 7:56 am
    I was there Friday too, I probably walked past you on the way to the unlit tilt-o-stairwell-o-doom. I really should find a beef alternative on the west side of the river, we used to hit Luke's on Jackson every so often (not sure I liked that place's food any better).
  • Post #20 - March 6th, 2009, 5:10 pm
    Post #20 - March 6th, 2009, 5:10 pm Post #20 - March 6th, 2009, 5:10 pm
    Bill wrote:The restaurant seems busy, always - and appears to have a loyal clientele - and I haven't yet figured out why.


    I "stumbled" upon the place recently without realizing there had been such LTH conversation about in the past, and I am likely to join that following of loyal clientele. Here's why. It's a place run by real people cooking real food, in a setting that feels like a most welcome escape from the personality-less modernity surrounding it. Is the food great? I don't know, because all I tried was an eggplant parm sandwich. It was good, and I thought the tomato sauce was especially robust in flavor. But the charm of this place goes way beyond the food. Upon entering, I felt instantly transported back several decades, in a way that only a genuine family-run place with some history can execute. Thinking about the lunch I had still gives me the warm and fuzzies. I suspect that people who like CND Gyros are likely to be fans of the J & C as well.
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  • Post #21 - March 9th, 2009, 12:09 pm
    Post #21 - March 9th, 2009, 12:09 pm Post #21 - March 9th, 2009, 12:09 pm
    Having changed jobs recently and moved to the opposite side of the loop, I really miss J & C's. It was one of those rare treats that we'd head to for a long Friday lunch or just when you wanted a good, satisfying meal at a lesser-known spot. Excellent meatball sandwiches. Decent beef. Cottage fries were inconsistent from visit to visit, but I always ordered them anyway. Indecipherable chalkboard menu. Super-friendly people.
  • Post #22 - March 21st, 2013, 1:23 pm
    Post #22 - March 21st, 2013, 1:23 pm Post #22 - March 21st, 2013, 1:23 pm
    I've had good experiences at this restaurant, and I suspect in the 4 years since the last post, not much has changed. I love the vibe and even the feeling that this precarious structure would collapse upon itself anyday. I must admit, I haven't had the Italian beef yet. But I really liked what I have had - the lasagna, the chicken parm, and the cottage fries. I agree that the cottage fries can be a little inconsistent - it's not double fried, so depending on when it comes out, sometimes it's undercooked and sometimes it's overcooked. The tomato sauce is bright and fresh and has that homemade quality. Chicken was all white meat breast and it was tender. It's not the most boldly flavored Italian food, it's a lot more like what you could make at home. Portions aren't huge and it isn't cheap, but you are getting a freshly prepared meal that isn't overly rich. And for that, I'm willing to pay. It's a nice breath of fresh air to have this charming mom and pop in the same neighborhood as the sea of chain sandwich shops. They offer a nice assortment of lunch and dinner type foods - sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes.

    My office is across the street, and I'm not sure whether it's because J&C has recognized how much the employees have embraced them and want to relieve the lunch rush or that they recognized how lazy we all are, but they started selling food in our lobby too. I've made it a habit to get a peanut butter toffee cookie in the lobby on my way back from the gym, which is a really nice chewy sweet treat with my lunch.
  • Post #23 - May 2nd, 2013, 1:41 pm
    Post #23 - May 2nd, 2013, 1:41 pm Post #23 - May 2nd, 2013, 1:41 pm
    JimInLogan square got me over to this place today. It was ok, and for me the star of the show was the side of cold pasta salad that I could have had a whole dish of and skipped everything else. It's a vermicelli with basil, garlic,olive oil and a ton of grated cheese. I had the turkey sandwich, which I am glad I split. It was on a too soft tomato focaccia bread. The flavors were good, sliced turkey breast with provolone, lettuce, tomato, and balsamic. Cottage fries were on, and delicious. I think I'm one and done with those, I didn't think they were anything special to waste calories on. Lentil soup was just weird. On its own it would have been good, but adding marinara sauce on top, just made it not good. Ordered a bowl, and a cup would have been too much to be honest. Too bad I saw the bowl is a "meal in itself" sign too late. The lasagna that when by looked better than anything we had. And for people not liking the beef or meatball sandwich, they sure do sell a lot of them. My buddies also happened to be there, and they had the lemon chicken eggplant sandwich and they liked it. Got there about 11:45 and no line. The door to the upstairs was propped open. I'll probably put it in my loop rotation. The bus stop (and blue line) is right on Van Buren and Clinton, so it's convenient to get to.
  • Post #24 - May 2nd, 2013, 7:50 pm
    Post #24 - May 2nd, 2013, 7:50 pm Post #24 - May 2nd, 2013, 7:50 pm
    nicinchic wrote:Lentil soup was just weird. On its own it would have been good, but adding marinara sauce on top, just made it not good.


    Sounds like a mistake, or an experiment gone awry.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #25 - September 6th, 2013, 12:50 pm
    Post #25 - September 6th, 2013, 12:50 pm Post #25 - September 6th, 2013, 12:50 pm
    Our office recently relocated to Clinton and Adams so I'm learning new lunch spots. I made my way over to Bombacigno's yesterday. I loved the charm of the place and found the staff to be welcoming. The chalkboard menu is great unless you're like me who doesn't wear her glasses as much as she should. I ordered the tuna sandwich (tuna in olive oil, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, cucumber slices, onion and balsamic vinaigrette.) Served with a side of the great, simple pasta salad, this was a really good sandwich. At $10, it wasn't cheap, but it covered two lunches for me. I'll go back.
    -Mary
  • Post #26 - September 14th, 2015, 9:34 am
    Post #26 - September 14th, 2015, 9:34 am Post #26 - September 14th, 2015, 9:34 am
    I work right around the corner from this place and sense the first time i saw it i knew i had to give it a go. Ive only had a few things so far but all of them were great! Especially considering its walking distance for lunch hour and Subway is just not an option for me. Very old school feel and the food is the best in the area.

    The Italian beef/sausage is my favorite so far. Not the best i ever had and maybe i liked it because this was the only option for one in the area? (yes there is an Al's down the street) But my first one was great, second one not so good. The fresh bread from D'Amatos is real nice. Caprese sandwich and the eggplant sandwiches were both great as well. The menu is pretty big but the hours are only for lunch basically.

    I see alot of negative reviews here but a lot from a few years ago. Wondering if any one else has tried them recently. Id go more but they are so damn expensive that I really cant afford to eat a $8 sandwich all the time. Wish they were cheaper.
    #SOUTHSIDESLITHER
  • Post #27 - September 16th, 2015, 9:55 am
    Post #27 - September 16th, 2015, 9:55 am Post #27 - September 16th, 2015, 9:55 am
    I've been going there since the mid 80's and we still get over that way a few times a year and it's pretty consistent fare. I usually go for the combo or the lasagne but most of the crew can't pass up the focaccia sub. Their homemade chips work as well.
  • Post #28 - September 16th, 2015, 1:15 pm
    Post #28 - September 16th, 2015, 1:15 pm Post #28 - September 16th, 2015, 1:15 pm
    I think I posted about BJ&C elsewhere on the site but, even with consistency issues taken into account, I'm very happy to have it in our little corner of the West Loop. I've had many a nice lunch here, my favorite being the best-in-class (IMO) tuna sandwich. And as someone mention upthread, I could make a meal of that pasta side they give you. Yeah, they're not cheap, but they're a nice occasional respite from the chain hell that's taken root around here.
  • Post #29 - May 14th, 2019, 11:22 am
    Post #29 - May 14th, 2019, 11:22 am Post #29 - May 14th, 2019, 11:22 am
    A colleague and I discovered a mutual love of this place in a conversation last week and it was inevitable that we'd head over there together soon. Today we grabbed a few other friends from the office and walked the 15-minutes-or-so to Bombacigno's. I'd been planning on getting the Eggplant Parm sandwich, and told him about it on the way, while he told me about his favorite, the Caprese. By the time we got there, we'd ended up convincing each other, and I ordered the Caprese, while he ordered the Eggplant Parm.

    Image

    Top notch combination of fresh mozzarella, tomato, roasted red pepper, basil, lettuce, and balsamic vinegar on that fantastically crusty sliced Damato's bread, and the cold pasta was as good as ever. Now that the weather is warmer, I imagine we'll be walking over there more often.
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  • Post #30 - December 24th, 2019, 12:18 pm
    Post #30 - December 24th, 2019, 12:18 pm Post #30 - December 24th, 2019, 12:18 pm
    My brother and I tried a couple of beefs here yesterday along with an order of cottage fries. The beefs looked great, meat was tender, the only gripe was a slightly odd aroma from the jus. Must be a spice I am not as familiar with. Anyway, it was a very good to great beef and I'd return. The cottage fries were pretty good too.

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