Pantagraph.com | Money | Paisano's restaurant now open at Shoppes

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

flo wrote on Nov 8, 2007 2:35 AM:

" I have eaten at Paisano's twice. Both times, the food was fantasctic and so was the service. Yes, you might have to wait a bit longer than at your standard chain restaurant. They are also a new place. They are still working out the kinks. No big deal, in my opinion.An extra few minutes is a small price to pay for freshness and quality. I like the crispy crust of the pizza. I also had the Tuscany. The sauce was rich and creamy. The house dressing is some of the best I have ever had. I suggest sopping it up with some of the hot, crusty, bread! As for the people who can see into the kitchen, I don't really see how that is possible. Also, do you think Biagi's does not use frozen ravioli? I can't imagine them rolling out some fresh dough and stuffing it for each person who orders. No one, and I mean no one, makes their own pasta noodles. That would be a ridiculous waste of time. Are you upset that they don't stomp their own grapes in a vat in back for the wine, too? "

Best Pizza? wrote on Oct 19, 2007 1:57 AM:

" We all have our own tastes but for my money Tobin's here in Normal is fantastic. And Davis Bros. in East Peoria and Creve Cour is a close second. I prefer a thin crust versus a fat "bready" one... Monical's is also good. "

chubbyalaskagriz (PART TWO) wrote on Oct 19, 2007 1:52 AM:

" …maybe you use too much soap in your dishwasher and the rinse cycle is unable to get it all off. Maybe you store your knives in one of those counter-blocks that no sanitizing cloth can ever reach far enough into (a total breeding-ground for harmful bacteria!) Perhaps you try to get too many miles out of those sponges and scouring pads? Maybe the apple you’re eating right now was placed in your grocery-bag right alongside of some wetness leaking from raw poultry. Maybe you have a litter-box in your home (no matter how clean cats APPEAR- trust me- those soft little paws that dig in soiled litter touch every surface in your kitchen!) So you see- there are literally COUNTLESS ways every day for you to contract food-borne illness. Every one of us has experienced it often, whether we realize it or not. Restaurants can be the culprit- but usually they are to blame far less than they are accused. "

to good italian wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:33 PM:

" You are correct..Beningo's is both very good and local....I think that everyone either forgets or doesn't know that Biaggi's is also a local restaraunt...Love it or Hate it...it is local.....I'm not sure if a lot of people know that Biaggi's is a local restaurant. "

To.. I dont know wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:03 PM:

" I love Chicago Style Pizzeria by K-Mart. I love the pizza and the alfredo noodle dish they have at the buffet. Awesome I say. BEST pizza in BN without a doubt. I live out of town and been going there for years. When they have time the owners will come over say hi and talk when im there. They are a class act. Cant wait to try the pizza at Paisanos!!!!!! "

good italian wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:40 PM:

" If you like good Italian food you should go to Beningo's on Chestnut street in Bloomington. It's a delicious unique family owned restaurant. It is way better than the chain restaurants on Veterans Parkway. "

Al wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:39 PM:

" Speaking of new restaurants, could someone please post if the Medici's that's supposed to open in downtown Normal is open yet, or not? I've been out of Bloomington and Normal for the last few months due to personal reasons, and I seriously miss the area a lot. And thanks to anyone who can confirm here if Medici's has opened yet, or not. "

To I don't know wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:22 PM:

" I agree, Chicago Style Pizzeria is absolutely great. I like the old signs and advertisements, but the food is always great. The salads in particular are incredibly fresh-tasting - it's like they had a garden out back - and the pizzas are terrific. It's a labor of love for the people who run it, and the care and the quality always shine through. "

The Pizza Enthusiast wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:12 PM:

" I absolutely love pizza and cannot wait to try new places, which is why I was so excited to see this new place open up. Naturally, me and my wife had to go. I got a small pizza and she got some pasta. Let's start with the pizza. It was...average at best. The crust was flimsy and not crispy at all, which was very disappointing. My waitress ensured me that the pizza was cooked "perfectly" thanks to these unique ovens they have...I'm not a fan. The pasta my wife had was bland, nothing special at all. The prices aren't great...33.50 for two people. Also, I was pretty upset that my waitress kept refilling my drink and then proceded to charge me for each individual drink (WITHOUT informing me she was doing so)....so beware of that scam. All in all, I say spend your money at Biagis or Olive Garden, you'll be happier in the end. "

chubbyalaskagriz (PART ONE) wrote on Oct 18, 2007 4:04 PM:

" As someone who cooked for 25 years in fine restaurants, country clubs, for a cruise ship company and also at remote site Alaskan work camps I agree with the poster who remarked that perceived food poisoning is in fact many times, NOT food poisoning at all. First, as a litmus test, MOST food borne illness takes at least 12-24 hours to result in symptoms. If you eat dinner out and on the drive home, or at bedtime get the runs or cramps or your left arm falls off- it's not usually the place you just ate at, but something else. If you find yourself sick and you strongly feel it is from food- ask yourself what you ate 12-24 hours prior. Where do 82% of most people “catch” food poisoning from? Answer: in their own homes. And often times sickness is spread in what appears to be a spotless kitchen. Maybe the carrot on that salad you ate at home wasn't washed as well as it should have been- maybe the leftovers you nuked were incorrectly put into the fridge too early and too hot the night before, (cont'd...) "

to to ummm wrote on Oct 18, 2007 3:02 PM:

" ...Ok I may have worded that funny. I did not have a problem with my waitress!!! She was very nice, polite and was trying her best and not making excuses....Second of all...I don't care if food is frozen...I'll eat Avanti's .. my problem was if you say it's homemade then it should be homemade....other wise just say you have good italian food and that should be enough....As for the mispronunciation by the floor manager, I do feel that is important, a floor manager should know everything about the business and should know the menu like the back of his/her hand. Maybe it will end up a good place...but that is going to take a lot of time and maybe a little change in staff. I believe the floor manager was a wife of somebody else in the business. Sometimes you have to step outside to find someone that knows what they are doing. "

Everybody has their own opinions~~ wrote on Oct 18, 2007 2:51 PM:

" My family will be going to this place, we love Italian food, and congrats to the owners. UG!!!! Just when I thought Waffle of Justice dissappeared...I think my migraines are about to start again. :( "

I'll give it a try wrote on Oct 18, 2007 2:45 PM:

" I'm looking forward to trying this new italian restaurant. I love good Italian food and a good pizza. So far my favorite in Bloomington is by far Beningo's. I've never been real big on Biaggi's other than I like the atmosphere. This place is closer to my home so I'm hoping we will enjoy it. "

to Ummm wrote on Oct 18, 2007 1:08 PM:

" Do you know anyone that makes and prepares raviola at their restaurant? I didnt think so. Oh wait, I bet Biaggi's does....:) Well anyway, you just said your complaint wasnt about service. But your first post said you waited 2 hrs for your food and it was cold when you got it.. That IS service and/or lack of in my opinion. Service consists more than just the waitress. "

food poisoning???? wrote on Oct 18, 2007 12:53 PM:

" I think most people misinterpret food poisoning with an upset stomach. This day and age anything from fresh vegetables and salads to the oils used in cooking can causes diahrea, cramping and such. If someone has food poisoning you would be going to a hospital. "

i dont know... wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:34 AM:

" i still think chicago style pizzaria will out run them anyday! "

Food Posioning wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:41 AM:

" As a past employee of a busy B/N restaurant, I can tell you that the amount of people calling in and complaining about food poisoning is ridiculous. On a good day, we'd get one call. One a regular day, more like 3-4 calls. I'm not saying you didn't have food posioning in your case, but trust me, it gets old when people call in just trying to get a free meal. "

flounder wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:08 AM:

" ate there for daughter-in-law's birthday last saturday night with a party of ten to include four young kids. service was great, food was great and we left very satisfied. staff were courteous and bent over backwards to ensure we had a great experience. only shortcoming was the fact that all drinks are charged and there are no refills. nice to know there is one more good italian restaurant for us to now enjoy. "

Sigh wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:58 AM:

" This isn't a chain place, so people are complaining. Long live Applebee's, Bloomington-Normal's idea of good food. Bland, boring, and mass-produced. Oh, and don't forget beige. "

Pisano's wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:52 AM:

" Your order is ready . Three calzones and one shirt and jacket! "

Kramer wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:50 AM:

" Hey George...ask them to take my shirt out of the oven.....giddy-up! "

to UMM.. wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:48 AM:

" If you must know what we ordered, as I said it was our anniversary so yeah we splurged, we had an appetizer, two meals, a shared dessert and some wine. include tax and tip, yeah it gets up there. When I contacted the Biaggis manager to let him know my husband and I were sick from their food, I didn't get anything offered to me (though I hardly believe I would have eaten more of their food), just a weak apology. Bad service I can try to look past and give a restaurant another chance, but food poisoning, not so much. "

Went there last night... wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:22 AM:

" it was OK. They didn't re-invent Italian food. Service started out really slow. We sat at our table for over 10 minutes before anyone showed up. The kid's meal isn't a bad deal. They get their main entree, a cookie (which we had to ask for) and a drink for $3.95. My husband had the fettucine alfredo with chicken and said it was good with lots of meat, while I had the lasagna which was good too. The salad was kind of boring but their House dressing is pretty good. The only thing I thought odd was you didn't get bread with your meal. I thought that was the usual with Italian. Also, something different was your drink was included in the price of the meal. My meal was $10.95 for an ok salad, pretty good lasagna and a drink. I'll let you be the judge if it was a good deal or not. "

East side wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:52 AM:

" i wonder if they'll build over here on the east side "

Carryout wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:50 AM:

" We recently ordered carryout from there for a large group of us at work. The food was ready when we arrived to pick it up, and was still piping hot when we got back to work with it. The food was good, we tried a lot of different dishes between the 10 of us, I for one look forward to giving the place a try eating in. "

to: Steinbrenner wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:48 AM:

" Thanks for laugh! I thought of the exact thing as well when I read the headline. Nice laugh to start of the day. "

Dave wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:42 AM:

" Thanks for all of the comments. I look forward to going to this place and deciding for myself. I love having family run businesses in Bloomington/Normal instead of constant chain fare all of the time. Good luck to Paisano's. If your food, value and service are good, you could be here a long time. "

Kindly remember wrote on Oct 18, 2007 5:25 AM:

" that for one restaurant to be your favorite- another has to be your un-favorite. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. But Lord- don't get violent and angry about it. "

chubbyalasakgriz wrote on Oct 18, 2007 1:42 AM:

" As a former chef who got out of kitchens after 25 years to put the extreme demands behind me for a kinder/gentler job, I welcome this new place- and ANY new restaurant to the neghborhood! I'd like to encourage local foodies to give new places a good and fair chance. Go once. Wait a while and then try it again and see if the kinks got worked out. Judging a new place after one meal is often like tossing a pair of new shoes because they were tight and gave you a blister. Sometimes after a few wearings those shoes become the most comfy pair you'll ever own! Please be fair, folks! We've got some nice places to dine here in town, but one can never have too many! Let's be welcoming and supportive of new businesses. "

to ummm... wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:32 PM:

" Gee if i never went back to a restaurant that served a bad meal, I would have to eliminate most in town. One being Biaggi's. The first time there it was terrible. Image it was right after they first opened. The 2nd time was nothing to write home about. It took me 2 more years to go back. Finally had a pretty meal. So don't judge it on one try. Especially during opening week. p.s. Items that are frozen an still be home made plus you can make gnocchi out of cheese instead of potato. I plan to give the place a couple tries before counting them out. "

to to ummmm wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:30 PM:

" the restaurant would be better off without the floor manager. She was causing the bulk of their problems that night....You don't open a new restaurant that is suppose to be nice and then put someone on the floor that doesn't know what they are doing. and I agree with ummmm....I waited over 1.5 hours to get my appetizer. I didn't even eat after that. After a 2 hour wait we left a tip and removed ourselves from the restaurant. "

to to ummm wrote on Oct 17, 2007 11:26 PM:

" why would a person have to be pretentious to eat at Biaggi's. Maybe people should remember that Biaggis is a homegrown restaurant. It is a local restaurant that happened to grow very big across the country. "

UMM.. wrote on Oct 17, 2007 10:31 PM:

" Why should I hold my negative comments. I had a horrible experience and I stated it. And yes management was notified. They offered us a $3.50 desert. Not gonna cut it. I went in knowing that it was a new restaurant and there would be some minor glitches like service, speed, etc. My complaint was not about the service. Our waitress was fine and couldn't have been friendlier. But don't tell me everything is home made while I'm watching a young kid in the kitchen dump frozen ravioli out of a bag. And no they weren't the "frozen appetizers" it was their ravioli. 2nd "to about the location" yes biaggi's is a little more expensive but I've been there numerous times with my wife and have never ever come close to $90. What in the world could you have possibly ordered? "

Waffle of Justice wrote on Oct 17, 2007 10:27 PM:

" To: about the location.. you had that great experience at Biaggi's also? I am expected to go there from time to time (clients) and I will only order Cesar salad, I would rather not spend the next 3 days trying to turn myself inside out. If this place can deliver a authentic Chi-town pizza I will give it a try, last time I tried an "authentic" pizza in blm/nrm it was topped with fail. "

to ummmm wrote on Oct 17, 2007 9:33 PM:

" with how many comments you obviously exchanged with the floor manager, I know exactly the type of customer you must be, and I'm sure the restaurant will be better off if you do keep your pretentious toosh at Biaggis. "

More of wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:53 PM:

" B/N's finest coming in out to post their negative comments. Sad, sad, sad! "

Tried it this weekend wrote on Oct 17, 2007 8:26 PM:

" ....had a good experience. the decor was nice and the service was reasonably prompt (especially for a new restaurant). got the manicotti which was excellent. the house salad was fine. the bread that came with the meal was also good. the menu has a nice selection of entrees that are reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend it instead of waiting 30-60 minutes to get a table at Olive Garden. One suggestion for management, change the ranch dressing. it was not good. the vinagrette on the other hand was as good as I've tasted anywhere. "

about the location wrote on Oct 17, 2007 7:55 PM:

" if anyone's been to the shoppes at grand prarie you'd know that's what this strip is supposed to be like, shops AND restaurants...there's already a couple in there (flat top) so this is just something new FINALLY coming to the area. we'll give it a try, even if it's a bit slow, i'd rather pay $25-30 for a meal for my husband and I, than the $90 we paid at Biaggis last december on our anniversary... just to get food poisoning!! "

personally... wrote on Oct 17, 2007 6:40 PM:

" I haven't been there yet, but have seen the location as they were working on it. Don't think it is a bad ... I was happy to see a place that as I am walking through the Shoppes, I can stop and enjoy lunch or dinner. Think people like to find things to complain about. "

to ummmm... wrote on Oct 17, 2007 6:32 PM:

" I sure hope you shared your opinion with the owners before posting it to the Pantagraph. I'm certain they would appreciate the input ~ especially in this town where going out to eat is a nightly event for a lot of us & we are just used to good service. I recently contacted the owner of a new place here about a horrible service experience & they begged us to give them another chance. Turns out my family & another were fed for FREE & we've returned over and over. It just took a little "shake down" to get their groove on. That said, if you're hung up on things like pronunciation (like Katy said - not necessarily the taste of the food), perhaps you should stay at the uppety places. My family will enjoy this place, I'm sure. "

Costanza wrote on Oct 17, 2007 3:47 PM:

" I'll just be sure that the counter guy sees me put the tip in the jar! "

Katy wrote on Oct 17, 2007 3:40 PM:

" Wow...all people have to say is negative comments! It seems like a lot of people base their decisions on one experience, and one experience only. It's a new restaurant, give them a break. If you don't like the food, then you don't like the food, that's fine, but just because you don't like it, doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone. "

bad location.. wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:56 PM:

" This place is in a little spot next to the Children's Place store...Not exactly a great spot for a restaurant...pretty small. Don't think the stores would like them taking up all their prime storefront parking for people going in to eat instead of shopping..... "

George Steinbrenner wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:53 PM:

" Costanza! Where is my calzone from Paisano's! "

ummm... wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:51 PM:

" ......This place is awful. We waited over 2 hours for food. Found out our order was never even put in because the floor manager was confusing the waitress'. When my wife ordered the gnocchi, the floor manager couldn't even pronounce it. It was suppose to come with cheese sauce. When my wife asked where the cheese sauce was at, the floor manager informed us that when you mix 2 things together, in this case butter and cheese, it makes a sauce and that maybe their menu was misleading. Geez...ya think. The food was cold and once again the floor manager told us that it had been sitting too long and needed to be reheated. Wow..what a restaurant. You can see in the kitchen while sitting in the dining room and see that everything is made with frozen products..nothing fresh! We will stick to Biaggi's and will not be going back. "

Been There wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:41 PM:

" sure they had some bugs to work out. bring plates before the meal. the pizza stand was upside down. etc etc.. but these bugs will work themselves out. I was truly impressed with the place. My family and I had a very decent meal at reasonable prices (we over ordered and paid for it, but that was our fault). I hope this place does well. "

Todd the Bod wrote on Oct 17, 2007 2:20 PM:

" I'm all for fast pizza, I'll try it out sometime. If this is the restaurant that's in the strip mall part I'm not sure it's the greatest location. "

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