I was so excited to hear about this place opening, I have been there for drinks and dinner. What is going on here…does the staff even know? Looks like they put a lot of $$ in this place, no one is ever there. The wine shop is hidden in the back and the dining area looks like a cafeteria, they have added neon beer signs to the front windows, not so classy. The staff is not trained and not friendly the wine pour is small. A wine bar/gormet grocery it is not! The dessert selection is awful a bunch of old cookies in the case! THey need to get it together it reminds me of the Savoy at the Essex inn—a total joke

i’m at a loss of words for how to describe this place. it’s an odd mix of italian cafe / chinese stir fry served up in a casual cafeteria / buffet style. definitely a first for me. there’s also a deli counter w/paninis at the entrance if you want to get something to go, and a bar on the side w/plasmas to watch sports.

as for the food, it’s alright – not the best, but what you might expect at a place like this. there’s a salad bar – definitely not the best/freshest, but gives a variety of items.

would i come back? sure, but that’s b/c it’s right next door to where i live. =)

Another new entrant into the South Loop, Fornetto & Mei’s looks to satisfy all kinds of appetites with its eclectic variety of chinese and italian offerings. It’s sort of like a food court setup where there are different food stations to choose from with a central dining area. It’s much nicer than most food courts and it serves alcohol.

At the front is a cafe where you can grab quicker food like muffins, bagels, sandwiches, and salads.

Since I wasn’t in the mood for a large meal, I got a Prosciutto panini. After travelling through Italy a couple times I’ve developed a healthy (or unhealthy) appetite for paninis so I was excited to see somewhere so close to home start offering them! They do a pretty decent job with them here. I’ll definitely be back to try them all.