Best Of MenuPages Reviews: Unexpected Delights

We may not do reviews at MenuPages, but our legions of users are all over that. Here are three of interest

One common type of user review that come into MenuPages is of the form, “I had made an assumption about restaurant x, and I was wrong,” or its cousin “you might believe one thing about restaurant x, but the other is true.” Basically, upending a preconceived notion, real or imagined. Here are three examples from last week of the genre:

On June 20th, “michelle” wrote in on her revelations about Osaka:


I love sushi and have been to a few places since I moved here, and all were ok, but not worth the price. I work near Osaka and never looked twice at it, until a friend told me to check it out. It’s the best sushi I’ve had in Chicago by far. It’s always very fresh and not expensive! Not for dining in as the place is small, but perfect for takeout. The smoothies are awesome too.


The lesson about not judging a book by its cover evidently applies to restaurants, too. Although the fact is, you usually can judge a book by its cover, because publishers use a variety of semiotic clues in the book jacket to grab the attention of the appropriate readership.

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Later that day “Betty” chimed in with a shill paean to Anteprima:


We thought it would be just another Italian Restaurant in our favorite area, Andersonville in Edgewater. It all depends on what you want. If it’s pizza or lasagne - forget it. If it’s to be like going through the Italian countryside, then this is it. We were brought up to the minute on this delicious food by the owner, Marty Fosse, and he knows his stuff. Sauces and unusual side dishes make this above average. It is also beautiful and there is the most lovely back garden to dine in for summer faire. Glorious. Great wines, too.


The upturned assumption in this review is more a rhetorical device than a genuine surprise for the reviewer. We don’t like it when a reviewer drops the owner’s name in the review, but since the review fits in to this week’s theme, we’re letting it slide.

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On June 22nd, “TS-000” (which is an awesome pseudonym, by the way) submitted a hot tip about sleeper That’s-A-Burger:


I have lived near this restaraunt for years and never knew it existed until this year. The burgers are absolutely the best!!! They are HOMEMADE HANDMADE REAL BURGERS. To my understanding there is a couple who runs the place and EVERYTHING is cooked to order which is what I love most. Believe you me the wait is definately worth it!!! The prices are great for the freshness of the food and I have never had a complaint. I hope their doors stay open for many more years to come.


The upturned assumption in this review is more a rhetorical device than a genuine surprise for the reviewer. We don’t like it when a reviewer drops the owner’s name in the review, but since the review fits in to this week’s theme, we’re letting it slide.

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On June 22nd, “TS-000” (which is an awesome pseudonym, by the way) submitted a hot tip about sleeper That’s-A-Burger:

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Best Of MenuPages Reviews: Unexpected Delights