116618 Sun Sep 05 10:53:42 -0700 2004 11 7 Chicago Area 0 636872 Public Landing in an historic warehouse along the I & M Canal has changed from feeling like a good value to crossing into pricey territory as some entrees which have been on the menu since the place opened are now over twenty bucks. The handsome room also has changed. The bar once hidden in a side room near the kitchen has been installed squarely in the middle of the main dining room. The quiet, tastefully Americana room is now an amped-up drinking scene, and boy, is it loud: when I left last night, my ears were ringing. The food is unimaginative but capable for the Joliet-Lockport area: my gently charred salmon had a tasty lemon-butter-caper sauce and was accompanied by a heap of wild rice and a good-sized chunk of broccoli not overcooked. Eating at Public Landing used to be as subtle and satisfying as reading a good book, but last night eating there felt like being manipulated by television. Sun Sep 05 10:53:42 -0700 2004 0 Mugs 1 636879 Isnt the Public Landing run by the folks that own the Tallgrass? Mon Sep 06 02:48:48 -0700 2004 636872 0 Bob 2 636880 When it opened it was. I think there've been at least a couple of changes in ownership since then. Mon Sep 06 10:26:54 -0700 2004 636879 0 Mugs 3 637532 My family and I went to Public Landing a few weeks ago. It was a Sunday afternoon and thus there was no bar crowd, so the atmosphere was as charming as always. But I can definitely see how raucous it would be on a Friday or Saturday night, thus ruining the place's former graciousness. And regardless of atmosphere, we were pretty disappointed with the food. Pretty ordinary, and not worth the price. What a shame. PL used to be one of our favorites. Mon Sep 27 11:05:56 -0700 2004 636880 0 Pete 4 640133 I posted this elsewhere, but what the heck, I'm so disappointed I'll post here too. Feel my ire, Public Landing. The Public Landing in Lockport used to be one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the Joliet area, and having just returned from a dismally disappointing meal there, I can safely say the new owners have wrecked it-- with a vengance. The formerly small and thoughtful contemporary American menu has been replaced by a slate of a catering manager's greatest hits (prime rib, salmon, chicken vesuvio, many featuring the same easy-to-reheat asparagus-tarragon risotto or couscous on the side) all in a sleazy new presentation complete with photographs (is it me or do photographs on a menu instantly cheapen a place?). The pasta section weirdly contains no pasta dishes, only different preparations of chicken served with pasta on the side, and what used to be a careful and masterful appetizers and salad board has been replaced by diner favorites calamari/mozzarella sticks/tricolore salad. The wine list is now loaded with cheap and sleazy bottles from dubious cellars (Why does white zinfandel deserve a place on any menu? Someone explain!), and the dessert menu is an eager-to-please encyclopedia of cakes, pies, ice creams and mousses, none of them prepared with any skill or joy.   Also, they have pretty much ruined the ambience of the place by plunking an oversized and understyled bar (decorated with a row of arty martini glasses--why, why? A historic limestone-walled former cargo house in Lockport with quilts on the wall and colonial-style decor is just not ever going to be a trendy martini place) right in the middle of the dining room and cranking up the Cole Porter CDs loud enough we had to shout to one another over our food. Whatever the new owners are trying to get the Public Landing to be is unclear, and their efforts so far have been cack-handed and depressing.   For lunch today my parents, husband and I ordered crab cakes, grilled chicken, grilled halibut and coconut shrimp, respectively, and all dishes arrived disgustingly cold, slimy and undercooked, inexcusable given that we were one of maybe 6 tables in the whole place to be occupied. At over $40 per head (expensive in the South suburbs), I would have expected a better meal.   God, this used to be such a great restaurant, perfect for tucking into a splendidly cooked meal in cozy surroundings on a chill winter night, unlike anything in the area. The food used to be outstanding and the surroundings welcoming and fun, and so worth driving 50 miles out of Chicago for. What the new owners have done is to overstretch the abilities of their kitchens and expanded their repertoire from four or five specialty dishes to thirty-five bland disasters; and overstretched the imaginations and goodwill of their customers to continue eating here on the basis of how good a restaurant it used to be. Three cheers to the new owners for ruining the Public Landing so completely and effectively that I'm afraid I could not recommend this restaurant to anyone. I'm so disappointed, I could cry. It's like losing a good friend... not even a shame, a tragedy. Truth on Raynor and Jefferson in Joliet is the only acceptable alternative. Their food is excellent, friendly staff, okay decor and decent bar. Fri Jan 07 14:46:22 -0800 2005 637532 0 sarahjane 5 640144 Somebody call Gordon Ramsay and his restaurant-quality can of Whoop-Ass! Seriously, that's just criminal. Shame on them. Fri Jan 07 21:52:50 -0800 2005 640133 0 peg 1 636881 Public Landing at one time was my FAVORITE all-time restaurant for several reasons: Waitresses in aprons pushing carts of fresh bread. Historic stone walls and the "smell" of history. High quality, American food with flair. Innovative desserts. I made my family take me here for a grade-school graduation lunch. It is not what it was. When they did the remodel they lost a lot of good seating and when I ate there a couple weeks ago I was put in an ugly side room....VERY DISAPPOINTING. The food was just okay, pricey and not real interesting in variety. I received a $15 dollar coupon which I think I will use. So, I'll give it one more chance.... Mon Sep 06 14:31:19 -0700 2004 636872 0 Food Nut 2 636882 FN, you confirm my impressions of the changed Public Landing. Like you, I had really taken this restaurant to heart--and had proudly taken out-of-town guests there. After Saturday night's exposure to the newly noisy P.L. with the same old menu which is beginning to show its age, my wife and I are not eager to return. What a loss. Sic transit gloria cibi. Any suggested replacements? Courtright's in Willow Springs is much more expensive, right? We've tried to like Branmor's in Bolingbrook, but the place seems to not quite get how to make the contempo American food it has on its menu. And the Rockwell Inn in Morris requires one to be in the mood for a Victorian atmosphere and 1980's food. Thank goodness for Amanecer Tapatio. Mon Sep 06 15:29:59 -0700 2004 636881 0 Mugs 3 636891 Branmor's? No. Just...no. Anything I've seen good at Branmor's I've seen better at Louis Chophouse (although neither has the feel of P.L. at its prime). The closest atmosphere I can think of to P.L. in the southwest suburbs is Truth. Not the same menu, of course, and not as creative but I seem to get the same "feeling" when I'm there. Tue Sep 07 09:18:32 -0700 2004 636882 0 HappyFatGuy 3 636940 What about Syls? I had lunch there and thought lunch was good. The steak sandwich was far superior than what you get at Merichka's, though it is an entirely different sort of samitch. Link: http://www.syls.com/ Tue Sep 07 19:21:15 -0700 2004 636882 0 Food Nut 4 636949 FN, I accept your suggestion of Syl's. I should return to it with an open mind. My attitude toward it had grown closed minded because I almost always order chicken or fish in restaurants, and those dishes at Syl's seem quite ordinary in flavor and lacking in skilled preparation. To wit, Syl's offers a chicken dish that's sort of fajitas-like--chicken with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms--but the flavors run together amidst a generic-tasting oil. On the other hand, frog legs I had at Syl's twenty years ago remain in my pantheon of tastiest meals I've ever had. Tue Sep 07 23:53:09 -0700 2004 636940 0 Mugs 5 636954 I put in a vote for Syl's prime rib (and their relish tray)... Wed Sep 08 09:53:08 -0700 2004 636949 0 HappyFatGuy