Murder Mystery Dinner Theater by The Murder Mystery Co. - Chicago, IL — Local services in Westmont

The Event: My daughter and I attended "Of Sound Mind and Dead Body" at Salvatore's in Chicago on June 16 as a celebration of the year during which I am twice her age (said another way, she is the age I was when I had her). We were seated at a table for 12, and had the good fortune of being with 5 other couples who were there for the adventure and were ready to participate fully. The event was wonderfully fun and engaging. We enjoyed our interactions around the table and around the room as we tried to figure out the mystery; it was definitely a good way to celebrate our mother-daughter relationship. So kudos to The Murder Mystery Company. [Entertainment value: A]

The Meal: I don't know where to lay the blame for the meal--Chicago Murder Mystery Company or Salvatore's or the business relationship between them. We had been asked via email to indicate our menu preference; we chose the one vegetarian dish, penne pasta marinara.The other two choices were a meat pasta dish and chicken. Rather than our meals being served individually as per indicated preference, they were served family style. (So why bother asking what we wanted?) No problem if quantities were adequate.Three large platters, one each of the three listed entrees. The one dish my daughter and I could eat (the one we had chosen) was shared with 10 other people, who each also got to share two other entrees with 10 other people. I asked for a refill of the pasta marinara platter, but the waiter may not have understood. He did not return. Hungry and looking ahead to a two hour drive home I finally sought out a waiter to ask for more (you can eat only so much dry bread and butter), which was delivered, somewhat to our embarrassment, after everyone at our table had finished their meal and was ready for their dessert. (In fairness, I should state that the other diners seemed pleased with the meat pasta and chicken entrees.) Not only did the salad (served before the entrees) miss the chance to provide some protein (cheese, egg, beans, nuts), it could not have been less inspiring: it consisted of chopped greens only -- no tomato, cucumber, celery, olives, onions, green pepper, fruit, or anything else that makes a salad interesting. The dessert was ho-hum. Soft vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. The wait staff were older men, dressed formally; they were attentive to water refills.There was no coffee or tea for them to serve. They moved unobtrusively and without interfering with the entertainment. They did not go out of their way to ascertain individual needs; it was apparently not part of their job and would have interfered with the focus of the evening. [Meal: C-]

I recommend Murder Mystery Company as a fun evening, but with no promises that you will enjoy your meal. We were buying an experience, so money isn't the issue. But I wouldn't want to pay more than $12...

We attended the show in Oakbrook Terrace at the Millhurst Charhouse. The show was actually a 5 but the food was a ONE star! It was edible, but the salad was actually the best course. The chicken was dry, and they gave you so little of the pasta and vegetables. The desert was chocolate cake.... My son is allergic to chocolate, but there were no other options. So the chocolate cake or nothing. It was 9 of us in the group....all adults... and my niece (26) was selected to play one of the characters. The presentation content has references to adult content, so be mindful of bringing children...

Also, we paid for the upgrade and had an excellent view of all the action...however, when you enter they take a photo. Our iPhones take better photos than their camera.... The photo keepsake was so disappointing! If it wasn't included in the gold package, I could not imagine paying $20 for it. Also, with the food being so bad..., they could at least include soft drinks, Coffee and Tea! But no drinks were...

It was an exciting fun filled evening with lots of laughter. We had a great time with the other dinner guests who were very friendly, easy to talk to, and totally into solving the crime.

Sent this to my family by grouo text yesterday. This was my heartfelt review:

The murder mystery dinner was a blast! A really great time. The people at our table was fun and really got into it. The food was great too. Glenn and I got it right from the start The _