Showtime Eatery — Restaurant in Barrington

I couldn't have given a higher rating for the previous business here (Boloney's) which was by the same owner. The prices were fair, the service unbeatable, and the food was outstanding.

However, since one of the two owners sadly passed away a few years ago, the other owner inexplicably revamped the entire restaurant... the name, the menu, and even the style of the restaurant decor to be more "chic" and "hip" to cater to what is perceived as the snooty crowd of Barrington (which included the newly added sale of alchohol). Not only can I say that the change was unwarranted, but the majority of the customers there were down to earth, wonderful people, elderly people, or families who couldn't care less about the chic vibe provided and were more put off by the changes, especially since many aspects of the previously cherished vibe was attributed to the warmth of Roberta and were nostalgic to many or all of the customers which was appreciated. The chic vibe was cold, and considering that The Catlow is a historic building, the changes are inappropriate.

The food is plain, boring, and unimpressive. I don't know if they also changed vendors, but if so... it was a bad idea. The draw of alcohol is not enough to ignore the blatant raise in prices for food that is just not good!

The owner would be doing himself and the rest of Barrington a huge favor by returning to the nostalgic warmth of Boloney's, with the decor, food, and pricing. It seems that he may slowly be realizing that, as they recently returned some of the retired menu items from Boloney's. But more changes should be made, then they may see more business flooding in. And realistically, if that was not cutting it to keep the business open, I'd gladly be willing to pay a little extra for BOLONEY'S food, and not the poor excuse for food they're...

Sorry but, not impressed. Showtime replaced Balonie's which closed about a year ago. Showtime is attached to the Catlow Theater, as was their predecessor. The good - they have a nice menu for sandwiches. And, they will serve you in the theater. The new restaurant also serves beer and wine, something Balonie's did not do.

But the service was horrendous. After buying our tickets for a Saturday matinee, we decided to get something quick before going into the theater. They had chicken noodle soup on the menu and a special chili for the day. We got one of each.

After ordering, I expected they would simply go into the kitchen where they have vats of these hot and ready to go. After they went into the kitchen, we waited. After 10 minutes or so, a line started to form of others waiting to order. No one came out and people started to leave the line, giving up on waiting. 20 minutes passed and the start time for the movie was approaching. Calling back into the kitchen did no good so we went to the ticket counter. The manager (?) was able to get our food for us. But, seriously?

The soup was good and very hot. The...

Sadly, they've gone WAY downhill. I've been stopping at Boloneys for over 30 yrs now, in the last year or so things have changed a lot. I stopped this past Friday (9/29) as I heard that they would be closing... I was looking forward to one last hurrah, sadly it was not meant to be. I ordered a "large" Dagwood on an onion roll - no tomato. What I got was a lump of ham (only in the middle), a lump of turkey (same) & about 3 slices of salami, hardly any lettuce to speak of, no dressing at all & 3 thick slices of tomato on an onion roll that was probably all of an inch tall - before it was sliced so thin on the bottom that it just fell apart (kind of hard/messy to eat). And where was my pickle?? The girl who took my order acted as if it was a major imposition when she did so (I was the only one there just before 4pm). On one hand I'll be sorry to see them go, on the other hand - they've killed their own reputation - this used to be one of the best places to get lunch & was known for lines out the door...