Calderone Club - Downtown Milwaukee — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Used to love Calderone Club but three experiences in last year and a half (most recently 8/14/24) have taken them off my list. First, crazy expensive $9.95 split fee for sharing a meal. That would make sense if you also got something with your entree, like soup or salad. But no, it’s just to plate entree onto two plates. (And no entree comes with anything, except bread. Soup and salad are ala carte.)

Second, strict no substitutions. I’m a super easy-going diner and rarely substitute but this seems harsh for a theoretical upscale restaurant. One time I wanted a pizza with no meat on one side and I asked if they could just toss my unwanted sausage onto the other side (my hubby eats meat). Nope. If they did that, they would charge us for extra meat (just by tossing all of the meat onto one side!). So we just ordered a pizza with meat and I picked them off and tossed them to my hubby.

Third, eggplant. I recall them having excellent fried eggplant strips. On our most recent trip, excited to share these amazing eggplant strips with out of-town guests, a basket of fried things arrived. It was very weird. No eggplant skins, just eggplant mushy sticks that were fried. Mostly breading, with mushy eggplant inside. Everyone was shocked. Did they change their recipe? If yes, go back to the original recipe! Do not order this item. You will be disappointed.

Fourth, service is spotty. Water wasn’t refilled. Our table setting for 6 didn’t include knifes, just two sets of forks.

Fifth, it is LOUD. Plus we were seated really really close to a large table and for half the tables, everyone had to get up and move in order for someone to get out to use the restrooms.

Finally, one of the toilets in the women’s bathroom flushes water OUT of the toilet, so it sprays over the floor and if you don’t move fast enough, onto your leg. (Shout-out thank you to a woman who warned me in advance! She spent some time wiping down her legs!)

This is a harsh review and I don’t normally write this. But I was so disappointed. Previous experiences weren’t as bad, but still not stellar. The place isn’t cheap (nor crazy expensive). But there are much better places for Italian food in Milwaukee like Tenuta’s...

Dined here last night with a large group, we had reservations. Upon walking in, there is absolutely zero room to "wait" to be seated. Half my group of 8 was standing out of the door. We were shuffled to our table all the way in an absurdly cramped corner. There is ZERO room to move around!! Every single person at our table was LITERALLY sitting ELBOW TO ELBOW, good luck getting up from the table if you need to use the restroom at all during your dinner, you will have to have every single person on your side of the table get up AND move out in order to get out and then repeat when you return to your seat! It's absolutely UNPROFESSIONAL for waiters to hand a customer water glasses and drinks and ask them to "pass them down", that's your job, not your paying customer's job! I was also shocked that the waiters actually extended their arms and reached across half the table to hand people there plates because we were seated against a while so therefore there is no way for anyone to walk behind us or even to the side! One waiter actually spilled part of someone's drink on one of the people in my party by reaching over him. Now that you know just how disgustingly over packed this restaurant is, and that they pack in as many warm bodies as they possibly can to rush people in and out, I will move on to the next issue. This place is severely overpriced for Italian food. "Authentic" my ass. The lasagna and pasta tasted like it came out of a frozen TV dinner as did the garlic bread. Everything including drinks are way overpriced. I've had better Italian food from the Olive Garden and we all know that Olive Garden isn't "authentic". The waiters bring refills of drinks without even asking and then you get hit with that additional charge whether you wanted it or not. To add insult to injury, I ended up with the worst case of food poisoning within a couple hours after leaving Calderone Club. I come downtown frequently for many events and have dined at countless restaurants. The only upside is that the group I came with was for a work event and therefore covered by my employer because I would never spend my own money here, nor will I ever return...

During my recent visit, the restaurant was busy, and I was directed to sai at the available seats at the bar. When I approached the end of the bar, I noticed those seats were reserved. As I was about to look for another seat, one of the bartenders remarked, “Those are reserved and not for you.” Two other bartenders then directed me to a different spot at the bar.

That same bartender later attempted to pass off his comment as a joke, saying he was “just kidding” and “busting my chops.” I placed my order and stated that I could not have cheese, dairy, or added salt. I ordered the Linguine alla Pescatora. According to the menu, the description reads:

“Pan-seared shrimp with a jumbo scallop, fresh clams, and mussels, sautéed in garlic, wine, and peppercorn sauce, all tossed with fresh linguine pasta. A seafood lover’s delight.”

Nowhere did it state that the dish was prepared with a cream-based sauce. When my meal arrived, it was served in such a sauce. I pointed this out to the bartender who took my order, and he apologized, saying he had not heard me mention “no dairy.”

The first bartender then interjected, insisting I had never said “no dairy” and claiming the dish’s ingredients were clearly listed on the menu. He stated I would still need to pay for it. I again referred to the exact wording from the menu, which lists the ingredients as:

“Pan-seared shrimp with a jumbo scallop, fresh clams, and mussels, sautéed in garlic, wine, and peppercorn sauce, all tossed with fresh linguine pasta.”

Although I agreed to pay, he continued to challenge my statement in front of other patrons. Clearly, the bartender in question does not have to worry about his job, given the nature of his actions and comments.

I paid for the meal, tipped the bartender who took my order, and left...