Medici in Normal — Restaurant in Normal

I've not visited in months because there's usually a wait and I prefer sitting at the bar, but Tuesday night's weather was beautiful and the restaurant looked quiet, so we went in and were seated right away on the upstairs patio.

Unfortunately, I suspect Medici sections this area poorly: our server was absent for large parts of the evening and the only table upstairs she visited was ours, which makes me think she had a section within the restaurant at ground level and then us upstairs (out of sight, out of mind). The first example of this was when I ordered seating for three, was walked to the table with three menus, but a third glass of water for the third person never arrived all evening; I ended up giving the third person my water glass and going without.

When my spouse pointed at the Tuesday $5 beer flight special on the menu itself while we asked the server to tell us how the flights worked, she mistakenly told us we could get four 4 oz. glasses of any beer of our choice; this was not the case, and we only discovered it after I managed to review our check and flag her down to ask why we were charged full price for the drinks. The special apparently only applies to a specific flight of beers that day, and she explained that she doesn't typically work Tuesdays so didn't understand that we wanted to know the special when we asked about the flight.

I ordered the tilapia picatta, which I've had on previous visits and loved (it was the whole reason for the visit!), but last night's looked thin and sad as cuts of fish go. I suspect it waited too long to be served, as the risotto was inconsistently warm in spots (risotto was also missing the sweet peas described in the menu, only containing the red pepper). The asparagus was good, and I took that home with me for lunch today.

My companions' gluten-free Spaghetti Squash Bolognese and beef stroganoff were delicious. I also enjoyed the "gin and juice" pomegranate cocktail, so compliments to the bartender there. I'm going to have to think very hard about if it's worth it to me to come back, though, when I can receive a much more consistent and attentive...

Our family travels from St. Louis a couple times a year to take our girls to the Children’s Museum but really, the reason I come is Medici. The kids are with us but the ambiance and sophisticated menu makes me feel kind of like I did when we were dating before the kids came along. The girls love that they can reach the short sink in the restroom, and the rest of the customers are so friendly when they see them-it feels like they’re pleased to see kids - not like their experience is being invaded by them. Today was hands down the best dining experience we’ve had probably since the last time we were here 8 months ago. Our awesome server was Ty and I didn’t get anyone else’s name but ALL the staff showed such effortless teamwork. I mean, the service was impeccable. When we walked in, the receptionist took us straight to our table (I called earlier to make a reservation). Ice water was being delivered before we could sit down. We asked to get started with a basket of fries and they appeared almost instantly. Before we could finish the fries our appetizers came out hot and delicious and I’d barely dabbed the guacamole from my lips before our entrees had arrived. And the food-our girls eat pizza somewhere every Friday but the freshness? The crust? The cheesiness? Unbeatable. The care taken even with the kids meal…chicken tenders-such a simple item but such flavor and perfect tender texture. Mahi mahi tacos, steak sandwich, quesadillas, a staycation beverage from the bar…Everything we’ve tried here is unreal. We ordered way too much and couldn’t finish our entrees but we had no regrets because everything was so pleasant and flavorful AND affordable. In the days of post(?)-Covid labor shortages, supply chain problems, pricing issues…I’ve lowered my expectations when I go out to eat. But somehow Medici is still coming on strong blowing me away with the highest caliber of service and flavor for a reasonable price. I don’t know maybe they’re like a unicorn? When we’re in town I’m never dining anywhere else....

Our group had lunch reservations and were seated promptly. Server was friendly until it was my turn to order. When I asked her for a recommendation, her response was "Can you just order something?" I thought I didn't hear her correctly through her Day Of The Dead mask. "I'm sorry, what?" "Can you just order something? I have a ton of drinks to make at the bar. Everybody is drinking today, especially on the patio." Guess I heard her correctly.

Attitude notwithstanding, we ordered pretzel sticks, a Medici Burger w/ fries, Carribean salad, kids cheese pizza, and a Medici pizza w/ no Italian sausage on thin crust with a side salad. The pretzels and salad arrived quickly, but the entrees took a long time to hit the table.

The pretzels and cheese were hot and tasted great. The burger was decent but the fries were cold. The plate was warm, so that dish probably sat under the heat lamps while our overly-tasked server was busy not making all those drinks that were piled up.

The Medici pizza came with pan crust and Italian sausage. Maybe our server had to make drinks AND cook the food, so it's forgivable. The marinara is overspiced for being a pizza base sauce.

The children's pizza used the same marinara as the Medici and was too strong for a child's palate. It was left uneaten after a couple of bites.

The Carribean salad had promise but was drowning in the ginger vinaigrette, turning the greens into a soggy pile. The added chicken was sparse, which turned out to be a positive since it was bland.

All of our previous visits to Medici have been good, so we were excited to eat here today. But the restaurant missed the marks through the entire experience. Medici didn't bring their A game, but that server sure brought the...