Terzo Piano

I remember being unimpressed with Terzo Piano the first time I dined there a couple of years ago. However, this occasion totally won me over. I started with the Chickpea Soup and it did not disappoint. I then had the Roasted Beet Salad and it was simply amazing. My entree, the Short Ribs was beyond fabulous. I finished with Sweet Potato Tart and it was quite tasty. The house made bread was excellent, especially the Rosemary. My server Rachael W. was pleasant, sweet and professional. The ambiance was peaceful and tranquil, sort of Zen like, with a tasteful mix of jazz, world music and modern R and B. The only drawback for me is the lack of a slightly larger menu.

Had a veggie-burger here that was surprisingly good ...

Let's just say on a cold winter day I felt lazy to drag myself out the Art Institute in search of a great lunch place. I still decided to treat myself and headed up to the 3rd floor of the modern wing for what I expected to be an outstanding lunch instead of  the less appealing alternative of grabbing something quick at the cafe.
The first impression was good: the hostess was smiling, welcoming and seated me promptly. The wait staff was also professional and efficient from beginning to end.
The highlight is definitely the space: open space with walled windows which makes the restaurant quite bright and appealing with a nice view of Michigan avenue.
The just so so part: the menu is quite limited: soup of the day, cheeses, 2 salads, 1 fish, 2 meats, 1 pasta dishes and that's about it. Typical entree price is between $18 and $21. I settled down on a glass of Pinot noir and the crisp chicken entree.
The entree was quite disappointing. I'm a small portion size eater so the serving size of chicken was perfectly fine by me but it lacked flavor and was quite salty. I could have used much more vegetables though, I barely had a few tiny cubes of butternut squash on the plate and that was disappointing. Still a bit hungry I ordered the sweet potato tart with maple bourbon ice cream. Nothing to rave about here either: both lacked flavor and were just bland.
Overall about $60 later for lunch after tip and tax (1 glass of wine, 1 chicken, 1 dessert, 1 coffee) the experience was just OK and I will not repeat.
Terzo Piano provides a great environment to relax with great service but the quality to price ratio in the food is just not there so if you are looking for a culinary experience this is not the place for you.