As my family pushed through the revolving door located at the front of Johnny's Italian Steakhouse in East Peoria, Illinois, I could already smell wonderful aroma's coming from the dining room. The atmosphere was somewhat of an old rythm and blues club, a little dark and mysterious, just without all the noise and smoke.
We were seated at our table. The silverware was nicely wrapped in black napkins and our server, "Colton," promptly took our drink orders as we perused the rest of the menu. We selected the Little Italy for appetizer. It was very good and included fried ravioli, calamari, sausage bread, and bruschetta. It was all so very good, tasted fresh, and left us wanting more. The sauce that came with the calamari was rich and tasty. It even had a little bit of "zing" to keep the tastebuds interested.
Our salads were not exactly the greatest salad I have ever had, but were still good. The lettuce was a little dry but with the homemade ranch salad dressing, we couldn't really tell the difference.
The main courses we ordered were Chicken Piccata, Chicken Madeira, Parmesan encrusted steak, and I had the Johnny's Steak Deburgo. All of the meals were fantastic. The steak was so tender you could drag the knife across it and the weight of the knife would cut down into the meat. There was a sauce that was to die for with the steak. The Parmesan crusted steak was also very good and just as juicy and tender. Both chicken dishes were just as amazing. The chicken was cooked perfectly and after a bite or two, the smell and taste took you back to the coast of Italy, if only for a second.
Desert was good too. We ordered the creme brulee and a healthy portion of Limoncello cake draped in raspberry sauce. Both deserts were just as good as they looked and did not disappoint in any way.
The service from "Colton" was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable of all of the items on the menu and was able to help us decide by describing different options. He was more than polite and definitely an asset to Johhny's Italian Steakhouse. I don't know what he makes, but they need to give him more. He is that good.
I put my review at "very good" because of the salad being dry and although the garlic mashed potatoes that we ordered with the meals was very good, there just was a little too much of it. Perhaps a smaller portion of mashed potatoes and add some fresh vegetables might make for a better plate.
Other than that, this place is fantastic! This is definitely a place I would come back to and plan to do so in the future.
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