We came to Johnny's to celebrate my Dad's retirement and I was very glad this place was nice enough to really fit the occasion. We were seated in a half circle booth facing the bar which is dim with blue lighting for a sort of cool factor. They had some easy listening jazz playing with a Frank Sinatra song here and there. It all worked pleasantly together for a nice dinner.
I had their whiskey old fashioned sweet to go along with my meal and I thought it was very smooth. We shared a family style salad and were able to try some great house bread in olive oil and pepper. The bread had a nice salty crust that kept having me lean in for one more piece.
I selected the Veal Sinatra for my meal and was happy with my choice. The veal had a nice seared crust and was topped with mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, shrimp, peppers and a cream sauce that was much thinner and lighter than an Alfredo. The seasoned mixed vegetables were very tasty dipped in this sauce (so much for the healthy side!). I think with the salad and bread this easily could be two meals, although I enjoyed it so much I just kept going.
We finished our celebration with their creme brulee and their chocolate cake. I thought the cake was intended to be a molten cake because of its size and shape, yet there was no center but rather a little pool of chocolate at the top in a little indent. This came with a scoop of caramel ice cream and a little whipped cream. It was rich and tasty, but my favorite of the two was easily the creme brulee. The caramelized top was so sweet and so crisp, I was trying to eat it slowly so I could savor it all before it was gone.
Overall I think this was a very nice dining occasion and if I lived in Madison I would surely come back to have dinner on their patio area in the summer.