| rev:text
| - Talk about your serendipitous discovery - Johnny's Bar is DIVINE.
I know what you're thinking. "A place called Johnny's Bar? Divine?!" From the outside, the simple brick facade and neon signage imply your average, run-of-the-mill hideaway where you can go to pound back a few beers with your buddies.
Well, that's what my friend Kate and I thought, when we decided to grab a drink and maybe some food before going to see a show at Near West Theatre. One of her student's recommended it because his father worked there, so we headed over.
We should have been tipped off by the valet service, but the surprise didn't really hit until we walked in. The atmosphere inside is warm and inviting, with lots of muted, glowing lighting and dark woods. We immediately knew we were in for more than we had bargained for, in a good way.
Johnny's isn't large, but there are a few choices in seating: you can sit at the bar, right inside the front door, up on a raised level past the bar, or in another, larger dining room with beautiful murals painted on the walls (which I actually didn't discover until the second time I went there). Kate and I sat up on the intimate, raised level at a little two-top.
We sat down and took in the linens and the flowers and the heady romance of the room and decided that, apparently, we were on a date.
After putting on our best grown-up faces, we perused the menu and made some amazing selections. With more cash, we certainly would have ordered more, but even the smaller meals we got were amazing. The spaghetti and meatballs, as simple as it sounds, were delectable, and I had a warm salad with cranberries and walnuts and some amazing concoction drizzled on top... MMM. Even the bread was fantastic - warm and fresh, and the waiter came after we'd finished to brush crumbs from the table with the little crumb-brusher thingy.
Yep, it's that kind of place. They have crumb-brusher thingies.
We hadn't planned on spending what we spent, but it was DEFINITELY worth it.
So if you want some AMAZING food in a classy place, head on over - the meal and the experience are worth the price. And though they didn't turn us away in our jeans and sweaters, have fun and get yourself saucy for this one!
|