JOHNNY'S ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★
District: Village Pointe
Steaks & Italian Cuisine
Perfect For: Casual Dining; Happy Hour; Drinks; Date Night; Upscale Dining
Standout Dishes: 4-Cheese Ravioli & Shrimp Rosa; Crusted Steak and Shrimp
It’s hard enough for a restaurant, especially a chain, to really nail one type of cuisine. Many fail because they offer too wide a selection instead of just narrowing in and becoming elite in one area.
That’s what makes Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse so interesting. The national chain has locations in nine Midwest states, including one in Village Pointe in Omaha. Its menu promises both incredible steak and terrific pasta, and its expansion suggests it does a pretty darn good job at both.
The Omaha location offers two very different atmospheres. A seat on the patio allows diners to enjoy a quiet, shaded dinner in the Nebraska elements. It’s warm and friendly.
The interior features dim lighting and more hushed tones, bringing to mind a 1920s speakeasy, which is no coincidence considering the restaurant’s namesake, John Stamatelos, made his name by running an underground bar. It feels more upscale compared to the casual nature of the patio. In either locale, the servers are attentive, engaging and very knowledgable about the menu.
But a restaurant does not thrive on vibe. It’s the cuisine that stands out, so let’s start with the Italian side of the equation.
There are plenty of Italian offerings, ranging from traditional favorites like spaghetti marinara, lasagna, and linguine with garlic cream sauce to speciality dishes featuring seafood, ravioli and Italian sausage.
The 4-Cheese Ravioli & Shrimp Rosa is incredible. The ravioli alone are perfectly tender pockets that burst with a brilliant cheese flavor on every bite. They’re accented nicely with a creamy, slightly spicy rosa sauce that injects every bite with a fatty flavor. Be warned: this is a heavy dish. But it’s lightened a bit by the other variables. The sun-dried tomatoes add a nice sweet pop, and the plump, perfectly-cooked shrimp are a welcome addition.
The Seafood Pasta Pomodoro isn’t quite as successful, but it’s delicious in its own right. The shrimp and mussels are great, but the scallop really stands out. Basted in butter, a slight crust forms on the exterior, surrounding a perfectly tender inside. My biggest complaint with this dish is it comes with just one scallop, when I could eat 10 or 15 in one sitting. The linguine is al dente, and the combination of olive oil and tomato broth form a good sauce, even if it’s slightly wattery.
I fully endorse the Italian side of the menu, but the steaks are a bit hit and miss. Choosing one is not easy. Johnny’s offers several cuts of beef alongside seafood, crusted with different cheeses or marinated in beer. All sound excellent on the menu, but cooking great steak is difficult, and most chains can’t pull it off.
The Fillet Oscar, a six-ounce portion topped with a crab cake and served with bearnaise sauce, is disappointing. The filet, which is supposed to be a very tender cut of beef, was overcooked and pretty bland on its own. The creamy bearnaise sauce certainly helped, but great steak doesn’t need a sauce. The flavor of the meat alone should be the dish’s driver. I ordered my steak medium rare, but there was little pink to be found.
The Crab Cake was tasty, but it was tiny and pretty mushy. It didn’t hold together well and needed that outer crust that comes from being finished on the flattop. It wasn’t awful by any means, but I had high expectations. The veggies were limp and completely flavorless without salt and pepper.
Johnny’s redeems itself with the Crusted Steak and Shrimp. The top sirloin steak was cooked much better and was more tender. However, the star again wasn’t the meat itself. The parmesan cheese crust was brilliant, adding slightly sharp bursts and providing the texture the filet missed. But it also dominated the flavor of the meat, overpowering what I assume was a solid steak underneath.
The problems with this dish end there. The large, plump shrimp are stuffed with lump crab, creating a praiseworthy seafood mashup. The mashed potatoes are fluffy and luscious with just enough garlic.
The provided Focaccia Bread served as an appetizer at most restaurants tends to be disappointing, but Johnny’s bucks that trend. Similar in texture and style to pizza dough, herbs and a bit of asiago cheese make it hard to keep oneself from repeatedly tearing into the pillowy offering. When dipped in olive oil and topped with parmesan cheese, it goes to a whole new level.
The inconsistent treatment of the steaks keeps me from fully endorsing Johnny’s, but it’s a fine option if you’re seeking a meal near Village Pointe. The pastas are delicious, the atmosphere is fun, and the service fast. It’s a bit expensive, but the prices are consistent with other steakhouses. And while the steaks leave me a bit disappointed, it’s not like they’re bad. They simply leave me wanting more.
Keep in mind, it’s hard to master two cuisines under one roof. Johnny’s dominates one, even if the other could use some refining.
