VERO BEACH — At about the time winter visitors were packing up last spring to head north, a new restaurant, Johnny D’s Market and Bistro, opened in the white and blue building on South A1A a couple of blocks south of the 17th Street Causeway.
Just as some locations are death for one restaurant after another, this South Beach spot would appear charmed – the original Vero Beach home of Ian Greenwood’s Black Pearl a quarter of a century ago, and later the location of Carlucci’s.
In the eight short months since Johnny D’s opened its doors there, this Tuscan bistro has emerged as an island favorite, with an innovative culinary approach that delivers a variety of most interesting meals.
On our most recent visit, our party of three was seated in one of the booths down the middle of the tastefully decorated restaurant.
For starters on this visit, I ordered the calamari vesuvio ($11), my husband opted for the clams casino deconstructed ($12), and our companion began with a house salad (included with entrées).
The calamari vesuvio turned out to be a fine way to warm up your taste buds – calamari simmered in a spicy broth of tomatoes, herbs and hot peppers.
The broth was spectacular. We mopped our way through two servings of bread before we let the dish go.
The clams casino deconstructed was not exactly your typical clams casino.
In this dish, the little neck clams on the half shell were surrounded by a mix of bell peppers, crispy pork belly, leeks, citrus, and parsley panko parmigiano. An unusual and extremely tasty preparation.
Another appetizer were enjoyed here on a previous occasion is the Sambuca-steamed Prince Edward Island mussels ($10) served with tri-color bell peppers, Bermuda onions, and leeks in a Sambuca basil buerre blanc (yum).
The house salads here are nice and are served with either a creamy onion or sun-dried tomato balsamic dressing.
For entrées, I ordered the fish of the day – on this evening, a hog snapper ($28.50) – and my husband chose the veal flank ripieno ($22). Our companion decided to try a personal 11 inch pizza ($16).
The hog snapper was a lovely piece of this excellent fish, sautéed perfectly in a white-wine sauce.
The grilled veal flank steak was delicious, stuffed with prosciutto, fire roasted red bell peppers, baby spinach and gorgonzola, and served in a baby bella marsala sauce. It was accompanied by roasted garlic smashed potatoes and haricot vert.
While our companion generally raves about the pizzas at Johnny D’s, this one – with mozzarella, anchovies, mushrooms, olives and garlic – was not crispy as she had requested. A rare disappointment.
Other entrées we have enjoyed on recent visits included the zuppa di pesce ($24.50), little neck clams, PEI mussels, calamari and shrimp sautéed in a spicy fra diaviolo sauce served over linguini, and the vongole ($18), little neck clams sautéed in a garlic white wine over linguini. Both excellent dishes.
Johnny D’s is also continuing to serve its excellent “pre-season” prix fixe, offering soup or a salad, and a choice of 16 entrées, for $16.
During the early fall, you could take advantage of this special menu all evening.
But all good things come to an end (or at least an early cut-off ), and now, alas, you need to be seated by 6 p.m. to order from the prix fixe menu.
We sampled a variety of these entrees, however, during September and October, and were most impressed by the vitello Milanese, a perfectly seared veal cutlet served with a side of capellini in a delicious tomato sauce, and the piccolo pescatore – a yummy variation on the zuppa di pesce.
Owned by the same branch of the Amelio family that owns the Pomodoro Grill on Cardinal Drive, the culinary approach at Johnny D’s is more innovative, less traditional, perhaps reflecting the presence of a new generation of Amelios, Pepe’s son Mario, in the kitchen. Chef Mario seems eager to experiment with new tastes.
If you missed out on the late opening last spring by heading north, you want to head south to Johnny D’s some night soon. And don’t leave without trying a slice of the limoncello cake ($5.99), which is a definite “don’t miss.”
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.