VERO BEACH — Now starting its second season, Johnny D’s Market and Bistro – in the white and blue building on South A1A – has firmly established itself as a beachside favorite.
Night after night, a goodly crowd can be found dining in this tastefully decorated Tuscan bistro, enjoying a dependable variety of well-prepared veal, chicken and seafood entrées, most very reasonably priced in the high teens and low $20s.
We’ve found on a variety of visits that an excellent way to begin an evening at Johnny D’s is by ordering one of their starters, all of which are priced at $12. Two of our favorites are the calamari vesuvio and the clams casino deconstructed.
The calamari vesuvio is a fine way to warm up your taste buds – calamari simmered in a spicy broth of tomatoes, herbs and hot peppers.
The clams casino deconstructed is not exactly your typical clams casino. In this dish, the little neck clams on the half shell are surrounded by a mix of bell peppers, crispy pork belly, leeks, citrus, and parsley panko parmigiano. An unusual and extremely tasty preparation.
Another appetizer we’ve enjoyed is the Sambuca-steamed Prince Edward Island mussels served with tricolor bell peppers, Bermuda onions, and leeks in a Sambuca basil buerre blanc (yum).
When it comes to entrées, we’ve have the most success with Johnny D’s regular menu items.
On visits last month, I enjoyed the ravioli aragosta ($20), Maine lobster and saffron-stuffed ravioli in a light scampi beurre blanc.
Our companion raved over the gnocchi carbonara ($16.50), gnocchi tossed with crispy prosciutto, caramelized vidalia onions, sweet peans, portobello mushrooms, in a Parmigiano Reggiano cream sauce.
Another entrée that is one of my favorites is the zuppa di pesce ($24.50), little neck clams, PEI mussels, calamari and shrimp sautéed in a spicy fra diaviolo sauce served over linguini.
My husband on our most recent visit had the veal piccata ($21), a perfectly prepared rendering of this classic dish in a lemon butter and caper white wine sauce.
He also gives high marks to the Johnny D’s vongole ($18), little neck clams sautéed in a garlic white wine over linguini.
It’s when one ventures off the menu and into the specials of the day that things become a bit of an adventure.
On my most recent visit, I ordered the mahi carciofi – dolphin with artichoke, along with sundried and fresh tomatoes, in a basil wine and sprinkled with toasted walnuts, atop angel hair pasta, and accompanied by roasted vegetables.
Individually, the components of the entrée were very nice, starting with the fresh dolphin. But there were too many elements to this dish – a veritable mountain of competing tastes on a single plate.
In that respect, it was reminiscent of a visit several weeks before when my husband ordered another of the evening’s specials, a small filet mignon wrapped in prosciutto with roasted gorgonzola cheese, red and yellow bell peppers, and balsamic braised Bermuda onions.
One might have thought that the gorgonzola would prove too much for prosciutto; in fact, the balsamic taste of the onions overwhelmed everything.
Better, perhaps, to stick to the regular menu items, or to order from Johnny D’s prix fixe – currently available the entire evening – offering 16 excellent entrées plus a tasty house salad for only $16.
And while it is not part of the prix fixe, you don’t want to leave without trying a slice of the limoncello cake ($5.99) – 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.
