Reviews of Johnathan's Italian Bistro!
"A great place for Italian food, with rich, hearty flavors, a reasonably broad but not huge menu, good service, and attention to detail at moderate prices. They are at 1910 N. Casaloma, Appleton. Phone: 920-882-7876. Jonathan's is hard to beat for good Italian food and an enjoyable environment, though it doesn't offer much of a view if you're seated by a window (the Trasino Center strip mall doesn't offer much to look at). I've been there twice and was impressed both times. They offer warm bread with traditional olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping - something I truly enjoy (press torn pieces of bread along the side of the dish with the oil and vinegar to get some of the vinegar into the bread - just dipping the bread straight into the mixture will leave you with nearly all oil and not enough of the vinegar on the bread). The salad was a delight. For the two of us, they brought a large bowl that essentially had four normal servings of a fine salad with a good mixture of crisp greens and a fine Italian dressing. The pasta dishes are imaginative and excellent, such as the three ravioli dishes, all outstanding. My wife was pleased with the portabello mushroom ravioli that definitely tasted better than the related dish at Olive Garden, and had sizeable chunks of mushroom instead of a finely ground paste. I had a goat cheese and roasted red pepper ravioli that surpassed my expectations. Tangy, perfect flavor and marvelous texture. Very nice work!" ~Jeff Lindsay
http://www.jefflindsay.com/dining.html
"Despite the fierce competition in the Italian style dining in Appleton I will give Jonathan's Italian Bistro a slot in our restaurant rotation. I suggest you do too!" ~Marcus Aurelius
http://bloggerbeer.blogspot.com/2005/08/amazing-johnathans.html
Peshtigo Times; May 23, 2007
Once in a while being a writer brings some unearned perks. One of those times happened last week when Yours Truly was invited to a "tasting" at Four Seasons Resort on Miscauno Island west of Beecher for a sneak preview of some of the menu offerings at their newest restaurant, Johnathan's Italian Bistro. Their tag line is, "A Taste of Rome Close to Home." (Could any of this be an oblique reference to the Island's somewhat shady past? Remember, we're not talking about trees here.)
We sampled six separate and totally different menu offerings, not a one with the red Marinara sauce most of us associate with Italian pasta. In fact the sauces were mainly cream and cheese based, more reminiscent to this uneducated palate of French cooking than Italian, but definitely with an Italian flair. Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses were prevalent. Whatever the nationality, everything was marvelous. Between courses we sampled house-blend sangria in several flavors, and it also was delicious.
Personal favorite among the six menu offerings sampled was Vegetable Primavera, surprising for this meat lover. It's a luscious mix of penne pasta, lightly cooked Roma tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers and red onion, tossed in an Alfredo sauce and topped by smoked Mozzarella cheese. Chef Louis de Koster shared the ingredients of his sauce, but not the recipe. He described it as "almost like a Bechamel," and said it includes heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, a bit of garlic, and a touch of nutmeg, a tribute to his Dutch heritage.
The evening was something of a silent commentary on our marvelous melting pot nation.
Chef de Koster comes from Holland and learned his trade there. So here he is on an island in the Northwoods Wisconsin, serving up Italian specialties with a bit of French and Dutch flavor to diners who may come from anywhere on Earth. Isn't it a great world?