The Speakeasy*
Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse Des Moines

Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse Des Moines

6800 Fleur DriveIA 50321, Des Moines, United States

Soup • Steak • Seafood • Italian


"There is no better place in West Des Moines for a business meal, romantic getaway, or after work drink. After a string of long and frustrating flights you arrive at The Rewind hotel. You angrily wheel your bags into the room, toss your laptop onto the bed [just enough to make it know you 're angry but not enough to break it], and leave the room for Johnny 's in the lobby. You walk up to the hostess station with a look that could scare away even the most disgruntled octogenarian and encounter Cienna. Despite you looking like a constipated chihuahua she greets you with with the most welcoming smile and positive attitude you 've experiericed in months. You attempt to process the positivity surrounding you as you 're lead to a table. You sit down and open the menu instinctively wondering what just happened, and are greeted by one of the many servers who are genuinely there to treat you like a human being. You order a drink, some water, and end up in an actually interesting conversation that lasts five to ten minutes. Which resumes when the drinks are served, before you place an order for an appetizer. All is quiet, albeit a bit lonely, until the appetizer arrives. Don 't fret this is a meal in an of itself. You down some mind blowing salmon dip or bruschetta, and think your stomach is done. Then the next drink comes. After you grab yourself a negroni or bourbon you 're ready for a the main dish. You worry about the cost, but perform mental gymnastics saying the company will pay for it, or that this is a treat to yourself...well it is, and get what you want because you 're worth it. There is absolutely no disappointment; every dish is meticulously prepared and comes out the perfect temperature. Your gut swells with the strokes of your fork and everything around you looses meaning. You 're full and paid. As you walk past the half empty bar something calls to you. Your stride meanders to the row of empty chairs. You sit and Wade comes upon you. This is your hardest decision of the night give orders to a capable bartender, or let that bartender take you on an after dinner journey. Your results may vary. The journey ends, you begrudgingly stand from your 4 post butt support and stride out of the restaurant toward the elevator or your dino burning go kart. You look to your right and Cienna is there, with the same genuine smile wishing you a good night. If you leave this place anything other than feeling appreciated and happy, you have failed in some respect. No other hotel, hotel restaurant, or chain restaurant has made me consistently feel appreciated and welcome like Johnny 's The Rewind. This place really is the standard in how to treat people like people, and how to cook food on a high level without being pretentious. It 's a welcome departure from the $30 slices of avocado and 'fancy ified ' chain restaurant dishes of other hotels."

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse Moline

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse Moline

1300 River DriveIL 61265, Moline, United States

Wine • Cheese • Italian • Seafood


"While this restaurant has an upscale atmosphere, unfortunately, we didn’t feel that the food followed through. Our table ordered the filet trio, the 14 ounce ribeye, and the Parmesan crusted NY strip. All of our steaks were cooked well to the appropriate temperature and looked delicious, but the ribeye was thin, and the Parmesan crust on both the strip and one of the filets was just a little over the top for us. The crust itself just wasn’t what we were expecting and there was quite a lot of it. The garlic mash I had with my strip I thought was pretty good. Creamy, though a bit heavy on the garlic. The others at the table felt it was too much like a purée consistency and not quite a mash. A lot of other reviews say the steaks are overpriced and I have to agree there, especially for the ribeye. The strip was probably the best steak we ordered— a little over an inch thick and tender, but the ribeye was probably 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and we were questioning whether it was actually a full 14 ounces. The side of lobster mac cheese, however, was very good. Now, this is being really not-picky here, but I even felt that the Caesar salad was a little lack luster. A majority of the romaine in my salad was slightly brown on the edges, but I really liked the dressing and the croutons. All this being said, this was our first time here. We really can’t speak to the quality of the Italian offerings here, so maybe those dishes really are the stars at this establishment. I can say with certainty, though, that we are unlikely to return for steak. We would maybe consider trying something else here if we’re ever back in the area."

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse

305 N 170th StNE 68118, Omaha, United States

Beer • Steak • Seafood • Italian


"Save your money and go to Texas Roadhouse 2 3 times for what you will pay here. Actual rating would be 2.5 stars. I would have reduced to 1 2 stars if the food was awful, but thankfully it wasn 't awful. Our group paid $38 $52 plate for dinner, $8 $16 per drink (beer, wine, or otherwise), and a 25% surcharge mandatory gratuity for a group of our size I really expected better out of this place. First off, this is the place where you want to take an ugly boyfriend or girlfriend because the lighting is so low you won 't be focused on their imperfections let alone be able to see the menu or your meal very well. The Char Broiled Ribeye was pretty good but the bone in ribeye had a lot of fat around the edges. If the marbling was as good as advertised the lighting prevented us from seeing it. The optional crusts on the steaks were a nice touch but the grilled veggies were tasteless. Appetizers were okay but nothing special. Maybe the restaurant was understaffed because the main complaint was our waitress couldn 't keep our water glasses full for the 2 hours that we were there. Note to Management just leave a couple of decanters of water on the table for a group. We 'd rather have water available to us than be forced to wait for it. Our waitress was pleasant kind but just not around enough to service a group of our size. We overpaid for the meal and the $163 gratuity that our waitress hand wrote on the receipt wasn 't what I would have tipped had I been asked what the service was actually worth. Texas Roadhouse delivers a more consistent experience and better bang for your buck."