Johnny Angel’s now open in Momence
Johnny Angel’s opened today at 119 W. Washington in Momence.
Menu offerings include steaks, chops, ribs, chicken, pasta, pizza and seafood. Serious meat-lovers can indulge in a 48-ounce porterhouse for $24. All their meat is prime grade, wet-aged for at least 21 days and never frozen. Pork lovers will want to try the Triple “P” sandwich, which is a piece of fried pork topped with pepper bacon and ham. For seafood fans, there’s catfish, walleye, perch and shrimp. Frog legs are a weekend special, as is liver.
On the side, try their horseradish and asiago cheese au gratin potatoes. All entrees come with a complimentary slice of angel food cake topped with cherry sauce.
The thin-crust pizza is priced by the inch, so a 12″ pizza costs $12, etc. They offer all the traditional toppings plus a few specialty combinations, including a macaroni and cheese pizza. I couldn’t resist trying something so unique and was glad I did. The chewy crust, which I particularly enjoyed, was topped with white sauce, cheese and penne pasta. I added a little crushed red pepper and liked it even more.
Johnny Angel’s is large and spacious inside, with ample seating and a full bar. There’s a separate entrance for take-out orders so customers can pick up their food without going through the restaurant.
The restaurant is named after owner Mike Casper’s adopted grandson, 11-year-old Johnny Angel. Mike told me that Johnny was born prematurely to a drug-addicted mother, who gave birth at home. When police arrived at her apartment to help, she handed them Johnny in one hand, the placenta in the other, and closed the door. Johnny was rushed to the hospital, where nurses feared he wouldn’t make it through the night. They gave him the name Johnny Angel so that he wouldn’t die as a nameless John Doe.
Not only did he survive, of course, but Johnny has overcome those challenges and grown into a normal, healthy boy who is an inspiration to his family, who adopted him when he was 11 months old. “If we can follow his example, we will be successful,” Mike said.
Johnny Angel’s is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. The phone is (815) 472-6801.
July 2nd, 2010 at 7:46 am
My husband and I went to Johnny Angel’s this past Sunday. We both had a sandwich (Triple P and Stuffed Burger) and the quality of the food is very good (great french fries). I was quite surprised though at the prices of the entrees. Johnny Angel’s advertises fine dining without the fine dining prices but I thought their entrees were very expensive. $14.00 for liver? If their entrees are half as good as their sandwiches, might be worth the prices they charge but I did see a dinner salad come out and it wasn’t anything special (iceberg lettuce and average salad toppings).