Giovanni Ristorante

Looks like I wrote the final review for this place cause I walked by this morning and saw the dreaded CLOSED sign on the window.
It appears that a new restaurant will be moving in soon. There was a note thanking their customers for the last 15 years.

I had dinner at Giovanni on a Friday night because it was suggested by one of the members of our group (who knew someone who worked there, and whose taste will never again be trusted). We got there at 8:30ish and the place was DESERTED. It was seriously creepy. I know, I know — it’s midtown on a Friday night, what should I expect? But foolishly, I had listened to the guy who suggested the restaurant. I was so embarassed because I had brought a friend from out of town who was like — «So is this the happening NY restaurant scene in action???»
The décor looks like any generic Italian restasurant one might find in Nebraska, Texas, Canada — wherever. Nothing special. The food was generic and mediocre, though it wasn’t cheap. I ordered a caprese salad, which tasted fine, and salmon, which was supposed to come with polenta. The salmon was decent (average), but they forgot the polenta. And then, to top things off, the waiter knocked over a glass of water, spilling it all over me! They didn’t offer a free glass of wine or anything.
This place might be an okay place for lunch if you work in Midtown, or maybe a place to bring your out-​of-​town aunt who gets freaked out by crowds… but otherwise, I can’t think of ANY other reason to waste time at a place like this.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Giovanni’s and it was excellent. We arrived a half-​hour early to have a cocktail in the bar. A really nice bar area and they have my favorite scotch which is always worth a bonus star!
It was a four course prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving. Each course provided a choice from 4 or 5 items. For appetizer I had beefsteak tomato’s with buffalo mozzarella. The calamari was very good as well.
The second course was my favorite — Risotto with shrimp. I could have just asked for a second bowl and skipped the rest of the meal — it was that good. My friends enjoyed their pasta dishes. The ravioli was especially good.
Main course choices included Sea bass, a veal dish and of course a traditional turkey dinner. All four of us went with the Turkey. It came with stuffing and string beans. By this time we were finishing off the second bottle of Zinfandel. Dessert was included but I was too stuffed to really enjoy the cheesecake.
I plan on returning to sample their regular menu items. The service was friendly and the atmosphere was and décor were pleasant.