Lonzerotti’s Italia Restaurant is best known for two signature items: salad dressing and breadsticks. OK, you may be asking, just how special can a simple salad and stick of bread be? Very special, if the two items in question are the sweet Italian dressing and lighter-than-air rolls served in this renovated circa-1910 train station near downtown Jacksonville.
I rediscovered Lonzerotti’s during a recent wine-tasting dinner. Each of the
dinners, which are held monthly, promotes a different theme, with samples of
nine wines and portions of three entrées, plus salad, bread and dessert. I attended
the “How Sweet It Is” dinner along with approximately 90 other people, including
local residents and large groups from Mt. Sterling and Virginia. Owner Jon Carls
acted as host, greeting the crowd and explaining the evening’s menu, and wine
experts were on hand to explain the aspects of each wine as it was served. I
learned the unique characteristics of a variety of sweet wines, from California
Chardonnay and white cabernet to Gewürztraminer and asti. We were each given
a scorecard on which to make notes about the wines and play our own ratings
game.
Dinner began with the house salad, made with romaine and iceberg lettuce,
shredded Provel cheese, tomatoes, onion and pepperoncini and topped with the
sweet Italian house dressing. The breadsticks, which are basically miniloaves
of French bread coated with butter and imported Parmesan cheese, arrive at your
table straight from the oven and almost melt in your mouth. I was told that
the degree of lightness depends on exact timing of the French dough as it bakes
in the oven and that some people actually prefer a denser or harder version,
but what I tasted that night was perfection.
The wine kept flowing as the breadbasket was frequently replenished. Two of
the three entrées we were served at the dinner are not on the regular menu but
should be: chicken Marco Polo, an ample breast portion sprinkled with Parmesan
and browned, then topped with cauliflower, broccoli and more Provel cheese;
and shrimp Italiano, a mix of pasta and large shrimp tossed with a rich blend
of Alfredo and tomato sauces. The third entrée, Mostaccioli Marinara — a dish
of tube-shaped noodles covered in rich tomato sauce — is available every day.
The wine dinners are one of the few changes owners Jon and Bonny Carls
have made since purchasing Lonzerotti’s in 2002 from Mike and Betty Goldasich,
who opened the restaurant in 1987 and operated it for 15 years. Mike, an architect,
renovated the former Chicago and Alton Railroad station, a Prairie design, with
original woodwork and Florentine glass transoms. Diners eat at white-linen-topped
tables in a roomwhere passengers once waited for trains. The white brick
walls, vintage train pictures, trellises dripping with grapevines and lights
hanging from the ceiling make for a charming atmosphere.
The restaurant’s name is a tribute to Betty Goldasich’s maiden name and the
Lonzerotti family recipes that are still in use today. The Goldasichs developed
the salad dressing, which they still produce and distribute through Lonzerotti’s
Italian Products and sell at local supermarkets.
The wine-and-entrée dinners are the result of a brainstorming session held
by Jon Carls and the restaurant’s managers, who wanted to create fun events
to attract more business through the week, says Carls. They appear to have succeeded:
Although Carls likes to limit the dinners to about 50 people, the dinners often
accommodate as many as 90. “More than half of the attendees are repeat customers,
but each dinner usually draws some new faces as well,” he says. The wines are
chosen by restaurant staffers, wine purveyors and Illinois and Missouri wineries.
The regular menu offers traditional pasta dishes, as well as seafood lasagna,
chicken Marsala, veal piccata and steaks. Nightly specials are offered, with
prime rib featured on weekends. Many entrées are also available in smaller portions,
which is fortunate because you can easily make a meal of the salad and bread
alone. The dessert selection includes tiramisu, cobbler and cheesecake. Judging
from what I sampled at the wine dinner, I can’t wait to return and order from
the regular menu.
The next wine dinners will be held April 1 and 21. The theme for April 1 is
“Employee Favorites,” and the April 21 dinner will feature wines from Stone
Hill Winery in Hermann, Mo. Call 217-243-7151 to purchase tickets, which cost
$20. I’ve already made my reservation.
Lonzerotti’s Italia Restaurant is located at 600 E. State St.
in Jacksonville. Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 5-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 5-10 p.m.
Fri.-Sat.
L’avvocato gigante
The city of Jacksonville is promoting a weekend travel package April 2-4 that
combines history with Italian food.
The main event of the weekend is The Shadow of Giants: Mr. Lincoln Comes
to Jacksonville, a play depicting Abraham Lincoln’s time spent in Jacksonville
as a lawyer.
Four shows will be presented at the Morgan County Courthouse during the weekend.
The package also includes a presentation about the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library in Springfield; guided tours of Underground Railroad, including the
recently purchased Woodlawn Farm near Jacksonville; and tours of the Lincoln
Courthouse, the Black Museum and the River Museum in Beardstown.
The package, which costs $135 per couple, includes two theater tickets, dinner
for two at Lonzerotti’s and tours.
For more information, contact the Jacksonville Area Visitors and ConventionsBureau at 800-593-5678 or go to www.jacksonvilleil.org/tourism.
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This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2004.
