Johnny V's Now Open on Magazine Street

The Gambit reports that Johnny V's is now open in the space right next door to Monkey Hill Bar on Magazine Street. Owned (and named after) Johnny Vodanovich, who also runs Monkey Hill, Johnny V's serves a menu that leans towards classic French with flourishes based on basically whatever chef Ryan Hughes feels like making. The drinks at the restaurant come from the bar at Monkey Hill, and eventually the latter will start serving small plates from the restaurant.

The restaurant's opening was apparently something of a surprise, opening before signing a good neighbor agreement with the Audubon-Riverside Neighborhood Association. That good neighbor agreement was supposed to be the last obstacle keeping the restaurant from opening. But after over two years of working towards that goal, "investors were becoming nervous and [the restaurant] had staff members they needed to pay," leading the City Council to grant a temporary certificate of occupancy. Though some neighbors are kind of miffed about this, Johnny V's is actually open and operating for real. They're doing dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

· Johnny V's Open Uptown [Gambit]
· Surprise Early Opening of Johnny V's Frustrates Neighborhood Association [UM]

[Photo: Google Maps]