Hummus

Nearly every time I look at the JMS menu, the hummus jumps out at me. I first tried it at an event a couple years ago and have since had it in the restaurant. Every time, I’ve loved it. So, I’ve been looking forward to photographing (and eating!) it. All winter long, I’ve been looking forward to it.

Jill and I agreed that hummus is more of a spring/summer dish and so we should wait until warmer weather to feature it. So I waited through the icky winter weather. I waited through snow and rain. I waited when the temperature was below freezing and I thought my toes would fall off. Can you tell that I don’t really enjoy winter anyway? Waiting for hummus just became one more reason I couldn’t wait for spring to arrive. Now, warm weather is finally here and so is my beloved hummus.

Johnny’s hummus is delicious. Garlic is a part of many dishes on the menu and hummus is no different. BUT it’s not overwhelming. Two words come to mind when I think about Johnny’s hummus: smooth and cool. Oh yes, this hummus definitely has texture but at the same time it is very smooth. It’s also the perfect snack when the sun has been beating down on you all day and your tastebuds feel half-dead from heat exhaustion. To me, there’s just something about hummus that says “relax and enjoy this delicious food.”

Johnny’s hummus comes with veggie sticks or homemade corn chips. There’s a delightfully fresh *crunch* of eating hummus with veggie sticks. At the same time, Johnny’s homemade corn chips are fresh and crispy in their own way and are quite a delicious companion.

I know you’ll love this hummus but let me know which dipping companion you prefer: corn chips or veggies?

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Prime Rib

On Tuesday afternoons around 3 o’clock, you can usually find me at Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse enjoying another amazing meal and a chat with Johnny and Jill about the quality and unique nature of their food.

Last week, I was very lucky. I went on Tuesday as usual and had a delicious veggie burger but Jill also convinced me to come back on Thursday to try their prime rib. Boy did she have to twist my arm to convince me to come to Johnny’s twice in one week! Yeah right, I was thrilled at the opportunity.

“Why Thursday?” you may be wondering. Thursday is the day that Johnny cooks the prime rib. Thursday afternoons at 5 o’clock, the prime rib is fresh and ready to be eaten. So, of course, I was ready with my camera on Thursday at 5:15.

Johnny’s prime rib is fantastic! That’s all I can really say about it. It was perfectly cooked and I loved it.

Just be warned, this is an enormous piece of meat. Johnny measures his meats after cooking, not before. So this ribeye was 16 oz, after cooking!

Something I’ve learned is that with a truly nice piece of meat and a cook who is as talented as Johnny, the meat doesn’t have to be as well done for me to like it. Normally, when I order a steak I go for medium-well and I don’t really want to see any pink. Now Johnny has me hooked on eating things medium-rare. I trust him to cook the meat right and I’ve started to enjoy the extra juicy flavor of medium-rare.

So two things:

1. go to Johnny’s on a Thursday and try the prime rib
2. try ordering your meat slightly less cooked than usual and let Johnny surprise you with how good it tastes

Check out the photos on Facebook! I’ve found that it’s very difficult for me to capture the delicious essence of Johnny’s steaks but I’m very satisfied with these shots. Hopefully they will make your mouth water and your stomach rumble

2 delicious dishes

Another quote from the guest book...

"Awesome crab cakes with hummus as usual!!"

note the two exclamation points (I promise I didn't add those)

Veggie Burger

Wow! I cannot believe how chock full of veggies this burger is! I’ve grown accustomed to “normal” veggie burgers, where you can tell it isn’t meat but you’re not really sure what’s in it. Not so with Johnny’s veggie burger.

Look at those colors! Clearly real veggies are a major part of this burger. The basis for this burger is always Johnny’s delicious black bean queso dip. What other vegetables go in is determined by what’s fresh. My burger was filled with carrots, broccoli, green beans, potato and cauliflower. Then the whole thing is flavored with Johnny’s Smokehouse Rub to give it that special JMS feeling. Yum yum!

I love the texture of this burger. It’s not too firm, and delightful chunks of veggies kept falling out of the bun and onto my plate. To me, this just seems to prove how real Johnny’s food is. It reminds me that these veggies were mixed together in the kitchen by a truly amazing chef who really cares about feeding people good food.

I chose pintos as the perfect companion for this burger. Johnny’s pintos are delicious. Eat them as an appetizer, with your meal, or as a dessert! Johnny adds smoked garlic to the pintos for extra smokehouse flair. Now that’s something you don’t see every day.

Check out the pictures on facebook.

Short but Sweet

Another quote from the guestbook:

"This place rocks"

Redneck Reuben

This unique Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse sandwich is more than just an excuse to eat brisket. (Although really, I should admit that when it comes to Johnny’s brisket, I’ll eat it any chance I get, no matter what the form.)

Brisket, sauerkraut, cheese, and rye. So delicious. A brilliant combination of flavors.

When this sandwich is brought out of the kitchen, all warm and delightful, you can’t help but smile. The top piece of marbled rye is always perfectly toasted. The bottom piece of bread is usually softened by the sauerkraut. Picking it up can be messy but is ultimately rewarding. Whenever I take a bite out of this sandwich, my tastebuds just scream “Yummy brisket!” It’s an involuntary reaction really.

If you’re not a fan of sauerkraut, don’t worry: it’s not overwhelming. Before I first tried the redneck reuben I was worried that the other ingredients would detract from the amazing-ness of the brisket.

Now, I know Johnny and Jill better than that. Every dish at JMS is a perfectly balanced mixture of flavors and this is no exception. The sauerkraut enhances the brisket. The melted cheese adds to the tastiness.

Watch out brisket quesadillas! You may have competition for being my favorite way to eat brisket :)

Also, a quick note about Johnny’s coleslaw: it’s delicious. I avoid most coleslaws but I liked this. The veggies are firm and fresh, and the mayo-sauce is not overwhelming. Once again, way to go Johnny and Jill!

Check out the pictures on Facebook.

Guestbook

Another fun quote from the guest book:

"You are now my favorite place to eat"

This is from someone in Rome, so major kudos to Johnny's. In case you haven't noticed, I think Johnny's is my favorite place to eat too!

Chicken Olé

I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

I knew the chicken with molé sauce would be delicious; after all, this is Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse. But I didn’t have the foggiest idea of what it would look like, never mind what it would taste like. Jill told me that chicken olé is a traditional Mexican dish, but one that isn’t likely to be found at our local tex-mex restaurants.

Blending together ten different ingredients, the molé sauce is one of the more complicated items on Johnny’s menu. Since the sauce contains everything from cocoa to chiles, it was impossible for me to predict which flavor would dominate this interesting dish.

Even after trying the chicken olé, I can’t tell you which flavor is most pronounced. I’m still learning about the mysteries of the way flavors come together and I found it impossible to distinguish one spice from the others. All I can give you is the assurance that the results were amazing. The sauce, the chicken, the provolone, each piece perfectly complemented the others.

One of the things I found interesting about this dish is that the chicken tenders are on top of the molé sauce, instead of the sauce being dribbled over the chicken. The amount of sauce may at first seem overgenerous, even for three hearty chicken tenders. However, once you try the sauce, you understand that having more is definitely better. I found myself carefully bathing each and every morsel of chicken in the sauce, so that I could enjoy the maximum amount of this surprising and delicious sauce. After I finished the chicken, I couldn’t resist using my bread to sop up the remaining sauce. It was just that good!

The chicken olé comes with grits and black beans. These two sides were handpicked by Johnny and Jill because of how well they go with this dish. After trying this amazing combination, I agree that the grits and beans definitely bring out the best flavors in an already wonderful dish.

Check out the photos on Facebook.

Smokehouse Hamburger

I have a bit of a weakness for hamburgers. A perfectly cooked hamburger is a comfort food of sorts and always a special treat. Knowing that Johnny always cooks his meat just right, I was very excited to try his smokehouse hamburger.

This enormous half-pound burger is dressed up just the way Jill likes it: with provolone, cheddar, and a couple squirts of tangy and delicious smokehouse sauce. The two pieces of cheese tucked around the burger so adorably make the entire plate wonderfully inviting. Once the bun is piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, purple onion, and the amazing burger itself, it’s almost too big to pick up or take a bite out of.

But take a bite of this burger I did. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I loved it. The combination of savory meat, creamy cheesy and smokey sauce was irresistible. It’s not like me to eat an entire half-pound burger on my own but...

Before I knew it, this burger was gone gone gone.

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