By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie

Local, neighborhood restaurant with longevity. In this economy, those words’ combining to form a sentence is fairly rare.

Through our various culinary travels, we were introduced to John Henry’s in Tempe. This restaurant has served up classic, continental Italian cuisine since 1992.

Easy to spot with the bright red sign!

The manager, Adam Selden was the very first waiter owner Neven hired all those years ago and this duo is still cranking out simple and tasty food with consistency, almost 18 years later.

Jay and I checked out John Henry’s last week (located on the corner of Elliot and Rural) and heard the story behind this venerable institution Tempe.

We were seated in the dining room and Adam gave us a walk thru of the menu the chef had prepared.

They printed out a lovely course by course description with wine pairings. I was quite impressed at the time and effort the staff put into making us feel welcome. We observed how they treated other tables throughout the evening and were pleased to note that everyone received the same outstanding service.

Adam spoke to us about the dishes that John Henry’s prides itself on, namely the Lobster Bisque. We were salivating to try it after his description!

We settled into our first wine course, the St. Suprey Sauvignon Blanc and I perused the menu. Most of the entrees averaged $25 and they offer a very wide variety of beef, veal, lamb, pork and seafood. Not to mention pasta, chicken and duck. It was truly one of the most comprehensive menus I have seen in a long time. I also liked that it was simple, elegant fare that even the pickiest “non-foodie” would find something to satisfy their taste buds.

Our first course arrived: a sampler of Oysters Rockefeller and crab cakes. The oysters were baked with bacon, spinach, herbs and crème and were different from some of the Rockefeller we’ve had in the past. We prefer this dish with a golden and melty crust of cheese and breadcrumbs on the top of it, but the flavor was still quite nice.

Oysters Rockefeller

The crab cakes on the other hand were remarkable. They were made with lots of crab, minimal “filler” and the lemon aioli dipping sauce was tart and very creamy. We thoroughly enjoyed the crab cakes, and the Sauv Blanc paring worked very well with this course.

Crispy and meaty crab cakes--like they should be!

Next, came the much-hyped lobster bisque. Made with brandy and sherry, it was buttery smooth and the creamiest and rich bisque I have ever tasted. The flavor was very consistent with each bite. There were nice chunks of lobster meat in the soup and it was paired with Ironstone Chardonnay, which was also creamy but the acidity of the wine was a nice contrast.

Lobster bisque

Adam came over to check on us and to tell us about another house special: grilled salad. This salad is half of a head of romaine lettuce, grilled for 30 seconds and served with feta, house made candied walnuts and chipotle vinaigrette. He paired this course with a peppery pinot noir.

Grilled Romaine Salad

We loved the structure and concept of this salad. It had a smoky taste from the char of the lettuce and the chipotle dressing but the feta and walnuts balanced that flavor nicely.

John Henry’s shot at surf and turf was next. They put together a filet mignon with brandy crab sauce and Orange Roughy Marechiara.

First the steak, we liked the idea of sweet lump crab atop of tender filet mignon, however, we were not fans of the execution of this dish. The sauce was clumpy and the presentation was unappetizing. We feel this dish could be improved upon by adding a salt and pepper seared crust and placing a simple topping of lump crap without the crème and brandy.

Surf and turf!

The Orange Roughy Marechiara, was a flaky and delicious serving of fish in a spicy marinara sauce with basil, white wine and red chilies, over cappelini. This dish had a very nice “burn” factor and good depth. We liked that the sauce did not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the fish. We would drive back to Tempe for this fish.

The final course was dessert and it was paired with a Croatian Marsaka Cherry Wine. Daniel showed us on the label where he used to live in Croatia.

Never had a server show us his hometown on a bottle of wine before!

They served an orange flan with berries, which I found refreshing and loved the orange flavor as well as a silky tiramisu that boasted a rich coffee flavor.

We spent quite a bit of time talking to our server about his life in Croatia and his obsession with roasting meat. He was attentive to our needs and incredibly personable.

Zesty and refreshing orange flan

Also, the owner Neven came by and spoke with us about how much he respects his staff, and the sheer longevity of his employee retention. It was quite obvious that he truly cares about his employees and he has immense passion for his restaurant.

Jay and I do recommend the restaurant consider a remodel, as the interior is quite dated and we think a cozy ambiance could be created with just a few tweaks.

We enjoyed the food, we loved the personalized service and we really understood the loyalty the employees and owner felt to each other and to making their repeat customers happy.

We were delighted to experience this restaurant and we look forward to watching it continue to thrive in the years to come.