The newest review on my page about Restaurants in Appleton and the Fox Cities is for Jonathan's Italian Bistro, which get my award for Best Italian Dining in the Fox Cities. They are at 1910 N. Casaloma, Appleton. Phone: 920-882-7876.

Jonathan's Italian Bistro is a great place for Italian food, with rich, hearty flavors, a reasonably broad but not huge menu, good service, and attention to detail at moderate prices. Jonathan's is hard to beat for good Italian food and an enjoyable environment, though it doesn't offer much of a view if you're seated by a window (the Trasino Center strip mall doesn't offer much to look at). I've been there twice and was impressed both times. They offer warm bread with traditional olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping - something I truly enjoy (press torn pieces of bread along the side of the dish with the oil and vinegar to get some of the vinegar into the bread - just dipping the bread straight into the mixture will leave you with nearly all oil and not enough of the vinegar). The salad was a delight. For the two of us, they brought a large bowl that essentially had four normal servings of a fine salad with a good mixture of crisp greens and a fine Italian dressing. The pasta dishes are imaginative and excellent, such as the three ravioli dishes, all outstanding. My wife was pleased with the portabello mushroom ravioli that definitely tasted better than the related dish at Olive Garden, and had sizeable chunks of mushroom instead of a finely ground paste. I had a goat cheese and roasted red pepper ravioli that surpassed my expectations. Tangy, perfect flavor and marvelous texture. Very nice work! Another review of Jonathan's is available from Blogger Beer.

Jonathan's is part of the Supple Restaurant Group, which include Fratello's, the Melting Pot, and the Fox River Brewing Company. Their Website allows you to make online reservations for these restaurants. Cool!