Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published March 23, 2006 Click here for the current edition Mr. John's Reopening Delayed; Italian And Steak Coming Mr. John's Steakhouse, a sleeper restaurant hidden in the Avenue Plaza Hotel on St. Charles near Jackson, was one of the two or three best places to get a steak before the hurricane. They bought USDA Prime beef exclusively (even for the filets, which is a rare situation even among the most expensive places), and served them New Orleans style, with the sizzling pool of butter. The place was never much on looks, but the steaks were never less than first-class. The always well-dressed John Santopadre decided to retool the menu, taking advantage of the knowledge of Venice-born Chef Christian Rossit. The new menu will be primarily Northern Italian, but that's not a stretch: steak is a very big deal in that part of Italy, and he intends to serve not only the New Orleans-style steaks as before, but also things like steak pizzaiola. Maybe he can also offer one of the great dishes of Venice: fegato Veneziana, a classic veal liver dish. The restaurant was forced to remain closed for a long time because the building's basement--where all the electrical and other systems were--was flooded. The restaurant was scheduled to open tomorrow, but essential equipment didn't arrive on time, and so the reopening has been postponed till April 4. 2111 St. Charles Ave.; 566-1212. © 2006 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com