New Kid on the Block

            Those who dine regularly at Jonathan’s Restaurant are familiar with Jim Cavanaugh.

            He’s the crisply dressed, bespectacled director of operations making the rounds, gathering feedback from customers and doing his best to ensure their experience at the restaurant is pleasant.

            And when customers talk, Cavanaugh, a veteran of more than 30 years in the hospitality business, listens.

            "We want to keep it fresh," he said of Jonathan’s, which opened in March at LakeWatch Plantation. "We don’t want people to come in and say, ‘Oh, it’s the same old thing, same old thing.’ Listening to customers allows us to discover what people like."

            John and Ginger Sienkowski, full-time lake residents since 1999 who dine at Jonathan’s several times a month, appreciate the opportunity to share their opinions.

            "I think that gives it a personal touch," Ginger Sienkowski said. "You get to know the person in charge and feel like you can talk to them about things and ask questions."

            "I love the salads and the soup. John usually gets a sandwich. He loves the Reuben," she said. "We also enjoy the fact that it’s open from lunch all the way through dinner, because we don’t always eat at regular mealtime hours. A lot of times we’ll go out for an early dinner."

            The atmosphere at Jonathan’s is cosmopolitan with cherry tables, chairs and paneling, and a soothing color palette of pale green, brown and amber. A fully stocked bar with two large, flat-screen TVs is a popular spot, Cavanaugh said, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when it’s often stacked two or three deep with people.

            But it’s the restaurant’s diverse menu that keeps patrons coming back, he said.

            "The chef [Chris Mushall] describes it as a pangea, like before the continents split. A little of everything," said Cavanaugh, noting that it’s often a challenge to prepare such a variety of food. "You have to have skilled labor."

            Mushall and his staff prepare distinctive dishes such as citrus-glazed salmon, shrimp and grits, and open-faced vegetable ravioli. There also are more familiar items such as appetizer nachos, homemade tomato bisque, steaks, crab cakes and a variety of salads, sandwiches and burgers.

            Cavanaugh said many of the dishes have an Asian flair, reflecting the culinary background of owners Tom and Sabrina Gulick, who also own the Red Palace Restaurant near Valley View Mall in Roanoke. The homemade spring rolls served at Jonathan’s are prepared there from scratch as are many of the sauces used in items such as the garlic pepper steak (stir-fried with peppers and onions over jasmine rice) and the "Bada-Bing" shrimp (a crunchy appetizer served with Dragon sauce).

            "They’re closely guarded recipes," Cavanaugh said.

            Appetizers range in price from $5.89 to $9.49 while salads start at $5.19. The hearty Bistro Steak Salad, a popular menu item, is served with tender blackened beef medallions over baby salad greens with red onion, tomatoes and crumbled blue cheese for $10.49. Entrees range from $9.89 (homemade macaroni and cheese with tomatoes, green onion and bacon) to $21.89 (12-ounce Black Angus New York Strip).

            Desserts, which tempt diners from the get-go in the entryway display case, are brought in fresh from the Cake and Dessert Pantry of Ridgeway by owner and pastry chef Derrick Beverly. Williams Pear cake, peanut butter pie, Boston crème cake and red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing are just a few of the treats available.

            The restaurant also is kid-friendly (it’s named for the Gulicks’ 11-year-old son) with a separate menu for diners under 11. Three custom-designed place mats feature SML-themed art, puzzles and games. Kids are also encouraged to draw pictures of lake activities on the back of the mat with provided crayons (which have three flat sides that prevent them from rolling off the table – a big hit with parents, Cavanaugh said). The pictures can be submitted into a monthly drawing for a free dinner, and plans are in the works to create a "Jonathan’s Kids Calendar" with the top entries.