Even Angelo's, the ancient kitsch factory bar on Van Buren, has a new neon sign. The great, progressive Brady Street continues to shape the surrounding neighborhood, but there are holdouts to all of this innovation. Giovanni's Italian restaurant is one, though to wit, it's not living in the dark ages with plastic flowers and red checkered tablecloths either.
Sconces make the light play over the cloth curtains and hanging prints of irises.
It's not so elegant a place that you'll cover up your jeans with your coat, nor so romantic that you wonder where the violinists are. Those'll be sad days, but we'd like to rest assured that Giovanni's will be starting up the limo for some time to come. This place is like Sinatra or Tony Bennett. No one is going to come into Giovanni's thinking about eating light or spending little. The meat is so tender it practically slides down your throat.