JB's Italian Grille

Update 3/6/13: JB's is changing hands.

In a word: Will be better in a year's time.

The specs: #0431
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at 77 Square, Yelp, official web site;

Latest JB's Italian Grille news and reviews

JM ate the chicken cordon bleu pizza with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the Italian beef with a diet Pepsi.
The bill was $24, or $12/person, plus tip.
JM gave JB's Italian Grille an A-; Nichole gave JB's Italian Grille a B (see our grading rubric).

JB's Italian Grille in Sun Prairie has a nice patio that might trump the freshly painted yet shabby, smoky interior, if you get a chance to eat al fresco. The venue seems to be of two minds - Sconnie bar or family pizza parlor - and neither quite wins out, though the whole place is less sketchy than it appears.

Their menu has a Windy City edge to it. Though we can't speak to the advertised lunch buffet, the made-to-order items were decent.

Nichole's Italian beef was very salty but very good, with thin, moist beef on a toasted bun, topped with giardiniera. She had to cut it in half just to make it manageable. Good thing the sandwich was more than satisfying by itself, because the fries were wretched - undercooked and not seasoned as advertised.

JM's pizza was dominated by honey mustard that the Swiss, ham, and juicy chicken breast couldn't quite distinguish themselves above. The flavors were as expected, though, and the whole dish seemed like an excellent repast hiding under a smoke screen.

Though the place was empty, we felt a bit rushed by our server and didn't get a chance to ask about the gelato.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Whenever I see the word "giardiniera," I immediately think of "giardia."

[Kyle]

Unfortunately (for her), I also think of Giada De Laurentiis.

[Skip]

So was the Italian beef seasoned well?

[Jim n Monnie]

We stopped in last Friday. Pizza and breadsticks were fine but nothing special.

Would definitely rate the service as poor. We were seated outside (by the dead bushes, the personal grill (?), and the beanbag game that was still setup from who knows when. Started the meal by being forgotten about -- went and got a server and let him know that we were kinda in a hurry. After the meal was over, I had to go interrupt his SportsCenter viewing in the bar to get our bill and get out.

I think low Cs might still be pushing it for our grades.

[Kelly]

So we just had dinner here tonight, and while the food was average I must agree the service was TERRIBLE. We waited at the host desk while at least three employees watched us stand and wait while the hostess took a to go order, that was the best part of our service for the evening. Our server was rude, very short with us and other tables around us and for some reason though it was appropriate to slam our beverages on the table everytime she gave us a new one.. even spilling my daughters soda over the glass as she set it down. I guess service must not be an concern for most as the place was fairly full, but for ok food I at least would like someone to pretend they like my business. Will have to pass in the future.

[Sun Prairie Dog]

Terrible food.......not many customers except for late at night. This is the place for you if you like to hang with drunks and get treated badly by rude bartenders making short poured drinks. AVOID