Italian food is always hearty eating and Joe's Italian, definitely knows how to pack it in. The food portions are always so big you can never eat it all in one sitting, prepare for leftovers...and that's in a good way. I was introduced to Joe's Italian by my college sweetheart, turned best friend and lifelong partner...driving up from San Diego to the IE on the weekends was always special when it included Joe's.
Last night was no different, we arrived was promptly seated. Waitress took our drink orders and boom...let the fun begin. After glancing over the menu just for fun. We promptly started out with our favorite, the Fried Mozzarella,
this hunk a hunk of cheesy sensation comes out on a platter covered in Marinara sauce. Take your fork and cut off a corner, swirl that cheese around and insert into mouth..."Ahhhh and now its on from here on out, put yo hands in the atmosphere if ya know what I'm talkin' bout" - Outkast...also don't sleep on the Fried Ravioli, Calamari and of course the Sauteed Mushrooms, the sauce is to die for!!!Since I ordered the Shrimp & Scallop Scampi my meal came with either a soup or salad...I always take the soup, that way you don't have to fool around with asking for extra dressing, dealing with stale croutons, welted lettuce, etc...not that it happens at Joe's, but Ive had that experience at other restaurants. Get the Minestrone soup.
This soup comes in a flavorful broth combined with carrots, celery, broccoli, oregano & cheese filled pasta...shoot you see the picture above, you can see this slick ain't no joke. Sprinkle a like Parmesan cheese on top and let it do it's magic. Now on to the heavy hitters, for my little Garbage Pail Kid son, who eats everything, we got him an order of Mac N cheese,
this was the first time I'd ever order Mac N Cheese from any Italian restaurant so I didn't know what to expect. Let's just say I wasn't disappointed, here comes this nice cheesy, gooey plate of cheese and pasta...Cheese was so creamy and gooey it was running over the sides. I was like "DAYUM...let Daddy help you eat this so I can bring my food into work tomorrow". Son wasn't even tryna hear that, before I knew it he had already grabbed the spoon, but it was too hot so we had to let it chill for a minute. Man, if you are a cheese fan, you will love this Mac N Cheese attack...afterwards you better be prepared to be BlOCK'd BlOCK'd up for the night!!!Next up was the Eggplant Parmesean,
this classic Italian baked dish is always a winner in my book. Who doesn't like eggplant slices, layered with Mozzarella, Parmesan , Basil and tomato sauce, man oh man...not only is my mouthwatering recapping that eventful evening, my eyes are watering too because I deprived myself of Joe's for far too long. I know some Italian restaurants where they fry the eggplant first, then bake it to try to get that crunchy thing going on...ughhhh no...bad choice Joyce. the key to making the perfect Eggplant Parm is to drain the eggplant slices of any excessive moisture before cooking. Order a side sausage if you want to add some meat to the mix!!!Finally, my dish, the Showstopper my beautifully prepared Shrimp & Scallop Scampi
prepared in a wonderful lemon butter sauce with crushed red peppers buddied up with a proper amount of shrimps and scallops on a man size bed of spaghetti. Shrimps and scallops are hard to prepare together without overcooking each other. Take that extra lemon slice, squeeze that juice over it, hit ti with a few dashes of Parmesan cheese...GAME OVER!!! The shrimp with each bite just came right out of the tail, scallops went down like hot knife through warm butter...Simple Majestic. A dish fit for a king and on this night I was the King, El Capitan. The best thing about this dish is having it the next day. Once all those spices have marinated overnight...pop that puppy in the microwave, set it on 3.5 minutes...get you a bottle of that Lipton Brisk Sweet Tea...in the words of Public Enemy...Shut Shut Shut It Down!!!Joe's Italian has been serving up great pasta dishes and of course pizzas in the Mo Valley area since 1980...So if you're in the Mo Val near Alessandro Blvd between Day & Elsworth St. stop in on Wednesday or Thursday night have some dinner and be serenaded with some of Sinatra's greatest hits. Tell'em Theolicious sent ya!!! Aight I'm bout make like a tree and get outta here...LOL Enjoy
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