Sometimes you go to a restaurant and have an amazing meal thanks to for the most part, the food. However, sometimes you end up at a place that the atmosphere can make the experience that much greater. That is precisely the reason that we are loyal customers of Joe’s Italian Café in Addison. We decided to revisit our staple for traditional Italian, this time with a critic’s perspective.
Joe’s is small and definitely is not decorated in any overly fussy way. The restaurant is ran by an elderly couple that, thanks to their heritage, truly knows Italian cuisine. The sweet lady usually comes by the table to tell you how everything is homemade from the bread and the salad dressings daily.
Bread is brought out first, and it is warm and delicious. The bread is very crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. In previous ventures, I have started with the escargot, something that I personally love and would recommend to anyone that wants an appetizer here. Its warm buttery and garlic taste still comes to mind on every trip.
Every meal comes with your choice of a salad, and you must order the house salad with house dressing. It is homemade balsamic vinaigrette that truly is the best I have had. I even asked the owner if I could buy it and was informed that they do sell bottles of it. Ordering any other dressing would just be a shame.
I ordered the fettuccini alfredo, a dish I have had here a number of times. It is always consistent and the creamy alfredo sauce here is probably my personal favorite. It is creamy and buttery, without being too rich that you feel as though you can’t finish your meal. It is great to add chicken or shrimp too, however this particular time I opted not to.
Sara ordered another of our personal favorites, the eggplant parmesan. Her philosophy with her go to dish here is that she loves not feeling the need to waste stomach space on pasta. The dish is very flavorful and is definitely a dish for cheese lovers. Another good thing about Joe’s is we always have leftovers for the next day and it is even still tasty reheated.
The food at Joe’s is not trying to reinterpret Italian cuisine. It is very traditional and the menu is full of classics that you would expect at an Italian restaurant. The atmosphere at Joe’s is relaxed, casual and you feel like you can just eat a delicious meal without all the fuss. Now, that is the reason we keep going back.
