Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fair Food at Joe's?


Joe's
124 W. Commonwealth
Fullerton, CA 92832

We have been to downtown Fullerton a lot recently. We have gone to Roscoe's, Heroes, and Slidebar within the last few months. Now we were headed to Joe's for a Food Frenzy event, Foodie Fest IV, and to wish Food Frenzy columnist, Niyaz good luck in his future endeavors, because he was leaving Food Frenzy after a three-year stint at the Register.

I had never been to Joe's before. I knew going to Joe's that they had a very odd menu, and that will become evident to you in a bit. The vibe at Joe's is just like all the other joints in downtown Fullerton, kind of laid back, with a kind of grunge feel to it. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, let's see about the food.


The menu at Joe's can be described as county fair meets Cajun backwoods restaurant. Above is the appetizer Rocky Mountain Oysters. If you have no idea what this is, simply put, it is bull testicles. They are pounded flat, breaded, and then deep-fried. I had one of these, and they did not taste too bad. It was not as chewy as I thought, and the breading dominated the flavor. Not sure I would get a whole order of these, but since everyone was trying them, I was game.


Katie's pick for dinner was the Lido's Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Italian Sausage, served with grilled peppers, onions, and marinara. She subbed out the zucchini squash for the fries. She felt the goat cheese was non-existent in this sausage. She liked the sweetness of the peppers and marinara and felt that it balanced the subtle spiciness of the sausage. I did not try her food, because I had my hands full with my own meal.


I had Joe's Picks, which was a sampling of three of the most popular sausages at Joe's. Rattlesnake and rabbit, duck and bacon, and chicken and jalapeno sausages, served with condiments. The condiments were sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes, and a really tasty kind of jalapeno pepper slaw. My favorite sausage of the night was the chicken and jalapeno sausage. It had a great spicy flavor and worked well with the jalapeno slaw. The flavor just burst out of its casing. The rattlesnake and rabbit were the second-best, with its smoky flavor. This worked well with the sauerkraut. The duck and bacon sausage was a little too salty, and a little bland for my taste. If you want to try a variety of their sausages, this is the plate for you.



Joe's is not only known as a sausage place, but they are also known for their deep-fried desserts. What we have above is the Fried PB&J. This could be one of the best desserts we have had in a long while. They serve this with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and berries on top. Alone, the sandwich was a little dry, but with the ice cream, it became magical. I will never look at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the same way, ever again. Definitely get this when you come here.

Joe's is a novelty restaurant that is definitely worth a visit. You will find a lot of things on the menu that they do not have anywhere else, (smoked ostrich sausage, frog legs, a whole turkey leg, and fried Ho-Ho's and cupcakes, to name a few). The prices at Joe's are a little steep, entree's average around $11, and the desserts are a more reasonable $6.75. But for the adventure of eating smoked alligator, or fried pepperoni chips, it is worth it.

Out of five coffee's, (because another name for coffee is Joe, sorry, I know that is corny), five being best to zero being worst, Joe's gets 3 coffees.

Joe's does not have a web site, but you can find reviews here: http://joesbarfullerton.com/

2 comments:

  1. Dan - Yes we were there. We got there a little late, and had to sit at the high top table. I am sure that our paths will cross again! I look forward to meeting up with you.

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