Fair Food at Joe's? - CLOSED

Joe's

124 W. Commonwealth

Fullerton, CA 92832

We have been to downtown Fullerton a lot recently, visiting Roscoe's, Heroes, and Slidebar in 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. Going in, I knew 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 a 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. I was unsure I would get a whole order of these, but I was game since everyone was trying them.

Katie's pick for dinner was 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 of my meal.

I had Joe's Picks, a sampling of three of the most popular sausages at Joe's. Rattlesnake, rabbit, duck, bacon, and chicken and jalapeno sausages served with condiments. The condiments were sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes, and a delicious 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 known as a sausage place and 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 again. Definitely get this when you come here.

Joe's is a novelty restaurant that is definitely worth a visit. The menu features many items that are not available elsewhere (smoked ostrich sausage, frog legs, a whole turkey leg, fried Ho-Ho's, and cupcakes, to name a few). The prices at Joe's are steep; the entrees average around $11, and the desserts are more reasonable at $6.75. But the adventure of eating smoked alligator or fried pepperoni chips is worth it.

Out of five coffees (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 website, but you can find reviews here: http://joesbarfullerton.com/