Vagabond142
07-25-2011, 08:01 AM
Title edit: It's supposed to be SE, not SW -___-
Went down South yesterday to inspect the place I'm going to be moving in to, as well as measure the room to make sure all my shit fits in there XD On the way, decided to have lunch with my buddy, and he suggested Original Joe's. I've only ever been there for wings night, so I thought: why not?
General thoughts
Original Joe's is a sort of half lounge, half restaurant. There is a proper food menu, however, there is also a lounge area and bar, and I know that it can get busy at nights (especially wing night :P). As it was, we sat along the windows that faced the parking lot, so lots of natural light. Overall impression was a nice joint, clean, kinda quiet, and well lit.
Food orders
After a quick review of the menu, I decided on the Original Burger, with fries and caesar salad (what, Sunday's are my cheat days!), and buddy had a Kona burger with fries and slaw. Of note, the server was immediately attentive... barely 20 seconds after both menus were closed and put to the side, she was there with an order pad out. Food came relatively quickly as well, within 10 minutes (not bad for a full course)
Impressions
Presentation was pleasant if a little generic. The burger came splayed open, patty on one side, toppings on the other. Also, a little carryall of condiments came along, instead of leaving them on the table to clog up space. Nice touch. The burger gave off a pleasant aroma of just the right amount of char, and came piping hot. Fries came with a little dipper of gravy (or dill dip as my buddy had), and looked crisp. There was no greasy sheen to them either.
The burger, after a dab of ketchup, was assembled and a properly large first bite taken. Immediately, fresh toppings made a huge difference. Crunchy onions, pickles, lettuce presented a fresh taste, the onions being nice and perk to counter the salty kick of the pickles. The meat was just-this-side-of-well-done-almost-touching-rare, more so that I personally like. However, it was full of char flavor and very forward beef flavor. Subsequent bites evidenced an even level of cooking through the burger. It was well done, but still juicy for the most part. Of the burgers I've had, this would rank in the top 5, probably around position 4 or 5.
I next had a couple of fries. Sadly, the gravy seemed to be the kind that is poured out of a can into a heater. It was a little bland and didn't present any real spice or kick to it. The fries, however, were glorious. Crisp, crunchy, chewy middles, and absolutely no oily taste. I don't know what oil they were done in, but it left no aftertaste and my fingers were dry after quite a few, no greasy sheen. Wonderful.
The salad was the big surprise of the meal. The lettuce was cool and crisp and FRESH, the croutons were deliciously crunchy, it had real crumbled bacon on it, and thin but HUGE shavings of parmesan as well as grated parmesan all over it. The dressing was just-right-on with the garlic, and it wasn't drowning the other flavors. It was very pleasant and contrasted well to the other flavors on the plate.
The Day Later thoughts
So, I can say that I cleared my plate yesterday, and looking back, I can say that it was money well spent. It feels like a good value meal, as well as probably being about 17 times healthier than if one went to McDicks or Wendy's or some such. The burger sat really well with me as well afterwards, no bloat or feelings of false fulness. Just a good meal settling well into the stomach.
Values
Original Joe's Burger: $11.99 before tip and tax
Water: free
Overall
Ambience: 4/5. Warm colors, acceptable background noise, professional staff, and constant attention to sanitary issues (I noticed staff wiping down tables, chairs, etc, even though they were already clean)
Food: 4.5/5. The only letdown, really, was the lack of kick to the gravy. This may be a personal preference, but I like a little oomph to my gravy, something to bring it up a level. Also, the burger was slightly overdone for my personal tastes, however, as I did not specify a doneness level, I cannot realistically deduct marks for that.
OVERALL: 4.5/5 (not an aggregate score). Delicious food, excellent presentation, attentive and friendly staff (our server checked on us four times: original drinks order, food order, "first bites okay?" (giving time to complain if wanted), and "All done?" She was otherwise kind of hovering, but did so at a discrete and very acceptable level and distance), clean locale, and FRESH. That's the overriding feeling of the meal. Everything tasted that-day fresh.
Would go again. :D
Went down South yesterday to inspect the place I'm going to be moving in to, as well as measure the room to make sure all my shit fits in there XD On the way, decided to have lunch with my buddy, and he suggested Original Joe's. I've only ever been there for wings night, so I thought: why not?
General thoughts
Original Joe's is a sort of half lounge, half restaurant. There is a proper food menu, however, there is also a lounge area and bar, and I know that it can get busy at nights (especially wing night :P). As it was, we sat along the windows that faced the parking lot, so lots of natural light. Overall impression was a nice joint, clean, kinda quiet, and well lit.
Food orders
After a quick review of the menu, I decided on the Original Burger, with fries and caesar salad (what, Sunday's are my cheat days!), and buddy had a Kona burger with fries and slaw. Of note, the server was immediately attentive... barely 20 seconds after both menus were closed and put to the side, she was there with an order pad out. Food came relatively quickly as well, within 10 minutes (not bad for a full course)
Impressions
Presentation was pleasant if a little generic. The burger came splayed open, patty on one side, toppings on the other. Also, a little carryall of condiments came along, instead of leaving them on the table to clog up space. Nice touch. The burger gave off a pleasant aroma of just the right amount of char, and came piping hot. Fries came with a little dipper of gravy (or dill dip as my buddy had), and looked crisp. There was no greasy sheen to them either.
The burger, after a dab of ketchup, was assembled and a properly large first bite taken. Immediately, fresh toppings made a huge difference. Crunchy onions, pickles, lettuce presented a fresh taste, the onions being nice and perk to counter the salty kick of the pickles. The meat was just-this-side-of-well-done-almost-touching-rare, more so that I personally like. However, it was full of char flavor and very forward beef flavor. Subsequent bites evidenced an even level of cooking through the burger. It was well done, but still juicy for the most part. Of the burgers I've had, this would rank in the top 5, probably around position 4 or 5.
I next had a couple of fries. Sadly, the gravy seemed to be the kind that is poured out of a can into a heater. It was a little bland and didn't present any real spice or kick to it. The fries, however, were glorious. Crisp, crunchy, chewy middles, and absolutely no oily taste. I don't know what oil they were done in, but it left no aftertaste and my fingers were dry after quite a few, no greasy sheen. Wonderful.
The salad was the big surprise of the meal. The lettuce was cool and crisp and FRESH, the croutons were deliciously crunchy, it had real crumbled bacon on it, and thin but HUGE shavings of parmesan as well as grated parmesan all over it. The dressing was just-right-on with the garlic, and it wasn't drowning the other flavors. It was very pleasant and contrasted well to the other flavors on the plate.
The Day Later thoughts
So, I can say that I cleared my plate yesterday, and looking back, I can say that it was money well spent. It feels like a good value meal, as well as probably being about 17 times healthier than if one went to McDicks or Wendy's or some such. The burger sat really well with me as well afterwards, no bloat or feelings of false fulness. Just a good meal settling well into the stomach.
Values
Original Joe's Burger: $11.99 before tip and tax
Water: free
Overall
Ambience: 4/5. Warm colors, acceptable background noise, professional staff, and constant attention to sanitary issues (I noticed staff wiping down tables, chairs, etc, even though they were already clean)
Food: 4.5/5. The only letdown, really, was the lack of kick to the gravy. This may be a personal preference, but I like a little oomph to my gravy, something to bring it up a level. Also, the burger was slightly overdone for my personal tastes, however, as I did not specify a doneness level, I cannot realistically deduct marks for that.
OVERALL: 4.5/5 (not an aggregate score). Delicious food, excellent presentation, attentive and friendly staff (our server checked on us four times: original drinks order, food order, "first bites okay?" (giving time to complain if wanted), and "All done?" She was otherwise kind of hovering, but did so at a discrete and very acceptable level and distance), clean locale, and FRESH. That's the overriding feeling of the meal. Everything tasted that-day fresh.
Would go again. :D