Joe’s Restaurant: Prettiest Pie in Town

Overall rating: 10 Pizzas out of 10

The Pizza: 10 Pizzas out of 10
Pizza Style: Specialty: California Style
This really is special pizza. And the most beautiful pizza we have reviewed. They have 19 varieties of Pizza, which all share the same style crust (and oh, what a crust it is). We reviewed 3 kinds:
1. Joe's Famous Pizza (left photos). This is their standard Za. The cheese is a mouthwatering blend of mozzarella and romano with a dusting of parmesan resulting in a rich, mature cheese flavor. The sauce is well crafted with a rich, full tomato flavor.
2. Chicken Pesto (right photos): We could taste the freshness of the beautiful chicken breast, no dried out chicken here. The pesto was aromatic, we could taste it and smell it with each bite. Pesto lovers will rejoice in this Za.
3. White Pizza Like garlic sauteed in olive oil? Then you will love this Za. A full palate sensation as garlic, parmesan, mozzarella, and tomatoes envelop each bite. Even the spinach was perfectly sauteed.
The Crust is the centerpiece of Joe's Za.
The crust is a little work of magic and it's at the outer ends where the mojo is working. In the center the dough is crisp and nicely flat from a high heat oven, but it's the ends that are out-of-this-word: puffy, chewy, plaint and wondrously airy, with a crispness on the outside that is enhanced with just a brush of garlic oil. We could eat this crust all day long.
Each pizza is very well prepared, the taste and presentation make it obvious there is a full kitchen involved in their production.
Salt Factor: all those different cheeses do add up the salt level, so drink some water with your Za.

The Dining Experience: 9 Pizzas out of 10

Joe's has a warm feel that starts as soon as you walk in the door; you are quickly greeted with a smile by the hostess and welcomed into an active and friendly bar scene the hearkens back to an older time in Ithaca. And that is what Joe's is all about: feeling Ithaca's vibe. Joe's has been around since 1932, but this new iteration (Joe's opened last year with a new owner after being closed for several years) combines a local feel blended with the sophistication of an Ivy-League college town; the end result is a civilized, comfortable place to eat. We felt instantly comfortable as our hostess immediately and discreetly dropped of a new box of crayons for our two year old to use. Since our entire table was covered with a paper tablecloth, our son was very happy to have the entire table as a canvass. (What's the adage: make a child happy, make the parents happier? Well, it should be an adage.) Eating at Joe's is a relaxing and comfortable experience that we look forward to doing again.
Service: Eager, friendly and efficient.
Cool Feature: A gallery of unique photos of Ithaca's past, both places and people, are displayed throughout the restaurant; well worth walking around for a peek at each one.

Joe’s Restaurant is located at 602 West Buffalo St. Ithaca, NY

Reviewed Jan 12, 2007