As seen on TRAVEL CHANNEL'S MANLIEST FOOD: http://www.travelchannel.com/video/eat-like-a-fat-and-happy-roman
The first Original Joe's was established in San Francisco in 1937. Original Joe's in San Jose was was established in 1956 by the Rocca Family.
Stepping into OJ SJ was like taking the time machine back in the 1950's. The decor is nostalgic with black and white pictures from the old times. Servers wear black and white uniforms but the service is casual.
I had the Bloody Mary which was nice and strong.
As starters we had the JOE'S PRAWN COCKTAIL $13.95. The prawns were plump, sweet and fresh.
I could not resist the SWEETBREADS SAUTE WITH MUSHROOM $24.95. (Sweetbreads are thymus glands.) The meat was naturally sweet, tender and slightly gamey. They were floured, fried then sauteed in white wine with mushroom. An unusual food but tasty.
My guy had to try the PRIME RIB LARGE CUT $34.95 which was a very huge cut.
He found it too fatty and stated that it was good but not great.
Our server highly recommended the RAVIOLI as one of the sides to try that came with our main meals. It was their specialty, and it tasted very fresh indeed.
Our check was $115 including tip and plenty of leftovers for 3 more meals.
Main entrees come with choices of veggies or raviolis as sides. Our server told us that not many desserts come out of Original Joe's kitchen, and everyone goes home with leftovers (including us!)
To sum up our experience, Original Joe's is an enjoyable traditional Italian dining experience. We love the history of this restaurant and found the food to be comforting, heavy and good.
Original Joe's is also known for big platters of pasta including spaghetti, meatballs and ravioli which we will try next time.
