Press
Palate: Joe Pesce ....November 1, 2008
Joe Pesce
833 Haddon Ave.
Collingswood, NJ
(856) 833-9888
4 forks
South Jersey is somewhat traditional from a restaurant standpoint, compared to New York or Philly, but Collingswood is leading the way to a break in tradition with its diversity of offerings. Walking into Joe Pesce was like walking into a New England seafood house, a noisy city bistro, a Mediterranean seaside restaurant, and a friendly neighborhood restaurant all at once. The space is small, holding about three dozen diners. The décor, in a crisp marine blue and white, creates a lively oceanic environment. The sultry ceiling fans provide for casual relaxation. Diners share the space with an open kitchen, but the noise level comes mainly from the music and the chatty diners. It appears Joe Pesce attracts a fun crowd, and a slightly noisy bunch. Nearly everyone brought beer, wine or, in some cases, both for BYOB dining. And, in the spirit of conviviality, the beer and wine were being shared among tables. What? Diners talking to one another? That’s right, be prepared for a few friendly exchanges. And if you like to see all the kitchen activity, there are three bar-style seats overlooking the action.
We were greeted by Joe Tucker, one of the owners, who was warm and welcoming and clearly proud of his offerings. Looking over the menu, there is a great selection. From the appetizer menu, we chose the Calamari Joe. What a good choice! Tender rings of calamari and sautéed spinach in a light tomato sauce was blanketed by melted fresh mozzarella. This was just the right portion size for two diners, unlike the typical giant fried calamari basket in most restaurants, which is way too much food for two if you plan on several courses. This calamari was very fresh, not only tender, but very mild and slightly sweet.
Also ordered were the roasted beets that came drizzled with a warm bleu cheese sauce and a sprinkling of candied walnuts—a delicious trio of complementary flavors. This is a dish that has a lot of versatility on the menu, since it can be an appetizer or a side dish or a salad course. It was fortunate that we decided to also include a salad, or we would have missed the evening’s salad special—the Shrimp and Crab Grilled Caesar salad. This was dynamite. WOW! Said to be enough for two to share, it could truly have fed four diners. Arriving on a large oval platter was a whole head of Romaine, lightly grilled and tucked with hot treasures of moist crab morsels and succulent shrimp. The Caesar dressing was warm and somewhat brothy with traditional garlic and Parmesan flavors. The entire dish remained amazingly hot and steamy throughout the course, and the remaining dressing was perfect for dipping with bread. As encouraged by the staff, we tackled eating the stalk portion, because it takes on a unique flavor and texture after grilling (versus raw). What an outstanding dish!
On to the main course, and although the menu has a number of pasta dishes and a wide variety of meat and fish entrees, the primo offering is the catch of the day. The fish is flown in fresh daily, and the varieties featured are based on availability. Joe explains the origin and characteristics of each fish and offers three styles of preparation. The yellow tail snapper was one of our selections—a South Atlantic catch, which is flavorful and moist. To keep the flavor inside, the whole fish is grilled initially and finished in the oven. Sometimes the simplest of preparations best showcase food that can stand on its own with just a lemon and olive oil finish. Next was the branzino, which is a Mediterranean bass similar to a striped bass. It is mild, buttery and very tender. The preparation selected was the tomato, kalamata olive and caper sauce, and was a terrific foil for the branzino’s profile. Serving these pristinely fresh fish is labor intensive. Tableside de-boning is an art at Joe Pesce’s. The head and skin are efficiently whisked away. Then servers crouch over the fish using special tongs and meticulously remove every bone so diners don’t have to bother. Between the freshness, the labor and the generous portion, the catch of the day earns its $34 price tag. With each entrée comes a creamy mound of mashed potatoes and some sautéed escarole, but do save room for dessert.
Each item on the dessert menu is a crowd pleaser. The key lime pie, with its zesty citrus flavor, is a good following for fish. The giant carrot cake is the homemade style with cream cheese frosting. Unfortunately, chocolate lovers have to choose between the layer cake and the molten lava cake. My vote goes to molten lava cake because it’s warm, gooey and chocolate through and through. What better way to finish the evening?
If you go to Joe Pesce, you will be assured a fun evening, and a way-above-par food experience with the attention to detail by owners and staff that make it very special. Call for reservations due to the popularity and limited space. If you visit the Web site to look at the menu, note that the Collingwood restaurant requires a phone call to reserve a table and the online booking is just for the Philly location at this time. We can’t wait to go back!
