When you're married to a sports enthusiast, you get used to hearing things like "We HAVE to eat at Joe Theismann's!!!" And when you question why, it's never about the food, it's just that a well-known sports figure like Joe Theismann has definite "name power". My husband was hooked on the idea of eating there, based purely on the name. Luckily, it turns out that this is a fantastic restaurant, with a nice atmosphere, great food, and reasonable prices. So now my husband and I are both fans!

Joe Theismann's looks and sounds like your typical sports bar. When you enter, the noise from the bar, especially on a Friday evening, can be quite obnoxious. And of course, there are large screen TVs showing all kinds of sports shows. As expected, the wall decor is all about football. There are many tables surrounding the bar area where you can dine. Or, continue towards the back of the restaurant, and there's a large, quiet dining room for those of us who don't care to hear or see the crowd at the bar. It's in this large dining room, that I've enjoyed some wonderful dinners.

What's on the menu?

You can get all of the usual stuff that I call "typical sports bar food". But there's also a wide variety of fancier cuisine and this is where this restaurant outshines the typical sports bar. For example, under starters (which they aptly call "kickoff" on the menu), you'll find seared ahi tuna, coconut shrimp, fried goat cheese, fresh steamed mussels, baked brie, and a shrimp and lobster bisque, which is absolutely wonderful. ($4-$9) If you prefer the more typical appetizers, look under the section called "concession stand". There you'll find your wings, nachos, potato skins, artichoke spread, and mozzerella sticks ($6-$9).

In the mood for a salad? Look in the "greenskeeper" section. You'll find several different salads for your side dish, or your main course. Some of the larger salads contain salmon, tuna, grilled chicken, fried chicken, crab, and shrimp. The side salad is $5, the larger salads go up to $13.

If you want a sandwich, check out the "option plays". There you'll find sandwiches such as reuben, pulled pork, buffalo chicken, steak & cheese, grilled club, veggie panini, and chicken salad wrap ($7-$12).

But I'm there for those great dinners. So I turn to the "game time" section. That's where I find salmon served with spinach and rice, and penne pasta served with mushrooms, spinach, and feta. Also, roast pork tenderloin, and Louisiana chicken made with shrimp, peppers, onions, and sausage. There's also a blackened seafood platter featuring shrimp, scallops, and fresh fish, and several kinds of steak. The sirloin is topped with fried shallots and bleu cheese. When I was there last week, I ordered the eggplant parmesan which was two large, lightly breaded eggplant slices atop linguine with a very light marinara sauce with chopped tomatoes, and melted cheese. It was delicious. My husband ordered black pepper fettuccine, which was a large plate of fettuccine noodles, with sausage, shrimp, and chicken, in a cajun sauce. A bit spicy, but not overly so, he enjoyed his meal tremendously. But my Aunt enjoyed the real winner for the evening. She ordered that evening's special, which was a baked seabass topped with a crabmeat/cheese spread. It came with yellow rice, and mixed vegetables. I'm not normally a fish eater, but having tried her meal, I might just convert. The fish was so light, it just melted in my mouth. Truly wonderful!



Location:

King Street Metro station

1800 Diagonal Road (yes, it's really diagonal)
Alexandria, VA 22314

You can check their website for daily specials, or to learn the restaurant's history.

www.joetheismanns.com

With terrific service, wonderful food, and reasonable prices, I highly recommend giving this restaurant a try.


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Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes