Unusual Odd Combinations Make for Winning Pizzas
Written: Mar 04 '01 (Updated May 04 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique crispy thin-crust pizzas with unusual house combinations in a fun-family atmosphere.
Cons: Thick gooey deep-dishes aren't their specialty.
The Bottom Line: I would only recommend the house specialties: the taco varieties and the "Happy Joe's Special."
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| martyfig's Full Review: Happy Joe's |
Happy Joe's is definitely a rowdy and fun atmosphere. If you're a child at heart and have a birthday, notify your server and you'll get a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" sung to you complete with firehouse sound effects, and best yet, a huge sundae dripping with chocolate and peanuts that is on-the-house.
However, pizzas are what draw me to this establishment--not its rowdy atmosphere which can get on your nerves if on a date or alone. Its house specialty pizzas especially the taco style and their "Happy Joe's Special" are wonderful and are worth the rowdiness.
Almost all pizzerias all over the country have their own style of taco pizzas. This isn't anything new; however, what I like about Joe's taco pizzas is that they put crushed cheese flavored taco chips on the very top of their taco pizzas--very few restaurants do. Why is this important? I make taco pizza at home, and if you put the crushed chips on the very top as well as remember to not cook them (!), they will be crunchy and add to the overall flavor.
Happy Joe's also puts quite a bit of crisp taco veggies on as well: tomatoes, lettuce, onion, black olives, and these do not get soggy because they are cold, as they well should be. Some pizzerias will actually bake these inside of the cheese which goes against the "taco" principle of the oddity. Joe's offer a cheese sauce in addition to the regular baked taco cheese and also plenty of sour cream. Last I checked, they had 2-3 kinds of taco varieties, so take your pick. They take taco pizzas seriously.
I should mention right here and now that this ISN'T an Italian-style or east coast pizza parlor. Far from it. This is a mid-west, "We like cheese and not a whole lot of crust, dang-it" kind of restaurant. This chain originated near Wisconsin, as in home of the "big cheese" if that tells you anything. I'm not saying it is bad or good or that one kind is better than the other, but it is something to keep in mind. Don't expect sauce that has been simmering for hours with cloves upon cloves of fresh garlic, tomatoes and onions right out of the garden--but that does sound good, doesn't it? However, this is a simple, down-home, mid-west, oddity--don't forget. You should view it as you would going to a greasy-spoon diner, nothing more or less. Martha Stewart types beware.
The second specialty worth noting is the "Happy Joe's Special" which sounds weird but is actually quite good and rather original. Hold on to your hats here. The "Special" contains fresh sauerkraut and Canadian Bacon. The two go together wonderfully--a blend of slightly sweet with tangy. It isn't as gross as it seems. After all, many people like anchovies on pizzas which, when you get right down to it, look like dissected night crawlers--which is equally as weird if you think about it.
Either choice may not be for everyone, but their specialties are definitely unique on a crispy thin crust. This is a great mid-west treasure.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
martyfig
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Location: The High Plains
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 9 members
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