Can you believe it’s been a year? Joe’s in Venice.
[foie gras tuna dish - courtesy of Helen K of yelp. Fan her!]
I love Joe’s for many reasons. With their open kitchen, welcoming space, and that quirky “tucked in the heart of Abbott Kinney” vibe, I also remember it as one of the nicest and more romantic brunches that I’ve been treated to. And that being said, it was nearly a year ago (!), so I was excited to finally return for dinner.
Street parking is still a bitch in AK area. Either bring cash for valet or park so far you don’t remember where you parked (not that it happened of course :-/) Joe’s had a good amount of hustle and bustle for a weeknight.
We decided to order plates to share rather than do full entrees. Our waiter (who looked like Doc Brown) was very friendly and gave me a great wine pairing with my meal.
We split it up into three course (two dishes per course).
1) Grilled shrimp with beets special — I have no idea what it’s officially called or what it all entails but it was delicious! I personally love shrimp and it’s an easy meat to fuck up - namely overcooking. But Joe’s does shrimp well, and the beets were a nice complement to the dish and I don’t particularly like beets. Mmmm.
Grilled Octopus with Greek Salad, Pine Nut Charmula, Kalamata Olive Dust, Sicilian Olive Oil — oh you silly sea creatures that are hard to cook. As with shrimp, octopus is another one of those meats where it gets tough quick. Joe’s octopus was slightly tough but didn’t deter from its nice smoky flavoring and simple greek salad.
2) Grilled Ahi Tuna with Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Rosti Potato, Red Wine Herb Sauce — fantastic. I cannot get enough of foie gras. It was seared perfectly and went unexpectedly well with the tuna and potato. Great flavors.
Porcini Mushroom Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Parmesan Broth, Italian Parsley — If there’s ravioli on the menu, I’m getting it. No questions asked. This undoubtedly was one of the best dishes of the night! Well cooked pasta, flavorful earthy sauce, huge portion…must have.
3) Crispy black cod and apple stuffed quail. The two worst dishes of the night. Very disappointing. I’m used to quail with very crispy skin and easy to eat or at least cut in a way that we can easily take apart but noooo. It was literally the whole bird. Slightly undercooked and even though the waiter suggested that we use our hands, it was still very awkward.
In contrast, the crispy black cod … wasn’t crispy. It was under-seasoned paired with daikon broth which is pretty much flavorless in itself. Overall meh dishes.
I wish our meal had ended on a higher note but it was a great meal nonetheless.
1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-5811
