Restaurant name: Joey's at Southcenter
Food type: I think it wants to be California cuisine... it might want to be Vegas. I'm not sure what it *is* though.
Category: I have been before but not very often.
Reason for dining out: Lunch on my own
Bonus features: Well, the people watching was good for a laugh! The food I ordered tasted good as well.
Food ordered: Chicken souvlaki with french fries
Items of inspiration: None.
Chance of repeat visit: Not unless someone else decides they want to go.
The Guys and The Critic are away for the weekend, which leaves me with ample time to eat out. The problem with choosing a place is that most places I want to go would just be more fun if The Critic were with me. I thought about soup and have my two all-time favorites in Seattle... The Icon Grill has a butternut squash soup that I *love*, but I'm pretty sure they'd be doing their yellow pepper one right now which just doesn't compare. I also thought about going to Anthony's on Pier 66 for my favorite crab corn chowder, but that just needs to be saved for a date with The Critic. This led me to think Duke's for chowder/salad, and right next door is Joey's. Joey's is a place I have always wanted to like. It seems to have the most "foodie" type of food in the area... branches beyond your Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden which it's close to. And whenever The Critic and I think of going, we usually come up with a reason to go somewhere else. So being in the mood for something a bit fancier than the typical, yet not wanting to take away from a dining experience with The Critic, this seems like a good choice for today.
The food was good and flavorful. At first glance at the menu I was going to order the panang prawn curry bowl. But I could hear you complaining about MORE Thai food even before the thought was fully developed. So I looked on. I ordered the chicken souvlaki upon recommendation from the server (I gave her the choice between the ahi tacos and the souvlaki and she didn't bat an eye in recommending the souvlaki). But from here on out, the experience was everything which is so odd about Joey's.
I can't get a feel for the vibe of this place. It's sort of "wannabe Californian/Vegas". Western Washington is the king of casual. So Joey's seems like it wants to attract the young, beautiful, ready-to-party crowd. It has a swank appearance and has a silly bar menu. And *all* the servers must pass a rigorous application which includes stiletto walking while holding up a tray, bending at the waist for dropped napkins, and, well, learning to write your name on the receipt with little hearts (notice how it helps if your name is "Bailey". You won't find a name tag that says "Margaret" here).They don't waste time on pesky details like food knowledge here. The first time I ever set foot in the restaurant we were looking for a dessert and the hostess raved about the delicious apple crisp made with "local Fiji apples". Good to know that Fiji is local. And FYI, they are Fujis... one of The Critic's all time favs. Today she was singing the praises of the "traditional" souvlaki which included hummus and bruschetta. I've been to Greece. I've eaten the hole-in-the-wall-shack souvlaki that is so delicious I still think about it 16 years later (and worth every penny, which wasn't that much). I'm pretty sure Greece has never heard of hummus and bruschetta on their souvlakis. But what do I know? It was good flavor. Just not what I would have called "traditional".
I'm just not sure who the audience is supposed to be here. Well, not true. I think I saw them today. At the bar sat 4 guys, probably around 23. Old enough that it wasn't someone's 21st birthday party in full-swing (at 1:00 in the afternoon). Young enough that they still think acting this way makes them attractive. And did I mention it was 1:00 in the afternoon? Each had approximately 5 drinks in front of them. Most were obnoxious shades of fluorescent colors... blue, green, and pink come to mind. At least two were shots. They sat around with their camera taking pictures of each other with the green one. Then begging the cute little bartender to join them in photos, I'm sure dreaming of how she was going to abandon all other customers for the chance to spend 5 minutes with such fine young studs. Quickly the conversation turned, well, inappropriate. Let's just say these guys were quite proud of their accomplishments in the luv department. I'm sure they were all true, too. Not a fish story among them. Riiiiiight.... And did I mention it was 1:00 in the afternoon?
Needless to say, in my world Joey's is only good for a laugh. While the food was tasty, the variety was lacking and the cost was sky-high for what you get. The most endearing trait is its proximity to Unicone, which is an AWESOME place for a dessert/snack. Stay tuned!
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