Joe's of Avenue U in Brooklyn, New York: Restaurant Review

Joe's of Avenue U in Brooklyn, NY near Bensonhurst is one of the only Sicilian food eateries, or a Focacceria Palermitana, reminiscent of the snacking parlors of Sicily in NY. Joe's (the shortened version of the name as locals call it) offers a variety of Italian/Sicilian food and Sicilian specialties as can only be found at this type of specialty restaurant.

When you walk in Joe's it will seem like a Sicilian diner with its food case and register toward the front and booths lining the small interior of the restaurant. However, the food is anything but diner-like. The smell of the fried panelles immediately hits you, a smell unlike any other but for those who frequent Joe's, a familiar a smell as their grandmother's sauce. You can order from the one sided paper menus that also serve as placemats or take your pick from the mouth watering selections right in the food case you walk by to get to your seat. Tray upon tray of vegetables and salads such as string beans, escarole, stuffed artichokes, chunky caponata (eggplant) sit next to fish and seafood such as polpo (octopus salad), salt cod, snapper and calamari and other delicacies such as trippa (tripe) or eggplant parmigiano.

Joe's of Avenue U though is perhaps best known for its Sicilian specialties, such as Vastedda (fried cheese and spleen), Rice ball, Panelles, Panelle Special, potato croquettes or the Rice Ball Special. Those who frequent Joe's won't even look at a menu but order one (or more) of these hard to get elsewhere items from memory.

My absolute favorite and if I may say, the best, item on their menu is the Panulli Special or Panelles (pronounced pine-elles). This Sicilian delicacy is fried panelle (flattened chickepeas-you would NEVER think!) topped with fresh, creamy ricotta cheese and freshly shaved grated parmigiano reggiano on a crusty seeded roll. Along with this dish, which is a must have each time I go to Joe's I also have to order a rice ball (not the special) and the potato croquettes (which come 3 per order and are deep fried seasoned mashed potatoes shaped into a long, fat finger). The rice ball is a baseball sized seasoned ball of rice with meat, peas and sauce in the middle, fried to absolute perfection. Order a Manhatten Special (a carbonated coffee drink) and you will be in heaven.

You can also get a variety of sandwiches either on a roll or hero sized, including chicken parmigiano, eggplant parmigiano, chicken cutlet, meatballs, meatloaf, sausage and roast beef from $3.99 to $6.00. Joe's of Avenue U has a variety of interesting pasta dishes that you might not find at most Italian restaurants, such as pasta with cauliflower, pasta with clams, linguine with black sauce, linguine with seafood, pasta with mussels, and of course the traditional pasta with red sauce or lasagna with meatballs. If there is dessert, I have never seen it at Joe's but by the time you finish with the food, you would not even want any (not only will you be full, but you will want the taste of Joe's to linger on your tongue for as long as possible). If you are so inclined, within a short walking distance are dozens of bakeries, ice cream parlors and stores you can stop at to grab a sweet treat.

Joe's of Avenue U is a fast paced, family-friendly, clean restaurant, unlike any other. Service is good and waitresses are pleasant but will not linger at your table due to Joe's high volume and turnover pace. Be prepared to bring cash (they do not accept credit cards) and to wait in a line out of the door during the busy lunch hour or Friday or Saturday nights. However, even if you do have to wait, the line goes pretty quickly as they turn tables fast and the food will be well worth it! If you are from out of town (but originally from NY) and have to stop at Joe's each time you go into the city, you can also get panelles to go and fry them up at home, so that you have a little piece of Joe's and Brooklyn right in your own kitchen.