Restaurant Review

Joe's Pizza

by Ferne Hale

Lakers who live here full time aren’t eager for tourists to discover Joe’s Pizza. After all, since its opening in October 2006, the restaurant has been exceedingly busy – even in the dead of winter.

With any “luck,” vacationers will just zip right past the green and white Lake Plaza sign containing a smaller Joe’s Pizza sign on Route 616 near the “the chicken.” Locals know you must actually turn into the adjacent car wash, and continue past it and downhill. There, the actual “Joe’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant” materializes.

So, what’s the big draw for this off-the-beaten-track eatery?

First, of course, it’s all about the food. Although abbreviated to “Joe’s Pizza” on the roadside sign, the restaurant features a full Italian menu. Walk in and the fresh aroma of authentic Italian cuisine makes your mouth water in anticipation. The décor, with Italian seaside murals everywhere, reflects the heritage of brothers Joe and Larry Altadonna.

“We want diners to feel like they are on an Italian island, with the Mediterranean Sea all around them,” Larry said.

Chef Joe Altadonna describes sautéing onions, garlic, adding wine and tossing the freshest of ingredients around in the pan to coat everything ... “like theeees (this),” he says, his accent reflecting the nine years he spent growing up in Italy. His hands are flying as he speaks – just what you’d expect of an Italian chef.

Diners can choose from a wide assortment of entrees carefully prepared by Joe. Veal and chicken dishes include Parmigiana, Cacciatore, Piccata and Marsala, to name a few. Steak is on the menu, as is seafood of numerous varieties: Shrimp Scampi or with Marinara Sauce; Sautéed Shrimp, Mussels and Clams in Garlic White Wine Sauce over Pasta; Grilled Tuna or Salmon with Italian Herbs and Vegetables; Salmon with Sautéed Onion, Tomatoes and Olives in White Wine Sauce. There are an array of pasta dishes with various toppings and several “Baked Dinners” including Baked Penne, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Lasagna. “And everything is made fresh here, by me,” Joe said. Nine appetizers are listed, including the wonderfully crisp, yet tender, Fried Calamari.

Then there’s the pizza and its variations – Stromboli and Calzone. Brother Larry Altadonna, the pizza chef, bursts with energy describing his dough.

“Freshly made every day and sauce that’s made from scratch!,” he exclaims with a charming Italian accent. Four sizes of pizza are listed along with six standard combinations and 23 ingredients for an invent-your-own pizza. The Sicilian (also available in the multitude of flavors) is the largest — a thick pizza cut into 12 squares, a luscious sight to behold.

Another popular aspect of Joe’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant is the buffet. From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. the $6 lunch buffet includes wings, pastas, assorted pizzas, lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, Eggplant Parmesan, and salad with assorted toppings and dressings. The dinner buffet (5-9 p.m.) has all the lunch items plus shrimp, fried calamari, tortellini, Whiting Milanese, Hamburger Steak Parmesan  – about 30 selections in all – for just $9.95.

A selection of  “children’s dishes” is available for those 12 and under.  

In addition to soft drinks, there is a choice of domestic and imported beers and domestic and Italian wines. Nine wines are available by the glass.

Desserts, which change seasonally, are brought on a tray for the diner to make a selection.

If you want to sample the real deal in Italian cuisine at very reasonable prices, and have a yearning to do so surrounded by attractive views of the Italian seacoast, make your way to Joe’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant. Expect to love it and to find it loaded with Lakers.