A Lesson in Eat-conomics
by Frank Ruggiero, The Mountain Times

The Mountain Times – Oct. 16, 2008
The Eat Beat – High Country Dining News
A Lesson in Eat-conomics
Joe’s Italian Kitchen delivers new specials, dishes

By Frank Ruggiero

Joe Cafaro knows these are hard times.
With the economy at a historic low and gas prices at record highs, the Joe’s Italian Kitchen owner feels he has an answer – lunch for less.
“I’ve got your bailout right here,” Cafaro said, referring to a menu full of new items and affordable specials – something he calls an “eatconomical stimulus package,” as part of an advertising campaign that sees the restaurateur running for president.
This package includes special combinations and lunch-sized portions of Joe’s most popular house specialties, all for a price that Cafaro hopes will entice diners outside their homes and back into town.
“The economy’s doing very badly, and people aren’t spending the money to eat out as much,” Cafaro said. “So, we’re featuring an innovative menu that will help us and the economy of our area and local people.”
Like so, Joe’s now offers half-sandwich combos with soup or salad and tea, starting at $7. Whole sandwiches are regularly priced, but they now come with potato chips, and diners may substitute a small potato or pasta salad for a dollar.
“A lot of people asked for half-sandwiches – something we’d never done,” Cafaro said, adding that those with lighter appetites can get a bowl of soup with garlic bread, small side salad and tea for $6.75. “Or they can just get a half sandwich with chips and a tea for five bucks.”
One of the biggest items on Joe’s menu – literally and figuratively, is the stromboli. Chock full of flavor and fresh ingredients, like sausage, peppers and onions, spinach and chicken, spinach and sausage, Cafaro noticed that seldom does anyone finish an entire plate.
“Everyone loves Joe’s strombolis, but no one can ever finish it, not for lunch or dinner,” he said.
In addition to the 16 to 20 oz. version, Joe’s is now offering a lunch-sized stromboli that weighs in between 8 and 10 oz. “And I still have people ordering this and still not finishing – they’re wrapping it up to go,” Cafaro said.
Following suit with stromboli are some of Cafaro’s most popular house specialties, now available in lunch-sized portions and starting at $5, like spaghetti, baked ziti, and eggplant or chicken parmigiana, all with a side of garlic bread.
“You’re getting good, quality food for a good price,” Cafaro said. “You’re not going to walk away hungry, and you’re going to save some money. But for those who still want the grande size, we’ve still got it.”
Lunch specials are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with no exceptions. “The one thing about a lunch special is that it’s a lunch special,” Cafaro said.
Cafaro started his campaign on Monday, Oct. 13, and said it was well met by customers. “They’re excited to get a lunch portion, because they know how big our portion is,” he said.
Specials, though, aren’t the only new features at Joe’s. The menu has been expanded to include new family dishes like chicken with bell peppers and mushrooms, served in a red wine marinara sauce. Baked spaghetti and ricotta has also joined the culinary fray, an all-white pasta dish with no marinara, but rather a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella and grated cheese.
Diners seeking less saucy fare can also enjoy spaghetti with garlic, oil and banana peppers, and after countless requests, Cafaro added a pepperoni and cheese stromboli to the menu.
Joe’s now offers more seafood specials, like clams in red sauce (a blend of extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, hot peppers, red wine and marinara) or white sauce (extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic and white wine) served over angel hair pasta.
Another new addition is shrimp fra diavolo (literally Italian for “brother devil”), which features shrimp in garlic, olive oil, hot cherry peppers and marinara sauce, served over capellini.
Cafaro also added a Caesar salad to the menu, which he said is selling faster than he could ever have imagined.
Though prices have dropped, Cafaro insists that quality has not. “These are all homemade plates – nothing comes out of a can, and it’s all of the finest quality,” he said, telling how the recipes used in his restaurant have been handed down in his family for five generations.
And with traditional family recipes comes traditional family participation. Cafaro’s parents, Tony and Helen, play an active role in the restaurant, with Tony hand-rolling his famous meatballs every morning and Helen frequently dropping in for quality checks.
Diners can view a complete menu at Joe’s Web site, www.joesitaliankitchen.com, while also learning about his “campaign.”
“It’s an eatconomical stimulus package to save your money and satisfy your hunger,” Cafaro repeated, like a true politician.
Joe’s Italian Kitchen is located at 190 Boone Heights Drive in Boone. For more information, call (828) 263-9200.

Beat It
Got restaurant news? E-mail news editor Frank Ruggiero at frank@mountaintimes.com, snail mail Mountain Times Publications, Attn: Frank Ruggiero, 474 Industrial Park Drive, Boone, N.C. 28607, or call (828) 264-NEWS and ask for Frank.