Like my opinion matters... Joe's Cafe (restaurant review)

(Disclaimer-  added 4/29/10 Read in the paper this week  that "Joe" was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a teen age employee.  He hasn't been convicted yet.. but I would feel irresponsible if I didn't add that to the review...)

If you think that you will be able to sneak quietly in and out of Joe's Cafe for a burger.. it isn't gonna happen.  What you will get is a hearty welcome from Joe himself, and a good dose of southern hospitality (the louder New Orleans/Houston type, not the quiet genteel southern plantation type)!  Friends told me about Joe's earlier this week and said that he makes the best burgers ever so we had to try it out.  Joe's is just north of Pebbles in my Pocket on State Street in Orem and is open until 7:00 at night on weeknights.  Starting in March, the hours change to 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday thru Saturday and so he will be serving breakfast and lunch.  Items from both menus are available all day long so if you are craving a burger for breakfast or grits for dinner, this is the place.  

I ordered the bacon cheeseburger-- which was made with 1/2 pound of Black Angus beef flavored by a special spice mixture called "Slap Yo Momma".  The meat was quite lean and it was a BIG burger.  Topped by two slices of cheese so that you could really taste it and thick slab, perfectly cooked bacon-- the burger was good!  Joe keeps pretty busy, doing all of the cooking/serving/cleaning by himself and still has time to check on his customers to make sure everything is good. Joe has been cooking in restaurants since 1968 and knows what he is doing!  It's pretty obvious that he loves his work and wants to make sure that customers will come back.  I know that I will come back, especially to try some of his breakfast items which include:  omelets, waffles, pancakes, french toast, grits.  We got to try a sample of the grits while we were there and they were good!   I'll also look forward to trying his sweet potato pie...  While known for his burgers, there is a wide variety of sandwiches and other items on the menu.  Joe says that they are all good-- and I believe Joe. 

 
Meet Joe!

We also got to meet Tyrone (a relative, maybe a nephew of Joe's) who was doing a little flirty dancing for us... well, mostly for me because Kim had her back to him.  A little young, but still made for a nice view and a girls gotta admire a nice view! Adds to the ambiance and atmosphere. 

Before you leave, Joe will take a picture of himself with you to put on the picture wall.  If you go, see if you can find the picture of me and my phantom friend, Kim (who mysteriously never shows up in pictures even though she does go places). If you find her let me know. 





As far as a rating goes....

 

I'm debating between 4 or 5 stars...  I loved the restaurant and Joe and had a great time.. Still, I would have to give the edge for my favorite burger to Stumpy Burger on Center Street in Provo, mostly because the meat at Stumpy's  is a bit more peppery and less lean (which is a nice way of saying it has more FAT).  So, I'm going to give:

4 Stars Plus  ****+ to Joe's Cafe

and

5 Stars ***** to Stumpy Burger

Check back though because after I go back to Joe's and try some other items on the menu, I could see myself raising the rating.  I really am a bit torn and feel like I am personally letting Joe down.  I would definitely recommend going there to try it out...