STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

More All

• Wheeler of music fortune
• Wish you were here: Among the wildlife at Billie Swamp Safari
• Jonathan Foerster: Meditations on Music

Share and Enjoy [?]

Whenever the kids ask to go out for pizza, Joey's Pizza and Pasta House is the right place to go. With everything from Joey's Way Calamari to Caprese Salads, pizza just might be last on the list when it comes to parents or aunt and uncle babysitters, like my favorite culinary cohort and myself were last weekend.

Sometimes it's the kids way or the highway. When asking my niece Sophie and her brother, Alex, where they wanted to go for a night out for pizza, they both instantly replied, "Joey's."

With the kids offering no other choice as an option, we cruised down Collier and found Joey's Pizza and Pasta House at 257 North Collier Boulevard on Marco Island.

As we entered and were greeted by Amanda, the friendliness and warmth of a local pizza parlor shines through, but Joey's décor and atmosphere borders somewhere between a Mediterranean bistro or an authentic Italian restaurant found in Chicago. The ceilings are lofty and open, colorful Mediterranean colors ripple throughout and with several casual but cozy dining areas to choose from, Joey's goes well beyond the norm for pizza and pasta.

Joey's menu certainly reflects his hometown and the "Chicago Specials" section leaves little doubt as to where owner Joey Oliverio learned the tricks of the culinary trade.

After Amanda seated our group in one of the comfortable booth tables, she took our drink orders and treated the kids as if they were adults — no wonder Alex and Sophie wanted only to go to Joey's.

After inquiring about appetizers, Amanda suggested the calamari, but when the kids perked up at the idea of a crispy, fried traditional, our knowing server looked to the youngsters and asked, "Do you guys like it hot and spicy, because 'Joey's Way' is hot, garlicky and spicy." Both kids immediately shook their heads and said, "No." She then smiled as she took the order, "One calamari mild, one 'Joey's Way.' "

As a lover of anything hot, spicy and, especially, garlicky, I was intrigued. Joey's Way Calamari, for $9.95, was a treat well beyond anything I was expecting. With fried calamari sautéed with garlic, olive oil and served with Chicago-style hot peppers, this jewel of a starter is just one reason why Joey's has a very loyal following. For aficionados of garlic and hot, this appetizer is essential!

The mild calamari, for $ 8.95, was great with a tasty marinara and the kids wolfed every bite. I was challenged to try a sample.

For dinner, with the kids insisting, we ordered pizza. The pizza at Joey's has something for everyone. From the New York-style of traditional thin crust to the Chicago classic of thick crust to "Joey's Way," specializing in a paper-thin crust, pizza lovers from everywhere will have no problems making a selection.

The adults chose the large New York genre with garlic, roasted red peppers, ricotta and fresh basil. The basic New York-style starts at $13.75, with the first three toppings at $1.50 each. After three toppings, additional customizing is 75 cents per topping.

Alex and Sophie selected a kids' pepperoni pizza for $ 6.95. Again, it's no wonder the children wanted Joey's. The kids' pizza is just how I remembered pizza should be: lots of pepperoni with lots of cheese and a golden crust baked to perfection. The serving was just right, with both kids diving in to gobble up extra pepperonis and pull apart cheese.

Our adult pizza was just what we hoped for — we like garlic and the garlic was there! The white ricotta and the roasted red peppers blended perfectly with the sharp fresh basil and mozzarella cheese, and complemented the right amount of tomato sauce with the New York medium crust.

As we tucked in and began to savor and salivate, Joey's atmosphere, ambiance and Italian bistro-flair blended with the music in the background and seemed to whisper, "Sweet Home Chicago."

When asked about popular menu items, Amanda related that the Caprese salads were very well received. With thick sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil and red onions, served over greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is large enough to be shared.

The House Specialty Lasagna was also another hot item on the menu and anything with Alfredo sauce was especially in demand and has a loyal following, as well as, I'm sure, the sandwich lovers. Joey's sandwich menu goes above and beyond.

Joey's is open for lunch from 11 a.m. and dinner until 11 p.m. Takeout, delivery and reservations are available by calling (239) 389-2433.

When the kids want pizza — and adults want old-style Chicago Italian — Joey's Pizza and Pasta House offers much more than a simple night out for a pie.