As a born and raised Italian,  dining hall spaghetti and “sauce” makes me weep. So of course, when given the chance to enjoy a real, slow-simmered marinara, I couldn’t possibly say no.

Joey’s Italian Restaurant might be out of the way for most Syracuse University students. It is located on Thompson Road, right off the Carrier rotary on I-90. Younger students or students without a car would most likely have to pay for a cab to get there, which can be expensive. However, any connoisseur of Italian food would definitely not regret going out of their way for one of these meals.

Joey’s offers two styles of dining in the same restaurant. On the ground floor, Pronto Joey’s offers what their website describes as an “an Italian American Bistro.” The atmosphere is modern with a Paris art nouveau touch added by the prints on the walls. Their menu is slightly more casual and cheaper than their traditional menu downstairs, though it still offers most of the same choices. This option is probably better for college students, especially given the price difference.

Downstairs in the basement, which is affectionately dubbed Joey’s Classic, one will find a traditional Italian restaurant. The food is still reasonably priced, but nevertheless more expensive than upstairs. Down in this traditional venue is where I got my meal.

The atmosphere downstairs is dark, given that there are no windows. Some might find it a little too dim, but personally, I thought it was nice touch. Coupled with the dark paneling and leafy carpet pattern, the restaurant gave off a Godfather-meets-North End-meets-speakeasy vibe.

The menu is gigantic, both physically and in terms of selection. In addition to standard Italian fare like chicken parmesan, fettuccine alfredo and ravioli, Joey’s also boasts a decent selection of old world Italian dishes. They serve beef and veal braciola, which is a steak-like meat filled with egg or parmesan cheese, as well as cannelloni, which is similar to manicotti.

On the menu, there was also a sizeable selection of traditional French dishes, like escargot, French onion soup and a “shrimp francaise,” shrimp sautéed with egg and butter and served with a lemon white wine sauce. I must admit that I thought these dishes were slightly out of place, given the huge emphasis on traditional Italian fare.

I started with some calamari — fried squid — served with lemon and a variation of marinara sauce. The meat was lightly fried and flavorful, but I was not a fan. They were rubbery and chewy, not the same consistency as other calamari I have eaten.

I also tried a piece of stuffed mushroom, filled with goat cheese, peppers, onions, spinach and prosciutto. It was very good, but there was a lot of goat cheese, which many palettes would find overpowering.

For my main entrée, I ate Joey’s homemade fettuccine served with red sauce and a meatball. The sauce was fantastically fresh; I could practically taste an entire clove of garlic on my plate. In traditional Italian fashion, my hands still smelt like garlic after I finished the meal. The pasta was delicious, dare I say even better than everyone’s favorite homemade macaroni at Pastabilities.

The meatball the chefs made was gigantic, bigger than any meatball I’d ever seen. It was tasty, but I wasn’t able to cut it with the side of my fork, a sign that it wasn’t quite as tender as the meatballs I grew up with.

Overall, I deem Joey’s a fine establishment. Their prices may be a little less than affordable, and its location slightly out of the way. But the drawbacks are insignificant compared to its delicious dishes, and it was nice to get out of the dining hall for some real pasta.

Published on January 31, 2016 at 9:53 pm

Contact: cmrussel@syr.edu | @caseymrussell