It was Christmastime, and Mrs. Pie and I were visiting family in her hometown of Weatherford, Texas. (I sure am slow in writing these reviews, ain’t I?) We already had our now annual holiday tradition of a family gathering at Nizza Pizza, our favorite pizza place in town.
For reasons unknown, it had been a lazy week, and the Snob had ventured little outside of the family compound. However, while on a short afternoon hop with Mrs. Pie to get some groceries, a snack was in order. Always having a plan, we easily made our way to the closest pizza joint to home according to my Pizza Compass: Joe’s Pasta-N-Pizza.
I had noticed that Joe’s has been in Weatherford for several years now. However, assuming an affiliation with the mediocre Joe’s pizza places in Fort Worth, I never got real excited about paying a visit. (Readers may recall that there are several Albanian families running the Joe’s in Fort Worth and this one does appear to be connected.) Hungry and not wanting to come away pizza-less from this year’s Texas trip, I thought now was the time to give it a chance.
Joe’s is in a newer shopping center on the ever-expanding Fort Worth Highway. (Strange enough, two doors down in the same center is one of those evil Domino’s Pizza places.) It is a center that usually looks quite sleepy, and Joe’s was empty when we visited at this odd mid-afternoon hour.
Inside Joe’s four walls was a large rectangular room full of table and chairs with an order/checkout counter in the back. All cooking apparatus were in the back, and there was no pizza in view. Fortunately, they welcomed my inquiry about getting just a plain cheese slice (on the menu at $2.00) at this strange time of day. Mrs. Pie had a craving for some garlic rolls so we were also able to add some more substance to my measly order.
It took quite a long time (maybe 10 minutes) to get the slice. Perhaps they had to start fresh at this hour, but their behind the scenes operations left me clueless. In the meantime, Mrs. Pie really enjoyed her tasty g-rolls.
The slice came out looking rather odd slumped into a sunken plate. It was light in color, near the bottom of the Snob tomato sauce sufficiency meter. When Mrs. Pie joined in with a few bites, she agreed it was under-sauced. But, stop there! Joe’s slice wound up being tasty–a lot better than its appearance would dictate. It was served nice and hot throughout—just the right temperature and not scalding.
The slice had a great char on the bottom making for a delightfully crunchy and chewy crust, despite maybe being a little too fluffy and airy. By traditional standards, it also carried too much cheese on top. This also didn’t seem to be the best-tasting Mozzarella that money could buy.
All things considered, it was a good little snack that I enjoyed. However, I don’t think I would go out of my way to go back. I do hear that the rest of their Italian-based menu is good, so I would not write this place off if you are in Weatherford. There is better pizza in town though.
PIZZA SNOB RATING ***1/2 Working on a Good Thing
Joe’s Pasta-N-Pizza
Old Towne Shoppes
1115 Forth Worth Highway
Weatherford, TX 76086
817-341-2200
[no website]
