First Impressions

They’re another option at an already packed corner (Power and Brown), sharing a corner with no less than two pizzerias, a Sonic, and the Hot Dogs and More franchise previously reviewed here.  I wonder how exactly one gets so many restaurants on your corner….

Visually, tasty Joe’s gives off a distinct Pei Wei vibe.  The decor is fairly minimal, with that “modern Asian” look, rather than the traditional Chinese restaurant bright red and pagoda style.  You place your order at a counter and they bring you the food, and there’s a large, fast-food-style menu to make your selections from.

The Menu

They offer approximately six types of rice bowls, and six more noodle bowls, along with a dozen or so entrees.  Almost all entrees follow the pattern of “mixture of vegetables and seasonings, served with your choice of meat.”  The offerings seem to be the popular “a few choices from each recognizable Asian nation” formula– a single lo mein variation, a Thai curry, teriyaki chicken.

Food

We obtained a plate of fried potstickers as an appetizer.  While they seemed fresh and hot, with a pleasantly savoury filling, they were also beyond crisp and slightly into hard.  It’s difficult to tell if this was deliberate, or a signal of over-cooking.

I chose the Spicy Korean chicken, to which I added broccoli for nutritional value.  It came served over white rice, which wasn’t sticky enough to pick up with chopsticks.  The chicken itself was plentiful and the sauce moderately spiced, but it was mixed with too-small slivered onion and too-big whole mushrooms, which failed to present a uniform, polished experience.

Service

The wait staff did bring out food as it was prepared– as mentioned on the signage– so it was hot and fresh, but they didn’t do a great job of recording who got what dish, and seemed to just wander around our party at times.

Conclusion

It’s hard to stop drawing comparisons to Pei Wei– the experience is very similar.  However, Tasty Joe’s does benefit from a cleaner, more open feel, and seems less crowded most of the time.  It’s definitely worth considering if in that sort of market.