Feature Menu July 25 to July 30, 2011

Feature Menu
July 25 to July 30, 2011

Monday July 25, 2011

Cannelloni

large pasta shells filled with seasoned ground beef, spinach & parmigiano, topped with our bolognese & bescamella sauces

Ricotta Stuffed Shells

in our tomato cream sauce

Tuesday July 26, 2011

Pork Osso Buco
braised in a fresh tomato-veal demi glace sauce & served over pesto infused mashed potatoes

Saltimboca alla Romana
breast of chicken stuffed in a prosciutto & fontina sauce saute with white wine, mushrooms & cream and served over fettuccine

Wednesday July 27, 2011

Pollo Marsala
breast of chicken saute with Marsala, cream & mushrooms served over fettuccine

Capellini con pomodori freschi
angel hair pasta tossed with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic & olive oil

Thursday July 28, 2011

Manicotti
pasta shells filled with ricotta & spinach and topped with our pomodoro, pesto & panna sauces

Cannelloni
large pasta shells filled with seasoned ground beef, spinach & parmigiano, topped with our bolognese & bescamella sauces

Friday July 29, 2011

Linguini Santa Lucia
lump lobster, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, white wine & cream sauce over linguini

Tortellaci alla Romana
veal filled tortellaci in our cream sauce with peas & prosciutto

Saturday July 30, 2011

Pappardelle Giancarlo
mini-meatballs, Italian sausage & chicken medallions in our fresh tomato sauce over pappardelle

Lobster Ravioli
in our white wine cream sauce

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.

The Bertolone Family’s Authentic Italian Food Draws a Crowd

By Daniel Schumacher Photo by Jason Wallis as published in Birmingham Magazine

It’s been nearly 20 years since I have eaten my Nonnie's Italian food, but I could have sworn she was back in the kitchen when I visited Joe’s Italian last month. The sounds, seasonings and harsh lighting brought me right back to her dining room in Huntington Station, N.Y., where I had my fi rst saucy southern Italian meals. Regardless of where in the metropolitan area you reside, Joe’s Italian is reason to visit Alabaster.

In 1977, Italian-born owners Giuseppe and Elvira "Momma" Bertolone packed up their young children and opened their first United States restaurant in Gilroy, Calif. They previously ran a small trattoria in Andora, Italy. The Bertolones ran the Gilroy restaurant for more than 27 years before retiring. Three years ago, they moved Alabaster and reopened Joe’s with the help of their children Sonia, Michael and Mary.

                   

Expect to wait for a seat, 30 to 90 minutes depending on conditions, or avoid the wait by placing a takeout order. Enjoy the mild spring evening with a glass (or bottle) of wine. Start with a Lambrusco, a sweet red sparkler, and compliment a tomatoey dish with a peppery Nero d’Avola. Joe’s does not mark up prices as much as many other restaurants, leaving many bottles in the $20 to $30 price range.

"The recipe for our white lasagna came to me in a dream," President Sonia Bertolone says. I believe her, because with its creamy white sauce and bits of spicy sausage, that lasagna was positively dreamy. The tender chicken parmesan, red lasagna and silky tomatobasil soup were also outstanding.

After four bottles of wine and generous entrées, we could hardly pass up dessert: massive slices of homemade cake. My group of seven barely finished three slices: strawberry cake, chocolate zebra cake, and my personal favorite, cannoli cake. Bring it home if you must, but do not skip dessert.

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.