Although Not Your Average Joe’s is a popular dining destination all along the East Coast, I must admit I had never been to one. Turns out, I was missing out! Not Your Average Joe’s is a great place for a casual dinner with friends, where you can enjoy tasty entrees, huge portions, cocktails and awesome desserts.
Dining Out: Not Your Average Joe’s
The Scene: Casual and comfortable; the Silver Spring location has a great outdoor patio which is where I dined.
The Food: My recent first time experience at Not Your Average Joe’s Silver Spring (the newest location) included a dining partner who happened to be a NYAJ’s veteran so I let her do the ordering: first, a green salad with candied walnuts, a generous scoop of biscotti –encrusted goat cheese (it sounds weird but it’s so good! The coating adds a sweetness and a crunch that balances the creamy and tangy aspects of the goat cheese) and a raspberry dressing. This was accompanied by the buttery house bread, which comes with a lovely parmesan-olive-oil-red pepper dipping sauce.
Next, we got spaghetti squash, smothered in a meaty mushroom bolognese and sprinkled with cheese, and pappardelle coated with a fresh, summery arugula pesto and tossed with asparagus. Both were incredibly hearty and big enough for two! Next time, I am looking forward to sampling their three cheese pistachio pizza, the veggie burger, and the watermelon feta salad.
But, I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. Not Your Average Joe’s really does save the best for the last, with a selection of American-inspired desserts (which everyone knows are my favorite!) like strawberry shortcake, with chewy housemade biscuits, macerated strawberries, piles of vanilla ice cream, and fresh whipped cream. Even better is the peanut butter-oreo ice cream pie that features a tableside pouring of chocolate and caramel! A word to the wise: skip reading the calorie count on this one. Although, it doesn’t really matter: regardless how many calories it is, it’s worth it.
The Verdict: Not Your Average Joe’s is fun for a easy night out. They have some decent cocktails, and the calorie count of each dish and drink is listed, so if you are trying to cut back, this is a perfect choice.
Not Your Average Joe’s Silver Spring, 8661 Colesville Rd #153, Silver Spring, MD 20910, http://www.notyouraveragejoes.com/silver-spring/
