NOVEMBER 1, 1989
It was the fruit pizzas that brought me back.
Constant Companion and I visited Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor one day last week to try their Italian luncheon smorgasbord. We found enough there to keep us interested and eating—and full—for the rest of the day.
You’d think one trip would have held me for a while, but those crisp, crunchy fruit pizzas called me back to Happy Joe’s for another go-around the next day. Happy Joe’s all-you-can-eat smorgasbord is served from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. Monday through Saturday for $3.89. Your beverage is extra. So you can kiss a fin (that’s what CC and I call $5 bills) goodbye.
I always used to think of smorgasbord as Scandinavian, but the Shangri-La long has had a Chinese smorgasbord. And if Happy Joe’s wants to have an Italian smorgasbord, it’s OK with me.
Uff da.
You enter Happy Joe’s spacious dining room through the red-and-white-striped ice-cream parlor. You go clear to the back and pay up. Then, you get a plate, your silverware, a napkin and your beverage. After you have passed go, you proceed to the buffet—or smorgasbord—line. You find first those luscious apple, cherry and blueberry pizzas, and an extra special cinnamon glaze creation.
This may be a little backwards, because next you come to the other pizza—two or three kinds. You take a couple of slices and move on. Next you find three pasta dishes, three soups. Garlic bread. Beyond it, there is a salad bar with the usual assortment.
You do not need or want all this. So, the game is to pick and choose. We found the pizza to be fresh and warm and much to our liking. The pasta, too, is good. We found lasagna, spaghetti and a taco pasta.
There are a few shortcomings. The salad bar needs more tender loving care. Some of the items seemed a little tired. That is, they didn’t appear to be fresh. I wondered why places with small staffs don’t limit their salad bar offerings to a few items and keep them freshly restocked.
Another disappointment was finding pasta dishes almost empty. They would be far more inviting if they were replenished more often.
The booths at Happy Joe’s are as spacious as the dining room, so it’s possible to have a rather private conversation over lunch here. I insert this note because a reader recently suggested it is nice to know of places where you can hold a conversation.
Here at Happy Joe’s, there is happy music playing in the background. In fact, the ambience is what I would call happy. There are Happy Joe hanging lamps, a big homey fireplace and a deep red carpet. During October, there were pumpkins all over the place.
The service, in general, was adequate. One waiter, Tom Koppenhaver, does an extra nice job of making you feel welcome. He is friendly, but not too friendly.
Happy Joe’s has been under new management since Jim and Janice Marter acquired the franchise in September. They are trying to bring back the good old days when you fairly often stood in line to get into Happy Joe’s. Among their moves is an Italian night each Wednesday. They are striving for cleanliness and take pride in serving what they call “real food.” They say that means fresh pizza dough every day.
With the Marters, Happy Joe’s of Grand Forks is beginning a new chapter. The establishment has been a part of the eating scene here since 1977. It is one of the original Happy Joe restaurants.
Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream continues to operate in Grand Forks.