Java.June.2016

EAT AT JOE’S MIDNIGHT RUN
By Sloane Burwell
Sometimes I think that if people knew how difficult it is to start a restaurant,
they probably never would. After a cool half million spent on a decent
commercial kitchen and bar, you’d better hope there aren’t any demolition and
build-out issues. Even then, you have to be lucky to escape the food & beverage
industry truism that over half of all new restaurants fail in the first six months.
Does your wallet hurt yet?
Somehow, first-time restaurateur Rick Cordova doesn’t appear to be fazed. Joe’s
Midnight Run is a gorgeous renovation of an erstwhile drive-through liquor store
named after a fictitious character (the original owner thought Joe was an easy
name to remember), and it’s situated so close to Otro Café, they could practically
share a wood pile for their wood-burning kitchens. Today, the character of the
place bridges the mid-century lines of the space with an impressive menu and
seriously tasty cocktails.
“I would love to say it was a lifelong dream, but I would be lying,” says Cordova,
in describing how this place came to be. “It was more of a timing thing for
me. I was looking to expand into another business and bought the property.
After seeing what was happening on 7th Street, I realized that there was an
opportunity here.” With multiple new dining concepts in the area and a real buzz
developing, his timing was impeccable.
Unfortunately, in Phoenix, most developers would rather raze a place than
remodel, which is why the work here is all the more inspiring. “Some buildings
are too far gone or have no business being saved. But there are some cool
buildings that have history. If you find something like that, you have to at least
explore the possibility of keeping it. Our concept is better off because we
restored the building,” says Cordova.
And he is right. They kept every piece of the former space that they could and
enhanced what was left. Joe’s is a long rectangle, with a tempting patio in
front. The bar is situated in the back, and it takes a minute to grasp that the
only bottles on display are house 40 oz. The bar stocks liquor on tap. Beverage
director Jessica Fleming’s great drink program features $8 cocktails, like the
Crazy, Sexy Coconut, which sounds like a riff on the TLC song and features fiveyear
Plantation rum rounded out by vanilla, so the coconut isn’t so cloying.
Metal barstools surround the eat-in bar, which makes the Argentinian-inspired
open-flame cooktop more like performance art. Lyrics to Cordova’s favorite jams
line both exterior and interior walls, and the anteroom near the bathrooms
sports wallpaper that mimics ’70s speaker cabinets. Clearly, Cordova likes
music, which of course at his restaurant is heavily curated, as well.
The menu itself pays tribute to hip-hop artists, with Notorious B.I.G. making an
appearance in likeness and the Notorious B.I.G. Burger ($14), an eight-inch-tall
monstrosity loaded with a chuck/brisket burger mix, red wine braised pork, freshly
fried chicharones, coleslaw and cheese. This mega burger requires disassembly to
eat (unless you’re Shrek), and is easily shared by three people, not that you’ll want
to. The tasty fries come with curry ketchup that is so good I’d buy it by the bottle.
Such a funky, fun vibe makes the grown-up menu an enjoyable surprise. Chef
Michael Goldsmith spent time at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn, which shows up
in dishes like Bone Marrow ($14), a split bone roasted until the marrow is the
consistency and taste of meat butter. I loved it smeared on the grilled bread served
alongside, or on some wayward roasted fingerling potatoes from the Roasted
Veggies ($7). The wood-fired oven does its magic on these veggies, and you can
taste the almond wood that they are cooked over. The romesco (a chunky tomatobased
sauce made thick by bread) served alongside is no slouch, and to be honest,
we gorged on veggies and ate the romesco by the forkful.
Succulent scallops ($14) top an enormous portion of kale and hunks of pancetta.
Honestly, this is more entree than appetizer (known here as “shorties”). The trio
of perfectly cooked scallops isn’t so easy to share when you are with me (get your
own!). I quite enjoyed the Ahi Tuna Plate ($18) on the biggie menu (that would be
the entree section), which retains some of the woody-smokiness and literally melts
in your mouth. A smattering of very good finishing salt was mopped up along with
the grilled pineapple tidbits and drizzles of coconut cream. The Fresno chiles kick up
the heat a notch, and remain flavorful and not palate blasting.
I especially enjoyed the Tart Tartine ($8), a classic French dessert of sliced apples in
pastry cooked in a cast iron skillet in its own caramel, until it’s turned upside down
and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pro tip: it’s hot, as in nuclear hot. Give
the ice cream a second to melt into the tart until it is sweet, gooey perfection.
Rick Cordova has made opening Joe’s Midnight Run look easy. The space is a stunner,
the kitchen is impressive, and the staff all appear very happy to be there, which makes
every diner glad to be there. Somehow the crazy nature of the food business hasn’t
scared him away. Honestly, though, if I had his deft hand first time out of the gate in
a place this interesting and well done, I’d be smiling all day, too.
Joe’s Midnight Run
6101 N. 7th St.
(480) 459-4467
www.joesmidnightrun.com
Monday – Friday, 11 am to 2 am; Saturday – Sunday, 9:30 am – 2 am
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday, 3 – 6 pm
Reverse Happy Hour: Sunday – Thursday, 11 pm – 2 am
#jomies
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