Not Your Average Joe's Goes Local

We were in Arlington Center yesterday to pick up our meatshare from Chestnut Farms, and we decided to hit Not Your Average Joe's for dinner. To our surprise and delight, Joe's is in the middle of their Summer's Best Fest, and all of their specials include local ingredients. I spoke with the manager, and he told me that he and the chef had hit the farmers' market last Wednesday and bought vast quantities of local produce and other ingredients for their menu this week.

On their specials menu:

• Tomato and watermelon gaspacho
• Chatham stuffed quahogs
• Corn, arugula, and tomato pizza
• Watermelon steak salad
• Grilled pork tenderloin
• Chicken paillard
• Free-form vegetable lasagna
• North Atlantic swordfish

We sorely tempted by the quahogs, which the menu described thusly: "rhode island clams, locally made chourico, grilled corn from wilson's in lexington and tabasco aioli." But our ravenous children convinced us that we should eat swiftly, so we went straight for the entrees. My husband ordered the chicken paillard while I ordered the swordfish. The kids both ordered pasta with butter, and I ordered them a side of sweet potato hash to go with it.

The swordfish, when it came, was grilled to perfection, topped with a cilantro and pumpkin seed pesto, accompanied by a roasted cob of corn (from Wilson Farm in Lexington) sprinkled with cotija cheese and watercress with a lemon vinaigrette. I am in no way exaggerating when I say here that it was the best swordfish I have ever tasted. It was astonishing. The fish was perfectly cooked, just slightly crispy on the outside, tender and moist and delicious on the inside. The pesto complimented the fish beautifully. The pumpkin seeds gave it a nutty flavor without overwhelming the flavor of the fish. I almost didn't notice the watercress, but it was fresh and crunchy and refreshing. The corn, what my children did not claim for themselves, was also delicious, the cheese adding some nice saltiness.

For all that, my husband's chicken was actually better. The menu describes the dish as "chicken paillard with a panzanella salad of brioche croutons, tomatoes from ward's in sharon, cucumbers, capers and red onion, topped with locally grown arugula and romano cheese." My husband had serious doubts about ordering what he took to be a chicken salad. His doubts vanished when the dish arrived. The chicken, like the fish, was grilled to perfection, cooked through but moist and tender with a sauce that he could not get enough of. When he had finished the croutons, he was reduced to filching uneaten bread from our daughters to sop up the very last bit. To complement, he had a glass of pinot gris 2008 from Nantucket Vineyard which he liked quite a bit.

The downside to the meal was the lackluster service. Our dour waiter seemed to be perpetually annoyed that we wanted anything at all, though he was prompt and refilled my water glass frequently. The food was slow to arrive given that we were there quite early and the restaurant was nearly empty. What annoyed me most, though, was the thorough lack of imagination applied to the kids' menu. Pasta with butter or tomato sauce, no sides? For $5.99? That's absurd. I would have loved to see some locavore offerings for the kids. I'd like kid's meals that integrate vegetables. But their menu seems to consist of stereotypical kid food (mac 'n' cheese, cheese pizza, burgers, pasta) or cut down versions of adult fare (sirloin tips, balsamic-glazed salmon.) How about a kid-friendly stir fry? Maple-roasted root vegetables? Pasta with chicken and broccoli or asparagus in a mild cream sauce? Even the sweet potato hash, when it arrived, turned out to be too spicy for the girls to eat.

Well, regardless, I'm delighted to see a chain restaurant, even if it's a semi-local chain, jumping onto the locavore bandwagon. Best of all, their prices were quite reasonable: $13.99 for the chicken, $21.99 for the swordfish and worth every penny. Not Your Average Joe's Summer's Best Fest lasts until September 20th.