There is nobody named “Joey” behind the Canadian-based restaurant chain that recently made its San Diego debut at Westfield UTC shopping mall, nor is the name in reference to a baby kangaroo.
Instead, the 10,600-square-foot restaurant inside a gleaming new structure at 4489 La Jolla Village Drive traces its roots to Calgary, Canada, where it launched in 1992 as a humble Italian joint called Joey Tomato’s.
As the brand expanded geographically and began adding globally inspired menu options, the name changed simply to JOEY.
Matthew Stowe, executive chef for JOEY Restaurant Group, said “Joey” had a fitting Italian ring to it back in the day. But Italian is only one cuisine that JOEY serves. JOEY’s restaurants are now a place where customers at all 36 locations throughout Canada and the U.S. can hopscotch from sushi rolls and cauliflower tacos to burgers, Cajun chicken, Mediterranean bowls and high-grade steaks.
Of course, for those who come knocking for Italian fare, the menu obliges with dishes such as chicken Parmesan, spaghetti with Calabrian chilies, and a notable take on Ravioli Bianco with shrimp and beurre blanc sauce.
Stowe established himself as a formidable chef in 2013 after surviving a series of elimination cooking rounds throughout Season 3 of Top Chef Canada. He ultimately won the finale and walked away with $180,000 in cash and prizes. More recently, he served as a judge on Top Chef in the U.S.
JOEY’s founder, Jeff Fuller, is CEO of the company, which enjoys campus-like headquarters complete with an industrious state-of-the-art test kitchen in Vancouver, Canada.
“We fly our chefs in a couple times a year and train them on new dishes,” said Stowe, who authored about 50 percent of the company-wide menu since taking the position of executive chef seven years ago. “We also have biweekly calls using video and audio because of our enormous attention to detail. It’s a constant process. We want customers to feel they are taken care of,” he added while pointing out that diners at all locations are greeted at the entrances with glasses of champagne, either with alcohol (for legal-age guests) or a non-alcoholic brand.
The company scouted various areas of San Diego County before ultimately settling for the north end of UTC in La Jolla’s Golden Triangle. Stowe noted that San Diego was targeted based on the success of other JOEY restaurants in Southern California, such as those in Downtown Los Angeles, Woodland Hills (where Kylie Jenner reportedly frequents) and Newport Beach.
“San Diego was a natural fit. It has a great restaurant scene, and we like the easy parking and bustling day scene of being connected to a luxury mall. We are very specific when it comes to our sites,” he said.
Stowe and his team created two dishes exclusive to the La Jolla menu. They are crispy nigiri constructed with ahi tuna and salmon, and drizzled with “chili crunch caramel.” The other is baked Alaska, a dessert rarely found in San Diego that involves a tableside pour-over of cherries jubilee.
Stowe is happy with the kitchen design at this location.
“It is built for volume and efficiency, and with good sight lines for people looking in. It also has a big prep area and a unique gas-powered flame grill that prevents flare-ups, which keeps food from over-charring.”
The grill is used mainly for steaks, most of which include an inventive sidekick of “fully loaded crispy mashed potatoes.” The embellished spuds are piped into thin spring roll wrappers for extra texture and draped in aged cheddar cream. A company chef crafted the recipe 25 years ago.
Dishes dating back even further within the JOEY universe include a chicken club sandwich with spicy mayo and chicken Parmesan.
“We have a good mix of old and new,” Stowe said. “We draw inspiration from all over the globe, which is exciting from a chef’s standpoint. You can come here with a group of 10 people and there is something on the menu that everyone can enjoy.”
In addition, the restaurant serves artful cocktails and wines hailing largely from California, France and Spain.
JOEY La Jolla is generously staffed. It opens daily at 11:00 a.m. and operates until midnight Sunday through Thursday, and until 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 858-834-7639 or visit www.joeyrestaurants.com.
