I Was Filled at Joe's Filling Station
By Kristie Hill
I recently visited Joe’s Filling Station with my husband for lunch on November 19th, 2009. Previous to visiting the restaurant, I asked some friends and classmates about their experience there. I got both negative and positive reviews. With such a wide expanse of opinions, I was a little hesitant upon my first visit to Joe’s Filling Station.
When we pulled up to Joe’s I was excited by the building, a replica of a 50’s gas station. Entering the restaurant, we weren’t sure whether we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait to be seated. A friendly employee told us to go ahead and chose a seat. We chose to sit at the bar; it looked like more fun than sitting in a booth. As we looked over the menus, I couldn’t help but look around the restaurant. The walls are covered with authentic Coke® decorations and old gas station signs. Many of these wall hangings were collected by Joe Horkley himself, dating back to the 1950’s.
Joe Horkley founded an oil company in the 1950’s. His son, Jim Horkley started Joe’s Filling Station 2004 in honor of his father: “In honor of the late Joe Horkley, Joe’s Filling Station was founded on old-fashioned ideas of honesty, family, service and gratitude. It is our mission to provide our patrons with an experience that takes them back to a time when quality and friendliness were …” Not only does there services represent this mission, but so does the atmosphere of the restaurant. There is even an original gas pump from Joe’s gas station inside the restaurant. The decorations and layout of the restaurant really make you feel like you’re in a 50’s diner.
Directing my attention from the decorations back to the menu I noticed a wide variety of home-style meals; serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also had a sign of daily specials. I decided to be brave and order the breaded veal dinner. My husband got a Swiss mushroom hamburger. We both ordered the soup of the day, Cream of Red Potato and Peas, for our starter. Our soup was brought out right away. Both my husband and I “mmm’d…” after our first creamy spoonful. The soup was so sweet and creamy with the perfect amount of potatoes and peas.
After finishing our soup, we realized that there were humorous books set out to read while you waited for your meal to come. A few of them include: How to Confuse the Idiots in Your Life, Understanding Women, and How to Stay Humble when you’re Smarter than Everybody Else.” We laughed at the quotes in these books until our dinner came out.
My breaded veal dinner looked just as if my mom had dished up my plate. It included the breaded veal, creamy green beans, mashed potatoes with creamy, white gravy, a slice of cranberry sauce, and a fresh roll. It all tasted so good, even the green beans tasted better than any others I’ve had! Normally, I don’t like rolls, but this one was thick and delicious. My husband enjoyed his meal as well. The hamburger came with all the usual dressing (including a whole slice of an onion) and curly fries.
We had a great time at Joe’s Filling Station and would highly recommend it. It is a great place to enjoy a home cooked meal in a fun, 1950’s atmosphere. The meals were priced similarly to any other restaurant in town, the service was great, and the food was delicious.
When we pulled up to Joe’s I was excited by the building, a replica of a 50’s gas station. Entering the restaurant, we weren’t sure whether we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait to be seated. A friendly employee told us to go ahead and chose a seat. We chose to sit at the bar; it looked like more fun than sitting in a booth. As we looked over the menus, I couldn’t help but look around the restaurant. The walls are covered with authentic Coke® decorations and old gas station signs. Many of these wall hangings were collected by Joe Horkley himself, dating back to the 1950’s.
Joe Horkley founded an oil company in the 1950’s. His son, Jim Horkley started Joe’s Filling Station 2004 in honor of his father: “In honor of the late Joe Horkley, Joe’s Filling Station was founded on old-fashioned ideas of honesty, family, service and gratitude. It is our mission to provide our patrons with an experience that takes them back to a time when quality and friendliness were …” Not only does there services represent this mission, but so does the atmosphere of the restaurant. There is even an original gas pump from Joe’s gas station inside the restaurant. The decorations and layout of the restaurant really make you feel like you’re in a 50’s diner.
Directing my attention from the decorations back to the menu I noticed a wide variety of home-style meals; serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also had a sign of daily specials. I decided to be brave and order the breaded veal dinner. My husband got a Swiss mushroom hamburger. We both ordered the soup of the day, Cream of Red Potato and Peas, for our starter. Our soup was brought out right away. Both my husband and I “mmm’d…” after our first creamy spoonful. The soup was so sweet and creamy with the perfect amount of potatoes and peas.
After finishing our soup, we realized that there were humorous books set out to read while you waited for your meal to come. A few of them include: How to Confuse the Idiots in Your Life, Understanding Women, and How to Stay Humble when you’re Smarter than Everybody Else.” We laughed at the quotes in these books until our dinner came out.
My breaded veal dinner looked just as if my mom had dished up my plate. It included the breaded veal, creamy green beans, mashed potatoes with creamy, white gravy, a slice of cranberry sauce, and a fresh roll. It all tasted so good, even the green beans tasted better than any others I’ve had! Normally, I don’t like rolls, but this one was thick and delicious. My husband enjoyed his meal as well. The hamburger came with all the usual dressing (including a whole slice of an onion) and curly fries.
We had a great time at Joe’s Filling Station and would highly recommend it. It is a great place to enjoy a home cooked meal in a fun, 1950’s atmosphere. The meals were priced similarly to any other restaurant in town, the service was great, and the food was delicious.
