Dago Joe's

I like spinach.  I like cheese.  Thus, I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of these basic but great ingredients in the ravioli.  The meatball sandwich is also good, smothered in marinara and cheese on ciabatta bread.  It is comforiting to know that they use quality ingredients, too.  The name may be racist or maybe it is not; as long as the folks here are not actually racist, it probably does not matter.

The food was extremely disappointing... I heard a lot about the truck and wanted to check it out since Detroit has few decent italian options. So for $9 from a food truck I expected great pasta, sauce, meatballs, garlic bread....

Today I tried the Goodfellas pasta deal, For $9 with tip. The special was vermicelli pasta, two meatballs, sauce, garlic bread and a pop. They asked me if I wanted spicy or bland, and I asked for spicy.

The portion size was extremely small (I don't want mounds of pasta, but enough for a satisfying lunch), the pasta was cheap tasting and gummy, the sauce was no better than Chef Boyardee and no spice at all, the meatballs were bland, mushy and under seasoned. The garlic bread wasn't toasted, it was like the pasta, a cheap brand you can find at kroger, heavily buttered and coated with cheap garlic powder.

There was nothing new and exciting nor was it a good take on classic Italian food. Dago Joe's goal from my experience was to serve the cheapest ingredients and charge the maximum amount you can.

The staff was nice and enthusiastic, but clearly need to taste the food or justify the cost of using better fresher ingredients.

I highly recommend waiting to go home and cook your own Italian, it will be much better and cheaper. I want more food options in downtown Detroit, but try to add something to Detroit and create great tasting Italian food.

I stopped at Dago Joe's Food Truck a couple times when we had those warm early March days. Once to see if it was any good. Next time around, because it was so good. Dago Joe's is the real deal--the 'home cooking with fresh ingredients' sort of food you'd expect from a nice restaurant.

From its lime green and purple trailer at Cadillac Square and Bates, Dago Joe's churns out meatball sandwiches, pasta and salads. I think I counted five guys in the somewhat crowded trailer, all pitching in to get orders taken and dished out as fast as possible to hungry lunch-time customers.

First try, meatball sandwich. They start off with a fresh ciabatta roll, then add four large meatballs, provolone, and "lush sauce" which is a wonderfully bold marinara with a touch of heat. The sandwich, while a bit messy, had great flavors and textures.  

On my next visit I grabbed the ravioli with meatballs. A half dozen or so tender raviolis stuffed with spinach and cheese, smothered in Lush sauce. Meatballs on the side and I was full until dinner. The raviolis were perfectly cooked, not mushy or watery. The filling was flavorful and melded nicely with the sauce.  A small chunk of buttered garlic bread was served on the side. We sat on a curb in Cadillac Square and watched some guys play bocce ball as we ate.

As the days get warm again, this will become a regular lunchtime favorite.