‘Howdy pardner!’
No, this is not Dubya Bush on a surprise visit on Thanksgiving Day. This is your friendly neighbourhood Smokin’ Joe’s Pizza man! As the moustachioed cowboy logo suggests, it is not a smoking gun, but a smoking pizza that comes galloping out of the oven…
Others in the Fray:
Smokin’ Joe’s Fresh Pizzas made a relatively silent entry into the Indian market, compared to the other two majors in the Pizza fray – Dominos and Pizza Hut – who were both launched with great pizzazz. [Now, was that a pizza too many?]
The Cowboy may be less visible, his ads may be less savvy, he may not bring in too many snazzy high-on-publicity new products, but when it comes to delivering lip-smacking tasty fare and real value for my money, Cowboy Joe beats the others hollow. Perhaps as hollow as a ring of capsicum.
Taste to make you bite your lips:
Above everything else, a pizza maker must dish out pizzas that taste good. Here Smokin’ Joe’s scores an eagle! The pizzas are just right – the base not too crusty, not too rubbery; the toppings not too dominant, not too sparse; the vegetables not too raw, not too burnt; the pizza not too drenched in cheese, not too dry.
The aroma fills the room, and the corridor beyond. (My neighbour never fails to detect every order delivered!) The pizzas kinda melt in your mouth – you never have to chew too much on a bite – yet it is pretty filling. A ravenously hungry youngster may, just may, look for dessert after polishing off a ten-incher; but two typical anorexic ‘diety’ types will leave behind leftovers from the same ten-incher.
I wouldn’t like to pin-point particular delicacies here, primarily owing to four reasons:
Individual preferences differ.
The menu changes pretty regularly.
The mood of the moment decides the menu for me.
I am a veggie, and cannot boast full knowledge of the non-veg fare (in spite of feedback from friends).
Nevertheless, some unanimous hits are Corn Feast (with pieces of pineapple), Bell Pepper Fiesta (with those zappy jalapenos), Corn Chilli Cheese Toasts, Vegetariana, and Paneer Tandoori (ask him specifically to add Schezwan sauce).
The Cowboy Range:
Among pizzas, as usual, you get 8 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch. Some pizzas can be made ‘jain’ [no onion, no garlic] on request (yes, even the base is different).
For those looking at more than pizzas, the repertoire has been widened to include cheese toasts, garlic breads, chip-n-dips and pastas (both veg and non-veg). Some desserts are available, but are admittedly not too popular. A tie-up with Pepsico ensures a flood of soft drinks, aerated and otherwise.
Value for My Munny!
Pricing is where Smokin’ Joe’s scores over the others. 8 inchers average just above a hundred, 10 inchers hover around 160, and 12 inchers cost you a little over 200. You can snack on toasts for 50 bucks or so. My promotion treat to ten starved and famished yuppies only put me back by a little over a grand.
If you’re sitting in:
I’ve been to three Smokin’ Joe’s outlets – all in Bombay. The ambience is the same – simple, quiet, neat, subdued, and sparsely populated. Although their core competency is door delivery, they must be credited with maintaining good décor.
If you pick up that telephone:
The second time I called up, I was amazed to be greeted by my own name! It seems they have caller-id, and log each call with the order and the name ‘n’ address. The next time a call is received from the same number, the caller need not repeat the address.
Although they play safe by mentioning the delivery time as 45 minutes, the pizza delivery guy invariably turns up at my door in 20 minutes flat. No bad experiences on this count till date.
Random notes:
The names given to the pizzas reveal to a fair extent the kind of toppings that go into the pizza, except in some cases like Vegetariana, Ultimate Veg, etc. However, most names are changed every six months (perhaps with an accompanying minor change in ingredients); so it would make sense to check out the toppings before placing the order.
Smokin’ Joe’s have recently announced a ‘Joe’s Dough’ scheme, wherein each bill gives the buyer points, to be exchanged with goodies like haversacks and basketballs.
Want more?
The cheese in pizzas have been medically proven to cure common cold to some extent. Further, pizzas have been classified as ‘stress-buster’ foods! Now what are you waiting for?!