Dining a la Carteret
Ioanni’s Grill
Long
before fast food chains were thinking about super sizes or thick burgers,
Ioanni’s Grill in 
Ten
years later, the Ioanni’s Special is one of a dozen or so burgers that they
are well-known for. The Ioanni’s
Special is a pound of ground beef topped with grilled onions and mushrooms,
bacon and American cheese. Served
with fries and a dill pickle spear, this is an elephant of a burger that you
can only eat one bite at a time.
My
hosts for the evening, owner Jeff Turnage and his son Jeremy (who is also head
cook) are proud of the quality reputation Ioanni’s has developed over the
years.
The
menu at Ioanni’s includes an assortment of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes,
subs, sandwiches, pizzas and desserts as well as a variety of those colossal
burgers and nightly steak and seafood specials.
Jeff
is also excited about the newly completed interior renovations, and rightly
so. The warm colors and hand-set ceramic tile floors are beautiful and
inviting. You immediately feel at
home when you walk in the door.
Five
flat screen televisions make every seat the perfect seat for viewing your
favorite show or sporting event. The
installation of fresh air intakes and three smoke removers keeps the
atmosphere clean and clear. The
dining room layout is open and the veteran staff is eager to make every guest
feel like a regular.
During
my visit to Ioanni’s, Jeff and Jeremy chose some of their favorite menu
items for review.
We
began with the hot crab dip and fresh fried mushrooms.
The hot crab dip is loaded with cream cheese and a double portion of
crab claw meat.
Jeff
emphasizes that they only use claw meat, because it’s the better crabmeat,
and he kept the rest of the ingredients a secret.
Understandably so, served with fresh toasted pita bread, the crab dip
is warm, delicious and filling. It
only comes in one size, big.
On
that note, I was most impressed with all the food portions at Ioanni’s; you
definitely get your money’s worth.
The
fresh fried mushrooms are medium-sized whole button mushrooms, which they hand
batter and fry. These mushrooms do not come frozen in a box, and you can taste
the difference. Served with ranch
dressing for dipping, they are very good and are Jeff’s favorite.
The
menu at Ioanni’s, full of American flavor, also boasts Greek and Italian
influences. The original owners of
Ioanni’s are Greek. The freshness and full natural flavors of foods prepared
with Greek influence are some of my personal favorites.
Knowing that, perhaps you will better understand my excitement when the
following entrees reached the table.
The
Greek ribeye, a featured nightly special, is an eight-to-ten ounce ribeye,
grilled to customer specification, then topped with sautéed tomatoes,
spinach, crabmeat, garlic and Feta cheese.
Served
with a loaf of garlic bread, this lavish ribeye is beautifully presented and
tastes even better than it looks. The
combination of tomato, Feta and garlic flavors is a wonderful accent to the
tender and juicy ribeye.
The
Greek pizza followed the steak. Just
imagine a crispy hand thrown crust topped with homemade garlic spread, then
layered with Feta cheese, spinach, black olives and tomatoes.
Wow!
This
pizza is very good and different than the usual fare.
I was so excited about this pizza I got up and started passing out
slices to other customers in the restaurant.
Every
one of them agreed with me that it was the best pizza they had ever eaten.
Just to make sure I remembered how good it was, I ordered one for
dinner as I began composing this story. The
delivered version was every bit as good as the one I shared at the restaurant.
Speaking
of delivery, Ioanni’s provides free delivery of all their menu items from 11
a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 4-10 p.m. on Sunday.
They are also available for caterings, special events, parties or
weddings.
Some
of you may be disappointed to learn that I was so full from all of the
wonderful appetizers and entrees that I could not even look at dessert.
I was informed that the Baklava and chocolate mousse are outstanding.
I will definitely start with dessert on my next visit to Ioanni’s.
Maybe you should too!
Located
at
When you're there, don’t forget your
“to go” menu. You will definitely want a delivery order in the future.
Quick
Bites
Ioanni’s
Grill
Location:
Phone: (252) 808-0008 or (252) 808-3331
Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 2
a.m., Sunday 4 p.m. to midnight. Delivery is available Monday through Saturday
11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 4-10 p.m.
Payment Options: Cash, MasterCard, Visa, American
Express, Discover, traveler’s checks, local checks.
Reservations: Not required.
Burger
Specials
All
burger specials are one half pound of grilled ground beef prepared as follows:
The
Blue Burger – Blue Cheese, Ham, Lettuce and Tomato
The
South West Burger – Fried Onions, Bacon, Provolone Cheese and BBQ Sauce
Buffalo
Burger – Beef is Seared then marinated in Buffalo Sauce, topped with
Provolone Cheese, Onions, Mushrooms and Bacon
Greek
Burger – Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives, Feta Cheese and Tomatoes
6/16/06
See the previously reviewed restaurants on the Restaurant Archive page
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