A friend of mine saw me eating escarole and beans one night and said that the dish reminded him of a meal he thought was soooo delicious – Hot Sausage and Broccoli Rabe! That as all I needed to hear! He said he had it in JoJo's Tavern, a neighborhood restaurant and bar that had been in the same spot in Five Points, Hamilton Township, for many years.
He made sure to tell me that JoJo's was not a fancy restaurant, but that the food was delectable! So, when Jon and I were in the area, we went. We had just come from taking our passport photos. We had to go back a second time because we needed to be wearing dark shirts (see photo below).
We pulled into the parking area in the back, but walked all the way around to the front door. We did not know there was an easy access back door. Clearly, it was our first time there!
A very nice waitress named Devin came over to our high top table soon after we were seated. It was about 3:00 P.M., so we were looking for a late lunch / early dinner. We began with our usual Raspberry Martinis, which were rather large and very good! They didn’t have Chambord, so they substituted with Razzmatazz liqueur, which, if anything, is a bit sweeter.
I perused the menu looking for the Hot Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and there it was! I ordered it immediately because my lunchtime food was way past due. Our accommodating waitress, (Did I say her name was Devin?) told us we would want bread to soak up the sauce. She said that everyone loved to do that, so I agreed.
Jon ordered Grilled Clams with Butter and Lemon, which he loved and he had a Caesar Salad, which he also thought was very tasty.
The Broccoli Rabe arrived – it was an extremely large portion – I couldn’t believe it was my appetizer. They do not skimp! It was absolutely scrumptious, and I ate more than I planned. I had wanted to leave room for my Softshell Crab Sandwich with Tomato and Avocado on a Kaiser Roll. I can’t remember whether the crab was grilled or sautéed, but it was also delicious!
Jon ordered one of his favorites, Veal Parmigiana with Pencil Points with Marinara Sauce, which he thought was wonderful. Again, to say that his portion was large would be an understatement. He could not finish either the pasta or the veal, which came home with us, along with some of the Broccoli Rabe and ½ the crab sandwich, for another meal the next day!
Jon did order (and finished) the Onion Rings because Devin said they were superb and that everyone loved them – he shared them with me and they were gooood!
We didn’t order dessert, although there were lots of choices that sounded inviting. We did have Espresso Martinis (both caffeinated, by the way!), which we thoroughly enjoyed.
The place is comfortable and not decorated; there are several flat screen televisions around for the bar people to catch a game. At 4:00 P.M., the place started filling up, and that was on a Tuesday! I can only imagine what happens on a weekend!
I called my friend to thank him and told him that the Hot Sausage and Broccoli Rabe was the best I had ever eaten!
We will definitely go back. You should try it for delicious food in a non-pretentious, totally casual place!
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way, Trenton, NJ 08619
Jo-Jo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way, Trenton, NJ 08619