Restaurant Review:

Joe's Farm Grill

By Elan Head

When I first moved to Phoenix, the trip to Joes Real BBQ in downtown Gilbert seemed as long as the drive to Globe. Now that I live in Chandler, the trek to Joe Johnston's latest venture, Joes Farm Grill, is only marginally more convenient. Located in Agritopia, near the intersection of Ray and Higley roads, Joe's Farm Grill will be destination dining for anyone who lives north of the 60 and west of Val Vista (and if you live in the West Valley, it might as well be out of state). But this delightful retro-burger stand is worth a Sunday drive, and it's a gem for folks in the neighborhood.

Agritopia is an interesting convergence of the values I touched on earlier in this story - sustainability and community - with the realities of the Valley real estate market. I've been curious about this master-planned community that seeks to return to its agricultural roots, and my first visit to Joes Farm Grill is a chance to check it out. Honestly, it’s not quite what I pictured: its tract homes are packed as tightly as those in any other development, and its “lush tree-lined streets" are still a work in progress. Its urban farms are certainly a step in the right direction, but I'm not sure that it is possible to conjure an agricultural small town on the edge of Metro phoenix.

The restaurant itself, though, transports me to my childhood on ranches in the desert Southwest. Joe’s Farm Grill is the remodeled Johnston Family home, a slump-block ranch house originally built in 1966. Partners Johnston and Tim and Tad Peelen have done a phenomenal job transforming it into a “mid-century modern burger stand," with a retro dining room and a butterfly roof. But it's the mature trees that trigger my nostalgia - few things are as magical as the oasis of large trees, planted by somebody's grandfather, that shelter desert homesteads. An hour beneath their shade, sipping a malt milkshake, is enough to make a person whole again.

And yes, Joe’s Farm Grill does serve milkshakes ($4), in vanilla, chocolate and the fresh fruit flavor of the day: (Make yours malt at no extra charge.) On my first visit, I ordered one for dessert, but I don't  make that mistake twice. The most indulgent way to enjoy a milkshake  is with a meal, and milkshakes go remarkably well with everything on Joe’s All-American, counter-service menu.

The standard Farm Burger ($8) is nicely prepared - an unpretentious but perfectly satisfying cheeseburger (with your choice of American, cheddar, Gruyere, Fontina or blue). More indulgent is the BBQ Bacon Blue Burger, or 4B ($9), topped with all of the above, plus a hand-breaded onion ring.

Naturally, there’s barbecue on the menu, including a really terrific BBQ Pork plate ($11) and a full slab of baby back ribs. At $20, the ribs are the most expensive item on the menu, but they're sized to feed a small army. Buttered grilled buns make the sandwiches special, whether a Portobello mushroom sandwich ($9) - topped with arugula and creamy Green Goddess dressing - or a cold chicken salad sandwich ($5) with curried coconut raisin dressing.

The fries are outstanding. I'm torn between the addictive garlic fries ($4) with olive oil, Pecorino and herbs, and the surprisingly good sweet potato fries ($4) with a pineapple-serrano dipping sauce. I'm also impressed with the two grilled pizzas I try, a grilled vegetable pizza ($8) and a BBQ chicken pizza with bacon, pungent blue cheese and Joe's Real BBQ sauce ($9).

Really, the only disappointment for me is the Farm Salad ($7). At least on the night I order it, the greens are wilted and the vegetable toppings lackluster. I abandon it for the vitamins in my sweet potato fries (but maybe I was just looking for an excuse to do that anyway).

OK, about those restrooms. If you've ever watched Supermarionation episodes in a public urinal, you're privy to a trend that has somehow passed me by. For their sheer surrealism, I now present the Restroom of the Issue award to Joe's Farm Grill. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.