For years now, I’ve been battling a commute from hell to appease a craving for fantastic food and there was only one location in the greater Vancouver area to get it: Coquitlam. But now, the food gods have answered my prayers. Joey’s has a new location on West Broadway.

Joey’s used to be a jovial spin off of the earls concept: flashed with colors, a tacky decorative element that looked like barn yard foggle met hillbilly glam rock, and a menu that boasted pasta after pasta after pasta with middle of the road pricing, Joey Tomato’s was a good family haunt, with good hearted staff, and good standards. But with the increasing struggle to keep up to its counterpart, earl, and be more than just “good”, the young brother of the Fuller Family decided to step up and dump some cash into his pasta place and thereby redefine chain eating for the masses. The result is a new Joey’s (sans the tomato); a concept that cleverly balances casual and classy, and a place where luxury (be it the food or the look) has never felt so down to earth.

If you’ve never eaten at Joey’s before, you’re sadly missing out on the most tongue wagging of spots, and I’m not just talking about the food. The staff here is just as appealing as their menu, embracing the concept that you truly eat with your eyes before your mouth gets a go at the plate. Add a visual design that puts any other “cutting edge” eatery to shame and you truly have a feast for the senses.

Visually, Joey’s is simply stunning. The new construct on Broadway boasts a cabana bar that feels like you’ve been transported to Miami, the likes of Vancouver has yet to see (read: waterfall). The design concept as a whole is breathtaking; leather chairs meet deep woods meet glass. There’s in a decadent private “Mandarin Room” for the vino lush; a place to enjoy the expensive things in life in a setting that, well, feels really expensive. Joey’s is all class without being too uptight. It’s intimate, but social. It’s affordable luxury. Joey’s likes to make a good first impression. The food, fortunately for us, backs it up ten fold.

Joey’s menu is addictive (hence my commute). It’s bold. It fuses the Mediterranean, the Orient and even the surfside, into unique world tastes. Yet, it manages to refrain from intimidation. The unfamiliarity of some of the food here is actually part of the appeal. There’s no need to be afraid of anything on the menu, because it’s going to be done really well, and it’s going to be really good. Why have a plain old anything when you can have something original? Two words: Ginger Beef. Just one of the many reasons for my countless commutes: sweet cured ginger beef laid on top of crispy noodles in a spicy hoisin sauce. Let the drooling begin. (The other commute worthy item was the spicy chicken wontons that have seemingly disappeared from the menu and will be discussed with “The Joey” at a future date). In replacement, consider the Ahi Tuna/Baha Fish Tacos, an inspired and daring item that may make you forget you’re eating in Vancouver, while mains like Butter Chicken and Panang Curry Prawn actually had me second guessing my favorite Indian/Thai eateries.