BY TONY CHEONG: Say it ain't so, Joe…
My go-to spot for Philly-style, fruit-flavored Italian ice, as well as other cold goodies, is closing.
BY TONY CHEONG: Say it ain't so, Joe…
My go-to spot for Philly-style, fruit-flavored Italian ice, as well as other cold goodies, is closing.
Joe's Italian Ice, on Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, will shut down on Aug. 31, announced Mike Abeyta, Joe's owner. The city, which owns the land, has pretty much forced Abeyta's hand. And not for a frivolous reason. In order to lure more tourists to the city, and line city coffers with more dough, Garden Grove plans to allow for a hotel and restaurant on the 5-acre site where Joe's now stands.
The project calls for up to three hotels with a maximum of 769 rooms – some of which will be luxury accommodations. The project will also contain 45,000-square feet of restaurant and entertainment space, and a 39,000-square-foot conference center.
When it opened in 2002, Joe’s was one of a few places in the region that sold authentic Italian ice. Similar to the way ice cream is made, water and fruit purées are blended in a freezing machine to create flavored "water ice" – a popular dessert on the East Coast. Joe’s offers more than a dozen flavors each day. All the ice cream comes from Philadelphia.
The hole-in-the-wall, brightly colorful "shack" doesn't look like much, but the treats are top notch.
Anytime you drive by the locale, there's a line.
Luckily for Abeyta, he had the good business sense to spread around his eggs rather than put them all in one basket.
There is another Joe's about a half-mile away on Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim near Disneyland. And there's another Joe's in Tempe, Ariz.
So it's not all bad news. I'll just frequent the other Joe's, near Disneyland.
Do you have a question, comment or news tip for Tony? Email her at tonyontown@yahoo.com.
