Joe's Special | |
Country: | United States |
Region: | San Francisco |
Creator: | Original Joe's |
Main Ingredient: | Eggs, spinach and ground beef |
Minor Ingredient: | Onions, garlic and sometimes mushrooms, and various spices |
Variations: | Italian Joe's, Mexican Joe's |
Serving Size: | 100 g |
Joe's Special is a dish that originated in San Francisco. It always includes eggs, spinach and ground beef. Other common ingredients include onions, garlic and sometimes mushrooms, and various spices. It is a scramble.
Although the dish has been served for decades at many restaurants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including several with "Joe's" as part of their names,[1] [2] it was popularized by Original Joe's, a restaurant in San Francisco's Tenderloin District.[3] During World War II, a serving cost 75 cents.[4] When Original Joe's relocated to the North Beach neighborhood following a fire, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee issued a proclamation calling the Joe's Special "famous".[5]
As a dinner entree, the dish can be served with slices of toasted sourdough bread spread with garlic butter, or on a bed of rice or pasta.[6] It is also sometimes served as a breakfast dish.[7] Ketchup or Tabasco sauce are common condiments.[8]
Variations include Italian Joe's, which includes Italian sausage as the meat component, and Mexican Joe's, which includes chorizo instead of ground beef.[8]