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Dining out: Jockamo Upper Crust
Posted: Dec 12, 2007 in Dining
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VENUE INFO
During a recent episode of Fox TV's "Kitchen Nightmares," chef Gordon Ramsay lambasted the owner of a Los Angeles pizzeria for neglecting the eatery's ovens in favor of frozen dough, canned tomato sauce and a microwave.
In the not-so-distant past, that might have been about the best Eastsiders could hope for, as gourmet-pie purveyors passed over the area in favor of the more trendy Mass Ave., Broad Ripple and Far Northside. Fortunately, a quartet of entrepreneurs decided to invest in the restaurant-starved area, bringing Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza to the heart of Irvington shortly before Halloween.
That seasonal treat quickly turned into a neighborhood staple, packing in crowds clamoring for specialty pies and make-your-own creations. Sauces and crusts are house-made, and pies bake up in professional pizza ovens lining a wall of the open kitchen.
Weekends waits
The setting is simple: painted cement floors; wood tables, chairs and booths; and walls with wood paneling below and cheerful gold and rust paint shades above. The large plate-glass windows overlooking Washington Street sometimes show off artwork created by area kids. During our visit, a Christmas tree with sparkling lights was showcased instead.
A small bar makes room for about six along a back wall; seats go fast on weekends, when the place is inevitably on a wait.
My husband, Pete, and I ordered drinks and salads to start our meal.
With the exception of light versions, Jockamo's dressings (balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard, creamy Gorgonzola, creamy garlic and a warm sweet-and-spicy style) are house-made "because we don't know how to make anything with less than the calories God intended," according to the menu.
I chose the Gorgonzola to accompany my small house salad ($2.95). The rich dressing paired perfectly with a plentiful amount of iceberg and romaine leaves topped with shredded carrots, black olives, diced bits of tomato and cucumber and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Pete went with the Health Nut salad ($2.25), a tasty blend of broccoli, red onion, tomato, cukes and pine nuts in creamy garlic dressing. Although smaller than my house salad, it was a creative alternative to a lettuce-based side.
Individual servings
Next up, the pizzas. They arrived nicely paced just a few minutes after the empty salad plates were cleared away. We decided to go with 10-inch independent pies. For those willing to share, 12- and 16-inch pizzas also are available.
The menu lists nearly two dozen "house specials" ranging from Po Boy pizza (shrimp, chicken or crawfish with smoked Cajun sausage, red onion and green pepper) to Greek, Mediterranean and primavera versions. It was no surprise, though, that my carnivorous hubby went straight for the 10-inch Slaughterhouse Five ($10.45), a Kurt Vonnegut tribute with pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon and Italian beef.
Yeah, it's a protein overload, but the meats were tasty, especially the smoky bacon, large rounds of thin-sliced ham and Italian beef bits. Pete decided that in the future he would replace the mild sausage with its spicier chorizo cousin, which was part of my Make Your Own creation.
I chose from among Jockamo's regular and specialty toppings to concoct a 10-inch pizza with pepperoni, chorizo, red and yellow bell peppers and fresh garlic ($11). The chorizo blends heat with a shot of cinnamon for a spicy-sweet flavor that teamed well with the fresh garlic and pepperoni slices. The bell peppers are finely diced for a colorful shot of veggie power.
The thin crusts -- seasoned with basil and garlic -- crisp up nicely on the edges. The rich, thick house-made tomato-based sauce topped both of our pies. Other sauces are offered -- pesto, barbecue, Alfredo, black bean, creamy Parmesan, hummus -- but I'll have a hard time tearing myself away from this lycopene-packed goodness on future orders.
Local vendors
We didn't make it to dessert -- in fact, we each boxed up half of our pizzas -- but carrot cake, a pineapple upside-down cupcake and a bomba (frozen chocolate and vanilla gelato) are available. So are beer and wine, including specialty brews from Indianapolis-area breweries. In fact, Jockamo is big on using local vendors, bringing in barbecue sauce from G.T. South's and smoked Cajun sausage from Claus' German Sausage & Meats.
That neighborly attitude attracts an already loyal group of regulars. We noticed diners waving to each other from nearby tables and greeting newly arriving friends. If all that camaraderie is any indication, Jockamo needn't worry about any kitchen nightmares -- and neither will Eastsiders.
By Julie Cope Saetre / INtake correspondent
Thanks for the great review! We are pleased that you and your husband enjoyed everything. The Jockamo Owners
Try the Mediterranean. They use hummus instead of pizza sauce. It also comes with olives and feta cheese. Very tasty.
When I tried Jockamo, I had the So-Cal pizza and it was excellent. We want to go back soon!
What's the address? So far when Intake changed to Indy.com, I find that they never seem to list the addresses of these restuarant reviews.... sigh
What's the address? So far when Intake changed to Indy.com, I find that they never ...
Nevermind...I found the address when I clicked on the other pic....Sorry! I'll defintely be going there soon....
Ok pizzeria. No draft beers available (how could you have a restaurant without draft beers!!! They offer drafts at Pizza Hut!) Pizza was ok, but we've had better. We might go back, but I'd rather have Unos.
So tell the rest of us... what is the address
Address information will always appear on the "Venue info" page for each restaurant. The link to this page is always positioned to the right of the first paragraph of restaurant reviews (or should be).
Look for: "Venue info: Click below for address and more" ...
The venue page provides hours, address information, map features and more.
Regardless, here is the address info: 5646 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN, 46219
Yeah, Indy.com's dining and nightlife content is actually more information rich than IntakeWeekly.com's was...you just have to click the link.
As a longtime pizza fan, I am so happy to have Jockamo as a new and yummy option... As for not having draft beer, their excellent selection of specialty brews more than makes up for the lack of a paltry Bud Light in a glass. Give me a local brewer anyday! Try the creamy parmesan breadstick dip - its addictively good. Other favorite is the bbq chicken. That sauce makes the bbq pizza I've ever had!
As happy Irvington residents, we are thrilled to have Jockamo's close by. Our first visit was disappointing but the restaurant's proximity beckoned a second try. The second trip was much improved and we expect to continue going back. I agree with the previous post - the parmesan breadstick dip is yummy. Worth the calories! We've tried about 5 of the specialy pizzas and our running favorite is the Cheese Louise. We love the atmosphere as it welcomes conversation between friends and neighbors.
A friend and I visited recently and loved it! Living in Greenfield makes it a small hike for pizza but it is definetly well worth the drive!
Thank goodness for decent pizza. Their Italian Beef sandwich is horrible. It's more like a poor attempt at a Philly Cheese Steak. It's too bad Indy doesn't have a place to get a good Italian Beef sandwich - similar to Al's Beef in Chicago.
We love Jockamo. The pizza are great. I love the local brewies that they are supporting. The wait staff is always friendly and helpful.
What about the breadsticks? All that, and no mention of the melt-in-your-mouth breadsticks. Don't waste your time on the roughage. Go straight for the breadsticks, you will NOT be disappointed. Really thats where its at!
That creamy parmesan breadstick sauce is the very definition of bomb diggity.
I keep seeing comments about this Jockamo place; I'm going to have to get over there... as soon as i get my money right...
The bread sticks suck. They are store bought; you can see them dump them out of the bag. It is a shame, all that effort on custom pizza sauce, and really great pies, when, they have not garlic bread, or cheesy bread, but warmed up, pre-baked crappy breadsticks like you can get at Kroger. Sometimes Irvingtonians get all excited about the new stuff in their hood and can't realize that, in fact, the bread sticks do actually suck.
In response to the above post: The breadsticks we get are from a vendor that specializes in Italian products and come from a bakery in Chicago. They are not available in stores. We wanted to use specialized sauces for dipping and not duplicate the fine offerings that other local gourmet pizza places already offer.
The bread sticks suck. They are store bought; you can see them dump them out ...
So are you saying that you don't like their breadsticks? I'm not sure I'm following you.
Breadsticks are breadsticks. Sure, they may not be my favorite part about Jockamos but then again, they didn't exactly name the place Jockamos Breadstick Bonanza. If you don't like the breadsticks, don't buy them.
It's clear that several others disagree with you.
Thanks BMack. Herbert is right, they are packaged in bags, but they do come from a specialty bakery in Chicago. If he were to investigate a little further regarding the garlic/cheese bread that is served in other upscale pizza establishments locally, he would find they use the same vendor.
Went Sunday night for first time, will definitely return. Irvington way overdue for this type of eatery.
better bread offerings with carmelized crusty deliciousness from an on-site oven, and you surpass Bazbeaux in every regard (with the exception that some will like the mild grunginess of bazbeaux's interior atmosphere to the cleaner mildly corporate feel of jockamo's). that's totally fine that others disagree, and indeed, if you like breadsticks, go to Fazzoli's or Olive Garden. But that's just it, when one sits down at a local pizzeria, the mere presence of breasticks (especially those that appear to be store bought, and are often not hot enough) can psychologically undermine the legitimacy of the local vibe... Until better bread offerings, I still will choose to go to Bazbeaux from time to time, with small guilt pains in my heart for not spending money in the neighorhood that otherwise could be... I and the other people that agree with me (not necessarily on this blog) could be insignificantly proportionate to the issue. Bottom line, go Jockamos! It is so great to see people dining in the neighborhood on Monday night at 9pm!