Homemade heaven
Jethro’s restaurant has served up freshness for more than two decadesBy Jimmy Mincin, jmincin@altoonamirror.com
Article Photos
Fact Box
Jethro's
Address: 417 Park View Lane, Altoona (between Target and Sam's Club)
Hours: Jethro's is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
Price range: $5.99 to $8.99 during lunch hours (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.); $7.99 to $21.99 during dinner hours (4 p.m. to close).
Dress: Casual
Atmosphere: Upbeat casual
Alcohol: Liquor, wine, beer
Specialties: Ribs, steaks, gnocchis, deep-fried zucchini, steak and chicken salads, seafood dishes, pepperoni bread
Seating capacity: About 450, including outdoor patio
Reservations: Highly recommended on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are always accepted.
Tony Fubio and Karen Kitt of Altoona are food lovers.
The couple travel extensively and frequently throughout Pennsylvania trying out as many restaurants as possible.
"We often joke we should be food critics," Fubio, 48, of Altoona said. "We really go everywhere to eat."
It's all because they enjoy the savory freshness of a home-style meal cooked with care, he said, and there's one place in particular they are sure to frequent at least twice a week to get that - Jethro's in Altoona.
"Well, I really like a good strip steak dinner, and Jethro's is definitely one of the better places to come out and get a good steak," Fubio said. "And you get a good size portion for the price. A lot of people think Jethro's is expensive because the food is homemade, but their prices are comparable to anyone else in this town, if not lower."
"And you get your steak exactly how you order it," Kitt, 46, said. "A lot of chefs don't like to do a steak well-done, but they will here. And I love the chicken salads. They're so good. I like the grilled chicken, and the lettuce is always fresh - and you get those really good rolls, too."
The restaurant's rustic, family-style atmosphere includes two banquet rooms (often used for birthday parties, anniversaries, retirement parties, Christmas parties, kids' crafts, etc.), the larger of which will hold between 80 and 100 people, while the smaller room holds 50 people; a two-tier patio which seats about 200 people and provides a panoramic view of the mountains; a bar that holds 60 people; newly tiled floors; a fireplace; and a dining room adorned with 15-foot windows providing for more breathtaking vistas.
"I like the fireplace in the winter and the patio in the summer," Kitt said. "We like to come here on Sundays and watch the Steelers games. It's just the overall atmosphere, I guess. It's very welcoming, friendly and comfy here - very relaxed."
Nick Castellucci, who took over as general manager of the restaurant two and a half years ago, said it was the idea of freshly made food that drew him to Jethro's.
"You just can't go wrong with it - everything on our menu is homemade, from the sauces, meatballs, gnocchis and dressings, right down to the desserts," he said. "Our menu is big enough to where there's good variety, but you don't have to eat the same thing all the time - though a lot of people do."
Castellucci, 58, of Duncansville, cited barbecued ribs, chicken salads and steak salads, gnocchis, pepperoni bread and deep-fried zucchini as the restaurant's crown jewels, adding "we still sell a heck of a lot of steaks, too."
The menu also includes choices such as chicken wings, rib fingers, potato skins, quesadillas, seafood dinners, crab cakes, pasta dinners, burgers, chicken and veal parmigiana, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, French fries, vegetable plates and cole slaw. For dessert lovers, there's cakes such as the peanut butter meltaway, fluffy coconut creme, carrot cake, rum cake, Toll House cookie pie, chocolate cake, cheesecake and ice cream.
Beverages include soda, iced tea, raspberry tea, coffee, hot tea, milk, juice, liquors, domestic and imported beers (14 different brands on tap) and wines.
"The food is consistent. I've been coming here for 20 years and I've never had a bad steak," Jeff Schmitt, 53 of Altoona said. "When you come in, it's going to be a great meal all the time, regardless of what you get. And that's why I come back here so often. Tonight, I had the chicken and sirloin - it was phenomenal."
Schmitt comes to Jethro's by himself at least twice a week, he said, adding he always sees someone he knows at the bar.
"I even sit in the same stool," he said. "I feel like Norm from 'Cheers' - I should get my mail here."
Waitress Chris Schezzini, like much of the restaurant's staff, has worked at Jethro's for several years - a contributing factor, as she pointed out, to the very consistency Schmitt spoke of.
"We have a good team of servers," she said. "And if there's ever a problem, our managers make sure they go out of their way to keep customers coming back."
Theresa Zurilla and Diane Beach, both of Hollidaysburg, conceded to the quality of service. They've been coming to Jethro's together at least twice a month for more than 20 years.
"It's just good service and good food," Beach, 51, said. "The waiters are courteous and friendly, and they know how much we love the zucchini."
"And they have the same waiters and waitresses here now that they had years ago," Zurilla, 49, added. "We've been coming here since clean back in the '80s for office functions and things like that. And they also do (office and party) catering. They can pretty much make anything on the menu into a platter - potato skins, cheese sticks - appetizer-type things."
"We cater to everyone - no matter what age you are, and we'll treat you like a king and queen, Castellucci said, adding the restaurant also delivers from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily but only for orders of $50 or more.
Catellucci also noted he's seen his share of sports celebrities eat at Jethro's - everyone from the Buffalo Bills' Paul Posluszny to the Philadelphia Eagles' Juqua Parker to former Steeler Rocky Bleier.
But everyone's treated equal at Jethro's, he said.
"I always say, 'We don't have customers, we have guests,'" he said. "And when you're in this to serve guests, that's when you become a hospitality business - not just a food service business."
Mirror Staff Writer Jimmy Mincin is at 946-7460.
