If you go to Café Jordano, ask for Irma.
Oh, sure, any one of the wait staff will do a fine job, but Irma’s been there a while and will give you the skinny on the menu; which busboy isn’t pulling his weight; who she’s seen come in lately; and what’s going on with the owners and their kids.
At 80 years old – the past 14 spent as a waitress at Café Jordano – Irma Perri has stories to tell and will be happy to share them. She speaks lovingly of the restaurant, the owners, the food. Obviously, it’s amore.
Irma can identify many of the family members in the old black- and-white photos on the walls of the mom-and-pop restaurant located in a Lakewood strip mall. This is Italian – and in case you forget, there’s an Italian flag and a World Cup banner draped across the back wall.
Hungry? Mangia! Irma will give you the rundown on the menu, including Bob’s Favorite ($6.75), tender slices of poached chicken swimming in a cheesy white cream sauce, a few stalks of crunchy asparagus on top. If you’re an alfredo fan, this is the dish for you. (Although for my taste, while it started off delicate, it quickly grew cloying.)
The Shrimp Pomodoro Fresco ($7.50) was fabulous, chunks of fresh tomatoes, five large, succulent shrimp and tangy red sauce, seasoned with fresh basil and served over al dente pappardelle.
The Cannelloni con Spinaci ($5.50) was delicious, a thin pasta roll stuffed with fresh spinach, ricotta and topped with a rich red sauce that still allowed the individual flavors to shine.
The lunch menu offers 15 pasta dishes, including spaghetti with meatballs or sausage ($5) and lasagna, Italian or Sicilian style ($5.50 and $5.95); sandwiches, including Panino con Polpette, a meatball sandwich ($5.50); chicken entrees, including Pollo alla Cacciatore, chicken sauteed with wine sauce ($6.75); and a few seafood items, including Scampi over Spaghetti ($6.95).
“Everything is homemade and cooked to order,” Irma says, the sauces and soups made fresh every morning. (At dinner, Café Jordano uses buffalo instead of veal, but still manages to keep its prices reasonable.)
My dining partner, who had been to Café Jordano for dinner, said the spumoni ($5) was the best she’d ever had. They were out of it, however, so Irma brought us a couple of Tartufos, an Italian ice cream dessert in a variety of flavors ($5). We dug in to the luscious ball of chocolate ice cream with a hazelnut center and walnuts, rolled in cocoa powder and sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. Heaven.
For most commuters, Café Jordano is off the beaten path. But it’s worth it. So take that extra 30 minutes or so for lunch someday and head over. And tell ’em Irma sent you.
Barbara Ellis can be reached at bellis@denverpost.com or 303-954-1751.
Café Jordano
Italian|11068 W. Jewell Ave., Lakewood, 303-988-6863| $1.95-$7.50|Lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dinner Monday-Thursday 5-9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 5-10 p.m.; MC, Visa; parking.
Front burner: Authentic Italian at reasonable prices in a kid-friendly setting.
Back burner: Location. It’s out of the way so allow more than the typical hour for lunch.
