Joy's Table Pasta and Steak

I was traveling I80 on a motorcycle adventure and stopped next door for fuel. Both for myself as well as the bike. The immediate prospects were Subway & Godfathers. But while I was fueling, I noticed a small sign for Joy's. And it peaked my interest. After fueling up I meandered over and saw it was attached to a hotel and almost changed my mind. But I'm glad I didn't. Upon walking in, I was promptly heatedGreeted by the host who immediately sat me at a table with a bench seat not unlike a couch. A much more comfortable seat than is been on that day. A few minutes later my server brought a serving bottle full of ice cold water which was awesome!. After looking at the menu I decided on a half portion of the jambalaya and a side of rolls. The rolls and herb butter was sweet and garlicky. In short, delicious. And the jambalaya was amazing. I wasn't expecting good jambalaya in Nebraska. There were 2 or 3 jumbo shrimp that were good and fresh enough for frozen shrimp. And it was absolutely loaded with chicken and andoule sausage. Then tossed with crushed tomatoes and red pepper. It also had a little cheese on top. I was incredibly impressed with my food.

Over all the food was not horrible. The ravioli was very good. The chicken parm on the other hand not something I would recommend. Service was ok except the waiter messed our bill up at the end but not holding that against him since that's what happens sometimes when you split checks. He was working his butt off. Nice place to relax and enjoy a good meal that's not fast food when you're on the road.

Ordered some food to go while staying at the hotel. I ordered a steak with a drink. They steak was really good. Well seasoned and delicious. The sides of asparagus and side salad were good as well. What I didn't care for was the price of the drink. They gave me a child's sized fountain drink and it was $3.50. I thought that was pretty ridiculous, but fortunately the steak made it up for me.

I gotta say, I was surprised and a bit impressed with finding Joy's Table Pasta. After a few days of steak, red meat, and more red meat in Kearney, it was great to find something other than, well you know, red meat and potatoes!Now don't get so excited that you've found the crown jewel of Italian restaurants (note the name of the place still has 'Steak' in it) but for variety and good, solid pasta, you will find Joy's a welcome respite. Inside a conference center, the space is more functional than fancy, although they did a great job with the layout to give diners a sense of privacy. For service, we couldn't have been happier. It was a busy Monday (as there was a conference going on in the facility) but they got us seated at one of the more private and comfortable booths after just a few minutes. Being in Kearney, one had to try the Gin Martini (I don't know why I said that, it just sounded like it needed to be shared!) which was nicely mixed, chilled the way I like them, and filled to the brim!The Caprese Tower was fantastic; fresh local tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella adorned with basil olive oil, Maldon sea salt, and a balsamic glaze. What a great and refreshing way to start an Italian meal! For entrees' of course pasta. For me, the Ravioli, sporting lovely cheese-filled pockets adorned with a sun-dried tomato butter sauce, red peppers, egg, parmesan, butter toasted bread crumbs. For my wife, a huge fan of Eggplant Parmesan went all in. Thin cutlets of eggplant lightly breaded/fried and covered in a delicious red sauce. Oh, and we each got the 1/2 portion option and goodness was it more than enough!! I supposed if you are looking for a leftover take home the full portion would fit that bill.A special note about our server; a young lady (Denise) attending the local university, was superb! Knowledgable about the menu and options, friendly and attentive without being a lurker. Places like Joy's Table Pasta need to recognize, reward and retain staff like her.

Passing thru Kearny, NE and wanted steak. Read that the steaks are sourced from the "family farm" so we gave it a shot. The best part of the dinner was the blue cheese crumble on the salad.The rest was not worth the $170 bill. First, the place is very loud! We were in the side room but didn't buffer the acoustics from the main dining area. Maybe eating in the bar would have been less loud.Next, my salad was starting to show signs of "age". The lettuce was beginning to brown. However, the tomatoes resj and blue cheese crumble was awesome.I ordered the 10 oz prime rib with blue cheese butter, medium well. The steak was, maybe, 1/2 inch thick. It arrived rare in the middle to medium on the edges. I didn't send it back because, as you can see from the photo the butter was already on it and I was hungry. I ate along the edges. However, my husband had the New York, also a very thin cut. He was very clear when ordering to cook it well and burning it would not offend him. He was happy with his. Flavorful and not dry.Last, we ordered the tiramisu with ice cream and a coffee pour. It wasn't edible. The server tried to make it right by bringing the more traditional tiramisu. I appreciated her efforts but would not recommend it either.I gave a 3 despite my experience because it is a family friendly restaurant. And the traveler with children would find something they'd eat. But if you're looking for a quieter experience and a great steak, go some place else.

Love taking my family. Last time they didn't want us to sit at a certain spot (a booth) but she ended up letting us sit there. We have gone about an hour before they close and you can tell they don't want you there otherwise it's a good place.

The food was amazing! Would definitely like to try it all out! And same with my drink. Asked for the dirtiest martini and he killed it! One of the best ones I have had.

Service was good and the spinach and artichoke dip was excellent. Tasty and hot. Why 1 star? The main course. My wife ordered the beef tortellini and I had the spaghetti and meatballs . Fairly simple order.These entrees were delivered at barely warm. So what we did which we rarely do is return to the kitchen. The next delivery was luke warm at best and the meatballs were just barely luke warm. Not even close to hot. We asked the waitress to let the Manager know. So, simply the second order was just a shade warmer than the first and the Manager never came over which one would think a good Manager would. So all in all a very disappointing dinner. As a side note earlier this week we ordered a pizza with a 10 minute drive time for delivery and it was much hotter than our meal.Also, the waitress said we received a discount on the bill for this issue but as I looked at it the discount was standard for staying at the motels.

Passing through Kearney and staying at the La Quinta for 1 night.We chose this restaurant because it wasn't a chain and close to the hotel. Great food, chicken catiatore, and steak Fetucini , Bruschetta as appetizer. Everything tasted wonderful. We ate every bit of what we ordered. Great service as well, attentive and on Q.I recommend this restaurant if you stay at the Kearney Convention Center or just passing through!

Took my family to Joy's and we were disappointed by the overall experience, though there were some bright spots.5 stars:Our server Denise was helpful with suggestions, got down at the level of our kids when she took their orders, was patient, was attentive, and helped one of my kids after the meal.4.5 stars:I got a side of asparagus. Unfortunately, the woody portion at the bottom was not removed on some of them, and the side came with only 5 stocks or so. However, they were thick, well-cooked, and flavorful. Note: The menu says they are $7 but the bill listed it as $6.Denise recommend the "Tuxedo" pasta as a dish people enjoy. One of my kids ordered it and did indeed really enjoy it. It's $17.3.5 stars:One kid ordered the ravioli and though it was pretty good, though the restaurant forgot the red peppers. It was not worth $17.Another kid ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and though it was decent but not great. I tried a meatball and though it was tasty but mushy. It was not worth $17.3 stars:The kid meals are $7. My kids though they were OK, but they are small and do not come with a drink. Note: Kid meals are apparently free on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursdays, which was nice.My wife did not enjoy her "black and bleu" risotto very much, which was very disappointing for $24.I did not enjoy the "street corn" very much.The interior of my baked potato was good, but the potato was very small and the skin was leathery.Overall:In short, if you order well you may have a good experience, but we thought it was overpriced for the quality of the food.