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Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, a Chicago Chain at 15th and H Street Downtown - Chef Billy Klein Comes From Pulpo


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Prince of Petworth on the receiving end of another game of telephone regarding rumors on Joe's Stone Crab coming to DC.  (The typo in the title of that post and the subsequent comments are comedy gold).

If true this is pretty awesome.  We've resorted to next day FedEx of a few dozen claws when we get the hankering when stone crabs are in season.  With shipping it ends up being about what you would pay at retail, but any time I've found them in this market they have been less than fresh.  If there was a place I could plop down at the bar and get a half dozen or do when the urge hits ... sweet.

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Harris Teeter overnighted fresh stone claws this winter at the start of the season and I ate my face off. As for Joe's - if it opens I won't be upset but I'm going to need more expense account friends.

Which Harris Teeter? And was this something they advertised, or did they special order them for you? I'm all over that next year!

I know we'd be paying out the nose at Joe's. The quality of their product is worth it. Almost. I don't think I could ever spend the money for a full dinner there, but a few claws and a cocktail would be a nice splurge.

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The NoMa Teeter gets *something* delivered nearly every Friday. They send out an advance email on it and you can reserve quantity through them if you want, but if you're there on Friday it's not an issue (they ship in enough to get them at least through Saturday). In addition to the stone crabs I've snagged fresh Alaskan King crab (legs one week, clusters another) and wild U-3 prawns. It's not always that exciting (farm raised drum!) but when they hit they deliver strong.

They actually overbought on those stone claws too and I saw them marked down to like $6.99/lb on the Wednesday after they got them in. If I didn't know better...

As for Joe's, I'm with you. I can see myself with a few claws and a drink on a nice evening in a heartbeat.

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Joes Stone Crab? Or Joes Crab Shack?

Former is good Miami restaurant. Latter is just Red Lobster with different decor. I seriously hope not the latter. I went once with my in laws, in suburban Rochester because they had a gift certificate. It was ok but I would never pay my own money to go. I did get a sweet crown made of balloons made by the waitress.

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That corner doesn't seem like the right location for a Joe's Crab Shack, but I could see Joe's Stone Crab there. I can't think of another 5 star chain in the "steak and seafood" category...maybe Pappadeaux's? Don't consider that 5 Star. Ocean Prime? I know the Cameron Mitchell team was in DC last year scoping things out. Flemings?

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FWIW in the '90's the original Joe's Stone Crab in Miami was a South Florida tradition and a destination restaurant. As you would go to, say, Spark's Steak House in New York you would go to Joe's Stone Crab. But at the time Mark's Place in North Miami Beach and Norman Van Aken were recognized "five stars" with Joe's a step lower. That was the original. No idea what Lettuce Entertain has done to it.

Question: if Joe's Stone Crab is a five star in Vegas then what is Joel Robuchon which coincidentally has three Michelin stars?

Point is that I typically don't regard even the best steak house or Joe's Stone Crab as what might be considered the best restaurant in any city. I view it as competition to Oceannaire. As for five stars it depends on the epistemology of the rating system and the marketing agency behind it. It might be a seven star system...

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I had an early dinner here on Wednesday with my fifteen-year-old goddaughter who was delighted with the way that the waiter poured her Diet Coke into a glass.  We shared a Caesar Salad, which we found to be bland, and calamari which we finished easily.  I asked for anchovies and received two smallish ones in a metal cup.  I had fish and chips which were fine while goddaughter had a quite large portion of fried chicken, which the Post critic raved about as a sleeper dish, of which she ate one-and-a-half pieces, taking the rest home for her dog (the half) and herself (the rest).  The place is an old bank and has large rooms and is reasonably quiet.  The waiters wear tuxedos covered by a butcher apron although no dress code applies to the customers.  I would go back to try the chicken for myself although the beef and seafood may be more expensive that I would wish. 

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I had a very good dinner at Joe's. Great space. Definitely pricey. Really good seafood salad to start. Enjoyed the stone crabs, though not so floored by them that I'd be compelled to order them every time. What I would definitely order again is their ribeye - one of the best steaks I've had. I was impressed that, when I requested a ribeye from the chuck end (the cuts of which have the larger ribeye caps, the most delicious part of the steak in my opinion), they informed me that all their ribeyes are from the chuck end. Since they don't butcher the steaks in house, they order only chuck-end ribeyes.

And definitely would like to come back to try to their supposedly great fried chicken.

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I really like Joe's. I've eaten there twice. The first time was fun and the food was great. The service was top notch. The captains are adept at upselling. We ordered way too much food. The second time we scored a booth in the bar, which is the more dramatic setting. I ordered what I thought was the right amount of food but still couldn't finish. The Dover Sole was perfectly cooked. There are so many good things on the menu that it is difficult to make a choice. 

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Have always enjoyed the original Joe's, a Miami Beach institution at the southern tip of the island. Always pricey but also incredibly consistent over so many years; the stone crabs, other food and old-world service.

As with any unique, famed and excellent place, always a bit concerning when, after so many years, a new generation or new owners succumb to the siren call of ever greater growth. That said, some pull it off better than others. For example, many might agree Stephen Starr has handled scale better than Bobby Flay or, locally, Jeff Black versus Spike Mendolsohn.

Haven't yet ventured into the local Joe's outpost, not wanting to be disappointed in something to which I was first introduced as a child. But, reviews like Mark's say a lot.

Not resolution worthy by any means but 2015 will likely be the year for us to try Joe's DC.

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darkstar, you should go there just to see the bar. It is the coolest looking bar in town without question. The stone crab claws are good but very expensive.

What's the current MP for claws these days?  We still haven't made it down.

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What's the current MP for claws these days?  We still haven't made it down.

Nevermind, just saw that they post their market card online.  Um ... nevermind  :unsure:

No Floridian orders stone crabs in a restaurant. They're just too damned expensive with the markups. When I'm home, I get them from Fish Peddler. They do a great job in steaming and cracking so all you have to do is separate the meat from the shells and dip in butter or mustard sauce. A pound a person is all you need.

That said, the crop the last couple of years has been awful, and prices are crazy.

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No Floridian orders stone crabs in a restaurant. They're just too damned expensive with the markups. When I'm home, I get them from Fish Peddler. They do a great job in steaming and cracking so all you have to do is separate the meat from the shells and dip in butter or mustard sauce. A pound a person is all you need.

That said, the crop the last couple of years has been awful, and prices are crazy.

I was looking to compare with what we would normally pay to have them FedEx'd in.  Even with the pricey overnight rates, it would still be 2-3x as expensive to sit in at Joe's.  However, looking at our go-to shipper (Key's Fisheries) they don't even have any in stock to ship right now, citing a rough harvest this year.  Yikes.

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As someone with Miami roots, have been meaning to go to Joe's for quite awhile and finally made it last night.

Bottom line:  it was a wonderful experience, with good food, gracious service and a relaxed atmosphere.  Though a bit on the pricey side.

We had to try the stone crabs, of course.  These were pretty small for the money ($7 a piece for "medium" (the smallest) claws).  They were good but just not enough meat, given the scrawny size, for what we paid.  My reference point, as with DanielK, is ordering them at seafood stores in Miami, where you get larger claws for less money.  Still recommend ordering these if you don't have Florida roots, as the taste of this unique crab, pretty darn close to the taste of lobster in my book, is a special treat up in these parts.

The break basket was excellent, with jalapeno cornbread, Parker House-type rolls, a kind of onion roll similar to bialys and some tasty homemade crackers.

Our mains were the branzino and sea scallops with bacon jam, which was a combination of bacon and some kind of aioli. Went perfect with the scallops.  The sides were the fried asparagus and crispy brussels sprouts which were very good.  There were like 10 kinds of potatoes but we decided to be good to save some calories.

Definitely recommend the key lime pie for dessert as the traditional end of the meal.  Excellent rendition here:  perfect balance of sweet and tart with a nice crackery crust.

Joe's is pretty much a must try for those who have been to the Miami branch and want to re-live some of those memories.  For others, it would seem to be in the higher tier of DC steak/seafood houses with some interesting twists that help it stand out.

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We had dinner at Joe's with inlaws for Hubby's birthday.  I found the menu a bit confusing in some ways.  We got stone crab to start with, and it was good, but we ordered the large and thought they would be just a little larger.  I like their mustard dipping sauce.  The service is extremely professional, and just fantastic.  I got the Whaley, which they said was for an individual, for most people it would be a starter, the lobster tail, king crab portion and shrimp were all fairly small.  They were good though.  We also found the entree portions on some entrees small and some very large (Hubby's steak was big, one of the fish dishes was a large portion, the crab cakes were normal, other fish normal)  They said 2-3 sides per table, we ordered two, and if we were more hungry and not getting dessert really  should have gotten another.  We got the brussles, which were fine, and the asparagus, which was good, but not anything different than you would expect.  And then dessert was large portions of pie and cake.  So in the end we ended up full.  If I wasn't getting dessert, I would have wanted something else.  I feel like it is hard to gauge the amount of food you are going to get when you order something.  It was a nice restaurant to get our in laws out in time for their play and to have a celebration.  And now I know in terms of menu...

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Took the kids to Joe's for lunch after their tour of the White House.  We've visited quite a few mansions recently and the White House is quite small in comparison.  The estimated tour time of 45 minutes was mostly spent in the security line.  

So I ordered the 2 course lunch with stone crab claws, hash browns, cole slaw, and key lime pie.  We also ordered some fried calamaris and fried shrimp.

When I did the 2 course lunch in Vegas, I was given a huge plate of hash browns, not so at the DC location - just a small scoop of seared potatoes.  The cole slaw is made tableside with cabbage, relish and mayo.  The seafood were great though.  The key lime pie had a very thick graham cracker crust.   

Brunch happy hour included half price champagne.

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On 3/27/2020 at 4:22 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Thought it might give each other ideas based on where and what you're ordering for take-out or delivery.  

I gave in and ordered crab cakes from Joe's Seafood the other night. On delivery, they weren't the "colossal" crab cakes they are in the restaurant. That plus onion strings were delivered in a timely fashion, nicely packaged, contacless delivery. It just didn't feel like it was worth the $60. 

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Going into Joe's today.  The kids have a snow day, they have not been out to a restaurant forever.  Lot's of places closed Monday lunch and wanted to make sure we had safe spacing.  Hope it is good.  Anyone try the fried chicken?  I am steering the girls to kids filets or sharing a dover sole.

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For most of the time there at 12, we were the only customers.  Older daughter ordered Bronzino, I love Fiola Mare but she did well with her serving.  Fiola is better.  I am just happy when she eats fish.   Younger daughter had kids filet beef, yeah nothing to say anything about it.

Husb, Alaskan king crab salad.  Shared a crab cake app.  Me, just straight up Stonies (7 medium).  

Was so grateful to get a go out!  

 

 

So rude of me.  Our server was wonderful and our sea dishes great.  I was so happy to have a treat.   Thank you to all that are trying to/hoping to work through this.  Joe's can be a great treat.  I have three little Stonies waiting for me tonight.

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Just got a pop up message from Joe's, cannot find it.  Kid's steak are cooked medium well, they told us.  I just said ok.  My fault, should have asked for medium.  They were great and COVID dining can be concerning, but if you try to work off hours you might do okay.  it was nice to be in a proper doing room!!  Everyone dressed proper and respected mask at the table rules.

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Has anyone been recently? I booked an anniversary dinner there after hearing positive reviews from friends/colleagues. For my tastes, there are plenty of more exciting options, but my wife is not as "adventurous" as I am. (She does not care for most fish or shellfish, but she does enjoy crab.)

FWIW, we have been fortunate to have dined at some great places--Fiola/Fiola Mare, Metier, Marcel's, Chloe, Obelisk, etc, but I'm looking for something a bit different this time, and I'm hoping Joe's fits the bill. (No pun intended.)

Thanks!

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