Eat at Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant

Without a doubt, Joe's Stone Crab restaurant is my favorite special place to eat on Miami Beach. We decided to go there to celebrate Mothers day and our belated anniversary...but we didn't want that long wait, that very long wait, which is part of the experience of Joe's...That experience we could do without so we decided to have an early dinner and arrived before 5 o'clock hoping we could get that very coveted first seating...People were already there waiting so we kept our fingers crossed as we approached the Maitre'd to give him our name. Yes, we were in!!!

You have to understand that at peak hours the wait can be anywhere from an hour to 3 hours and I'm just not willing to do that..It helps also if you know that very popular man at the desk. No reservations are accepted. And people do wait, especially tourists who just want the experience of eating at Joe's. A very inviting full service bar is at your disposal to spend that time or there is a small outside waiting area.

Joe's is notorious for three things, Stone crabs of course, long waits, and the best, most delectable, Key Lime Pie a creamy combination of tart and sweet goodness which can just melt in your mouth..The prices are steep though especially for the crabs but there are other wonderful menu items and a secret about an inexpensive menu item I will share with you..

We usually order the same things, that is, after the basket of hot dinner rolls are served, first the Cole slaw,(5.95), a large mound of shredded cabbage served with a dollop of mayo, some sort of relish, and large slices of tomato. It sounds very simple, but the combination, eaten together, a little of each one of those flavors in your mouth at the same time is just fantastic.

A short while later the rest of the food arrived, we ordered the large stone crabs, creamy garlic spinach, hash browns and fried sweet potato slices, all in the $5.00-$6.00 price range. As an appetizer we had ordered a plate of the fried oysters, one of Joe's best kept secrets, for $6.95...it's listed as an entree but they make a perfect appetizer to share, the biggest freshest oysters I've ever had, cooked to perfection. Next came the piece de resistance, the stone crabs....They were as good as they've always been just a tad more expensive always market priced and usually about $40 for the large, (you get 6 claws) and in the sixty dollar price range for Jumbo, (four gigantic claws)..tWe had the large....they are served cold with that marvelous creamy mustard sauce and hot melted butter...so fresh it was as if they had gone outside, crossed the street and plucked them out of the water, Which is how Joe's came about in the beginning......

A little history:

In 1913 Joe Weiss came to Miami Beach and planted the seed for what is now one of the most famous restaurants in South Beach and all of South Florida.

He and his wife opened a little lunch counter that soon became very popular with the locals, and in 1918, bought a bungalow, they moved into the back, and set up some more tables They called it Joe's Restaurant and served freshly caught fish day and night. There was no competition, as it was the only restaurant on the beach for the next 8 years. These were still the days before the development of Miami Beach, since the township had only been incorporated in 1915, Then, the Collins bridge was built across Biscayne Bay, linking the Beach with Miami and things began to change rapidly after that.

By 1921 the motion picture studios, in their infancy, had discovered Miami Beach and flocked here to shoot pictures on the beautiful pristine beach, soon, they ate all their meals at Joe's as did the rest of the vacationing population on their visits. They got the "in crowd, the society crowd", so to speak.

That same year, an aquarium was built at the foot of the bay on what is now Fifth street, and soon marine research began to study the vast life forms found in these pristine, idealic waters. One day, one of the researchers brought a burlap bag full of some strange looking live stone crabs. He and Joe went around and around about how these could be cooked, do you broil them, bake them, just what do you do with them? They wondered. Joe took a handful of them and threw them in boiling water, and that was the beginning of it. They decided they were better cold. They cracked them, so the meat could be easily handled, served them with some mayonnaise and a side of hash browns and they were an instant success. The rest is history.

Oh, by the way, only the biggest claw is eaten. The rest of the crab in thrown back in the water and a new claw grows in its place...I don't know if that's inhumane or not but, at least the poor crab didn't die for our meal, just temporarily gave up one of his claws !

By the mid 1920's through the 30's Miami Beach was thriving, pastel colored Art Deco hotels lining the beach. Everybody who was everybody ate at Joe's, including Al Capone and his cronies. He would come in early at around 5, eat and leave. He loved to eat at Joe's so much that he sent a truck load of flowers to Joe's wife every Mother's day...and signed them Mr. Brown. It was many years before they realized just who Mr. Brown really was.

Back to our meal...we finished our crabs, and our sides and debated about dessert, but how could we not have a piece of that delectable Key Lime Pie? We decided to share a slice and it was as heavenly as it always is....

Now for the Grand Finale. I have acquired the recipe of the pie and will share it with you......Oh, and by the way, they bake from 80 to 100 of these pies every day...

Graham Cracker Crust:
1 wax paper wrapped package of graham crackers, 1/3 of a 1 lb. box, or 1 cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons graham crackers crumbs
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Filling:
3 egg yolks
grated zest of 2 limes (about 1 ½ teaspoons)
1 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, if you can get key limes use those but regular limes will do

Topping:
I cup heavy or whipping cream chilled
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar.

For the crust, preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch pie pan, break up into crumbs on food processor or place crackers in a large plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add melted butter and sugar and stir. Then press into pan forming a neat border around the edge, bake until set and golden about 8 minutes and set aside. Keep oven on...

For the filling: in an electric mixer with a wire whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until very fluffy, about 5 minutes, Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to beat until thick, 3 or 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice, mixing until combined, no longer. Pour mixture into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate, Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

For the topping: whip the cream and confectioners sugar until nearly stiff. Cut the pie into wedges and serve very cold. Top each wedge with dollop of whipped cream and voila, sheer mouthwatering heaven

That's it.....worth every minute you might spend in the kitchen, or, you can order whatever you want at their new take-away, located right next door, anything on the menu is available in the takeaway, without the wait...

The price of a dinner at Joe's is about $80 to $150 a couple, but it could go higher depending on whether you have wine or drinks with your meal and what kind of wine you choose. They are open for lunch during the winter but not after mother's day and close on Monday and Tuesday during those summer months.

So if a visit to South Beach is on your agenda I would recommend a visit to Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant at any time of the year, it's an experience you wont soon forget.

Bon Appitit