![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2010\/07\/Joes_Stone_Crabs_Sign.jpg\" "\\"Joe's_Stone_Crabs_Sign\\"")
<\/a>\nJoe\u2019s StoneCrab Restaurant, a Miami Beach tradition since 1913, reopens for its\u2019 97th season October 15. Seafood fans and the usual glittering see-and-be-seen crowds cracked and munched crab claws at the historic eatery. 2,000 people per-night don bibs and dine on white tablecloths at Joe\u2019s during the Stone Crab season \u2013 as many as 500 at a time \u2013 most having waited up to two hours for a table. This is an American tradition to be cherished, especially in light of the recent news that another legendary restaurant, Tavern on the Green, in New York City, had gone bankrupt.<\/p>\n
Joe\u2019s open-air courtyard fountain, dark wood interior, high ceilings, and tiled floor are elegant, but, despite the ma\u00eetre d and the 70 tuxedoed waiters, Joe\u2019s is lively and bustling \u2013 not stuffy or subdued. Dining there is a happening from the minute you arrive because, during your wait for a table, you can keep your eyes peeled, cocktail in hand, to spot celebrities mixing in the crowd. Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart, Al Capone, Jackie Gleason, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Joe Kennedy, Joe Louis, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, were golden age stars that frequented Joe\u2019s. Now it\u2019s the Miami Dolphins, Regis Philbin, Larry King, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Billy Murray, Sharon Stone, and countless others. Even James Bond, in Ian Fleming\u2019s book \u201cGoldfinger,\u201d describes his meal at Joe\u2019s as the best meal of his life.<\/p>\n
Michigan\u2019s Elmore \u201cDutch\u201d Leonard, the prolific crime novelist, included Joe\u2019s in his 1983 title \u201cLa Brava.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enduring the wait heightens anticipation of the meal that awaits you.<\/p>\n
When, at last, your name is called, and you are led through the double doorway into the sprawling dining rooms, you\u2019ll feel as if you have been knighted or appointed to an ambassadorship! Come and be recognized! Follow the Yellow Brick Road!<\/p>\n
You know just what you\u2019re getting when you eat at Joe\u2019s. After reading an item on the menu, you won\u2019t be left wondering what the entr\u00e9e really is! There is no fanciful \u201cgourmet confusion\u201d \u2013 everything is simple, straight forward, and perfect: soups, stone crabs and lobster, seafood, steaks, chops and fowl, salads and dressings, potatoes, vegetables and deserts. A platter of sweet stone crabs, with Joe\u2019s signature Yomustard sauce, is sold at market price, when in season.<\/p>\n
But here is my preferred order:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2010\/07\/800px-Keylimepieslice.jpg\" "\\"Keylimepieslice\\"")
<\/a>A word of warning about the Key Lime Pie, though: leave room for it or you haven\u2019t properly visited Joe\u2019s. It is the gold standard, and will render any other version tasteless. The pie \u2013 yellow, not green \u2013 comes to the table cold, and the whipped cream dollop on top has the consistency of frosting. The graham cracker crust is no sidecar \u2013 it is as thick as a cookie. Perhaps the steamy Miami setting makes the tart taste of the pie so initially refreshing, but, then, as soon as the fork leaves your lips, your taste buds will dance with a delightful sugar buzz.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2010\/07\/Stone_crab.jpg\" "\\"Stone_crab\\"")
<\/a>\n