Eat at Joes

[rjwong]

I got back from my day trip to Santa Barbara, where I had lunch at a place called Joe's. That's Joe's Cafe on State St. in downtown Santa Barbara. It's been in business since 1928 and since 1984 (?) at their current location.

I ordered one of their specials today, Chicken Fried Steak, with mashed potatoes & gravy and vegetables. All this for under $11.00, with tax, tip & everything. It was a very decent meal. I was surprised that the CFS was not pre-formed.

While I was eating, I couldn't help wonder whether there was a discussion thread about people's experiences ... eating at Joe's. So, I'm starting one now.

Has anybody eaten at a place called Joe's? It could be called Joe's Diner, Joe's Cafe, Joe's Bistro, Joe's Restaurant, Joe's Ristorante, Little Joe's, Big Joe's, or just plain ... Joe's. If you have, tell us your story about Joe's. I'm curious how many Joe's there are in the world ...

[Pan]

Of course you know that there's Joe's Restaurant in Venice, California. I was overjoyed to eat at Joe's last summer! (See post #8 in that thread.) There's also a Joe's in Ridgewood, Queens, New York. I have not eaten at that Joe's. And there's Joe's Shanghai, with branches in Manhattan's Chinatown, Midtown Manhattan, Flushing, and Elmhurst (the last two neighborhoods are in Queens). I have eaten only at the Chinatown branch, but not recently. My story is that it may still be worth going to, but only late at night when there's no wait, and then only to get interesting dishes like eel, never the xiao long bao that they were initially famous for.

[Dana]

Do not, I repeat, do not, eat at Joe's Crab Shack - a chain here in the south. I don't know if they appear throughout the country, but the food - seafood- is bland and the servers have to do the bunny hop, hocky pocky, etc. at regular intervals through the evening. It's awful.

[tejon]

Do not, I repeat, do not, eat at Joe's Crab Shack - a chain here in the south. I don't know if they appear throughout the country, but the food - seafood- is bland and the servers have to do the bunny hop, hocky pocky, etc. at regular intervals through the evening. It's awful.

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There's one out my way that I've avoided for some time now. Always wondered if it was part of a chain, as it had that look. Actually, I'm waiting to see how long it lasts before it closes down and someone else takes over - the location is bad enough that restaurants tend to last a year or two at the most.

[joiei]

Do not, I repeat, do not, eat at Joe's Crab Shack - a chain here in the south. I don't know if they appear throughout the country, but the food - seafood- is bland and the servers have to do the bunny hop, hocky pocky, etc. at regular intervals through the evening. It's awful.

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It's so much fun, We sometimes forget to talk about the great food! The Joe's experience is just so cool and comfortable. It's loved by adults and kids alike.

from the web site of Joe's Crab Shack. The bold lettering is mine. But it does explain the quality of the food at this particular restaurant chain that comes from the Houston-Galveston area and is a part of the larger Landry's chain of dining establishments. This group also includes such places as Salt Grass, La Griglia, The Grotto, Chart House, Big Fish, Kemah Boordwalk, Charley's Crag, Babin's, Cadillac Bar, Aqauarium, Brenner's Steakhouse, Harlow's, Fisherman's Wharf, Willie G's, The Pizza Oven, The Phoenix, Muer Seafood Restaurants and Vic and Anthony's Setakouse. Big company I must say, I was not aware of all of these holdings. ,

Edited February 26, 2006 by joiei (log)

[bobmac]

Joe's American Bar and Grill, various Northeast locations. Not Your Average Joe's, another chain.

Edited February 26, 2006 by bobmac (log)

[dockhl]

Joe's Place

608 12th St., Paso Robles, California

Supposed to be a great breakfast and burger place, which pretty much should define a "Joe's", IMHO

[johnnyd]

The undeniable Joe's Stone Crab of Miami Beach was an experience I'll never forget.

Piles of Stone Crab claws harvested by boats owned by the restaurant, served with a horseradish sauce or remoulade, potato, cole slaw and a few cold beers.

[oneidaone]

In Wailea on Maui there is Joe's Bar & Grill near the tennis courts. It is owned by Bev and

Joe Gannon who also own Hailiimaile General Store restaurant on Maui. We dined there

before and it was fabulous, great food and such interesting decor. We are gladly returning

for several days at the Grand Wailea this week and will eat at both! a hui hou!

[LB Howes]

Marin County north of San Francisco is home to two individually owned Joe's restaurants, San Rafael Joe's and Marin Joe's in Corte Madera. Both are Italian themed restaurants, with a counter to sit at if you don't want to wait for a table or booth.

San Rafael Joe's underwent a remodel and menu update a few years back. It's still good, but lost that comfortable old-timey feel.

On the other hand, Marin Joe's (my favorite of the two restaurants) has not messed with what works. In that old-timey atmosphere, you can have traditional style veal, fish, pasta, steaks, and Joe's Special (sauteed beef, onions, spinach, eggs). And it's still packing in satisfied customers as evidenced by the hundred+ cars parked along the narrow road fronting 101 in Corte Madera every evening.

I now live in the Seattle area, but "eat at Joe's" if possible when down in the Bay Bay.

[Rehovot]

Cup 'O' Joe is a popular coffee chain here in Israel; I can't get that excited about their coffee, but the cafe menu has great sandwiches, salads, and pastas. And I'm happy that they've succeeded where Starbucks did not.

(Owners) Klein and Goldfarb found a location on Hahashmonaim Street in Tel Aviv and launched Cup 'O' Joe (or "Coffee Joe" in Hebrew). "'Joe' is American slang for coffee," Klein explains. "'Joe' works in both Hebrew and English, it's easy on the ear, sounds international, is one syllable - we're very happy with it."

The full article is here.

[Carolyn Tillie]

The Joe's on PCH in Redondo Beach is THE place to go for your morning-after-hangover-breakfast. Their John Wayne Special (I believe) is legendary. There is always a line on weekend mornings and the place has been there for years. Hopefully Mr. Cognac will chime in -- it has been years since I've been there...

[ludja]

Original Joe's in San Francisco since 1937 and San Jose since 1956.

Established in 1956 by the Rocca Family, Original Joe's Restaurant in San Jose, California has been the cornerstone of an ever-changing downtown and the growth of Silicon Valley. Descended from the first Original Joe’s founded in 1937 in San Francisco, the San Jose Original Joe’s was the first San Francisco based restaurant to open in San Jose in the South San Francisco Bay Area now known world wide as the heart of Silicon Valley

It's an old Italian-American restaurant institution around here, but I've never been to either one.

One of the dishes they are known for is the "Joe's Special"; you'll see the recipe in some regional cookbooks.

Joe's Special

Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Spinach, Mushroom and Ground Chuck

[donk79]

Joe's Pizza and Subs back home in Nokesville, Va. The pizza wasn't much but I can't find a steak and cheese (note I did NOT say cheesesteak) sub in Ohio to match that loaded sandwich from back home. Classic low brow Italian restaraunt with carryout being the majority of the business.

[Sony]

Joe's Noodle House in Rockville, MD is my all-time favorite Chinese place. Though I've moved from the area, I have a saved menu that I drool over it from time to time (and review it every time I know I'll be back in the area)!

Check out the menu- no affiliation, just a regular when I was in town. One caveat is that they do tend to "Americanize" dishes unless you can convince them that you want the real deal. The first time I went, the dishes tasted quite sweet and I mentioned this when they asked how everything was. Thereafter, dishes that I requested as "spicy" were and nothing was inappropriately sweet.

Joe's Noodle House

[racheld]

Our Joes are on an international scale: we have Acapulco, Tokyo, and Tejano, along with two of the more home-grown variety: Trader and Average.

And several versions of that tarted-up, light/gangplank/rope and pelican-encrusted crab place. (Which seems to have an ironclad contract with Gorton's).

[Rebecca263]

... And I'm happy that they've succeeded where Starbucks did not.  ...

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Please, tell us why?

[Kouign Aman]

I have to second Dana and johnnyd:

Joe's Crab Shack bad

Joe's Stone Crab good!

And then there's

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in Kahuku, Oahu, Hawaii.

Yum, yum, yum.

[Fresser]

Who remembers The Folksmen in "A Mighty Wind" singing,

EA AT OE'S ?