Joe's Stone Crab, Heaping Plates of Seafood!

Who says you have to go to brunch on Sunday? That's what I thought on a recent lunch date with my Dad on a Sunday early afternoon. It seems I've followed in his footsteps because he definitely appreciates fine dining. He suggested a lovely lunch at a seafood and steak favorite, Joe's. I always consider Joe's a treat because I rarely eat seafood (I love it but never seem to eat too much of it...probably because I'm a broke twenty-something!)

We were seated in a cushy open booth, allowing us a view of the other diners, mostly tourists and social Chicagoans already buzzed off two glasses of Pinot Grigio.

The dark and cool interior provided a welcome escape from the 90 degree temperature outside and the dining room was crowded but pleasantly quiet. Since we were both interested in having a lighter lunch, my Dad and I refrained from getting one of the two "classic" lunches which featured either stone crabs or filet mignon, paired with soup, potatoes and a slice of pie. This was a great deal though! Next time, my friends, next time.

We both chose one of the luncheon salads as our entree. My Dad selected the Lobster Salad featuring hearts of palm (his favorite) and a lemon vinaigrette.

Lobster Salad

I chose the seafood salad because why have just lobster on your salad when you can have lobster, Alaskan king crab and shrimp! I have to admit, I partially ordered this salad because I was curious as to how much seafood would actually show up on my plate, compared to the amount of lettuce. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! There were generous portions of shrimp, crab and lobster and I was in seafood heaven.

Seafood Chopped Salad

Since I love baked goods and my Dad is a sucker for seasonal pie, we decided to get a slice of pie to finish our lovely lunch. Joe's features a list of homemade pies and also has several summer pies including blueberry, our choice that afternoon. Our blueberry pie was excellent and you could tell it was super fresh due to the quality of the plump blueberries. The side of vanilla ice cream was a perfect pairing.

Homemade Seasonal Blueberry Pie a la mode

I always have a wonderful meal at Joe's, whether I go for a special occasion dinner, or just a quick lunch. I felt the prices for lunch were very reasonable, especially for the size of the salads and the amount of fresh seafood. Joe's receives 4 stars for its service and ambiance which both exude class and for the high quality experience the restaurant consistently provides.

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
www.Joes.net
60 East Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611  
312.379.5637
Reservations at OpenTable.com