Joes Crab House and .....

We had dinner there (Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab at 60 E. Grand) Thursday.  For an appetizer, we had the medium stone crab claws, we split two entrees, the crabcakes and a porterhouse steak, had the lyonnaise potatoes and asparagus as sides, and key lime pie for dessert.  I enjoyed it, it was all quite tasty, don't get me wrong. However, through the years I've had everything at Shaw's that we had at Joe's with the exception of the steak (which was, btw, very good).  And these dishes were pretty much the same quality at Shaw's Crab House on Hubbard as they were at Joe's.  Haven't been to Shaw's in a while, but unless the quality has slipped there recently, I'd just as soon avoid the crowds and go to Shaw's the next time.

-Marilyn

Eliyahu R. wrote:
>
> Had the thrill of getting a table last night here (60 East
> Grand)!
>
> It was wonderful. Service most professional.
>
> Food out of this world!!!!!
> --
> Eliyahu (Eli) Ross
> "NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!"
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Both Shaw's and Joe's are located in what I guess would be considered the near north side, in a downtown neighborhood just north of the Chicago River.  I think they are a little too far east to be considered River North, but perhaps someone here can help with the neighborhood designation.  Shaw's is on Hubbard between Wabash and State.  Joe's is across the street from the new Nordstroms, at the corner of Rush and Grand.  They are both Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise places, which I suspect has some bearing on what I felt was the similarity of the food. They are both trendy (read crowded), but Joe's is somewhat more these days, likely because it's still new.  Shaw's actually is two rooms, the main dining room, and a more informal bar, called the Blue Crab Lounge. Of the two rooms, I usually prefer the Blue Crab Lounge, where in addition to offering the full Shaw's menu in a more informal setting, they have live jazz a couple or three nights a week.

I just love Chesapeake crab, the kind that gets served on tables covered with brown paper and a hammer for a utensil.  And there's nothing more certain to send me into food heaven than a genuine Maryland crabcake. But I've never had any as wonderful as I've had in Maryland, Virginia or even DC around these parts.  I'm still looking for a great crabcake here in Chicago, so far, the best I've found are those at Shaw's and more recently, Joe's.  But, they really don't compare to the crabcake experiences I've had in Baltimore or DC.

Naturally, the crab you get here is flown in from other places, from where depends on the kind of crab.  Joe's stone crab claws are from Florida.  I'm not sure where the king and snow crab we get here are from, probably Alaska, at least the king.  Mostly frozen legs, so far as I know, except, perhaps, the dungeness, which I've seen in tanks.  Blue crab is more difficult to find, in fact I can't think of anyplace that serves them now (Bub City used to have them, but it is long gone now, and didn't have them for a while before it closed, if I'm recollecting correctly).

-Marilyn

Sheila_Herndon wrote:
>
> Marilyn R. wrote:
> >these dishes were pretty much the same quality at Shaw's Crab House on
> >Hubbard as they were at Joe's.  Haven't been to Shaw's in a while, but
> >unless the quality has slipped there recently, I'd just as soon avoid
> >the crowds and go to Shaw's the next time.
>
> which part of town is this in? I am unfamiliar with the area.
>
> Speaking as someone who lived in Maryland and enjoyed The Dancing
> Crab on Wisconsin Avenue and who also lived near Sabine Pass and would
> go eat at restaurants where
>
>    when you knock knock knock
>    when you rap rap rap
>    along comes the big and small
>    alligators all
>    as mean as alleycats
>
> which I have now just remembered was named The Boondocks (what you'd
> do is save left over hushpuppies for the allegators and hit the
> beam of the dock to call them) and speaking as someone who used get AYCE
> bbq crabs at this place in Sabine Pass, The Channel Inn
>
> my question is - where do crabs served round here come from? I think I will
> go check Shaw's out. You sound fond of it and so I would like to visit.
>
> When I first moved to Maryland I did not realize you could eat steamed
> spiced crabs by dipping them in clarified butter. my god! this is delicious!
> but probably very unhealthy. With all the work you do to open the
> things perhaps it balances out.
>
> sh
> --
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