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of the restaurant is an intimate dining room. Appointed with a table large enough to host an entire football team (and they have), the room is stately yet cozy and enables privacy. After the tour, we are seated at the best table in the house: the "family table" (the table Stephen's family has eaten at for decades). The see-and-be-seen table boasts an expansive view of the restaurant and the large-scale picture of Stephen's grandfather and friends seated in a Moonshine automobile. A prime spot, the list of notables who have broken bread, and some stone crabs, at this table include Al Capone, J. Edgar Hoover, and Muhammad Ali. We entrust Stephen with the ordering for the table. He asks our server Ronaldo to bring us the chopped salad to start, lamb chops, grilled tomatoes, and, of course, a large plate of stone crabs. The lamb is tender and tasty, the grilled tomatoes are a light, complementary side dish, and as expected, the stone crabs are outstanding. The stone crab claws are served in their cracked shell with a side of melted butter and their signature mustard sauce. We savor every succulent bite of sweet, tender meat — even now my mouth waters just thinking about their stone crabs. While Joe's is best known for their stone crabs, Stephen tells me that their fried chicken (which his mother insisted be on the menu as it's very affordable at $6.95), grilled tomatoes, creamed spinach, hash browns, and salmon are also very popular with patrons. New additions to the menu are introduced by the head chef of Take Away and Stephen's mother, who is "a food savant." Though we're quite full at this point, we find room for dessert. I highly recommend the key lime pie and massive brownie à la mode. Over the four hours we spend at Joe's, Stephen charms us with stories about his tenure at the restaurant (he started out peeling potatoes, clams, shrimps, and working in the dessert pantry as a child, and went full-time in 1979) and the special deliveries he has made –including a notable trip to the White House. (If you'd like to enjoy Joe's stone crabs and aren't near South Florida, you can place an order online.) As we chat, laugh, and indulge in appetizing fare, a number of regulars pop by our table to say hello to their favorite restaurateur, including former Miami Dolphin Yatil Green, who steals Stephen away to catch up after he politely introduces himself. It's at this point that I realize what sets Joe's apart from other restaurants with excellent food: they honestly make you feel like family here. And that warm-fuzzy-feeling is priceless. Come for the stone crabs, and fall in love with Joe's family. Here's to another hundred years! ML Joe's Stone Crab is located at 11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Phone 305-673-0365. For more information, visit: www.joesstonecrab.com. Note: Joe's doesn't take reservations; guests are seated on a first-come first-serve basis. It's suggested to come in before 7 pm, if you want to avoid the crowd. Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays are typically busier than weekdays. Valet parking is available for $7 at dinner time, and there's metered parking and limited free self-parking across the street. A special thank you to Stephen Sawitz for a memorable evening and to Lisa Mozloom for arranging.