Naturally, we had to order the stone crabs as an appetizer. They're pretty to look at - coral color with black just at the end of the claw. They are so soft and meaty, and come already cracked for you. What more could you ask for? The claws come with Joe's Mustard Sauce, which I don't think really tastes like mustard, but whatever it is it's good. Here's how they're described on the menu:
Fresh stone crabs are found in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They are hand harvested, one claw at a time, and thrown back to the sea. Joe Weiss, and his wife Jennie, discovered this unknown delicacy in the early 1920s, and soon after, began serving them in their restaurant in South Miami Beach. Now, the familiar "crack-crack-crack" can be heard here in Chicago and Las Vegas, as we treat you to the finest stone crabs in the world.
My dad also got a crabcake, which I had a bite of - golden, crispy, salty, big pieces of crab, and HUGE.
Next up, my mom and I split a vegetable salad. Yes, on the menu it's just called a vegetable salad. Lettuce, grape tomatoes, radishes, green beans, edamame, corn, onions, and some sort of dry and crumbly mozzarella.
I also split an entree with my mom. The portions are big and last time I went I couldn't finish my piece of tuna. One of the specials last night was bone-in halibut which had been caught within the last 24 hours. Sold! Bone-in halibut sounds weird, but the waiter explained it was like a t-bone rather than little fish bones. The halibut was prepared just with salt, pepper, and lemon. The seasoning was perfect and the fish was so fresh. This picture is just my half of the fish...now you can see why we decided to share.
Peter got scallops, and my dad got parmesan crusted flounder which was also a special. No pictures of those, though - I can only hold everyone's food hostage for so long during my photography sessions. For sides we got sauteed spinach and fried green tomatoes. LOVE fried green tomatoes. They're definitely not something you come across often, and we had them the first time we went and it was an easy decision to order them again.
And finally, dessert. They have the option of half slices of pie, so we ordered half a slice of their famous key lime pie (here's the recipe), and half a slice of banana cream pie with foster sauce. Bananas and I are not friends, so I couldn't tell you how that pie was. But the cream part on top with candied nuts and foster sauce was good. I really love key lime pie, and this one is out of this world. It's the perfect balance between sweet and tart, and the graham cracker crust is superb.
To end the night - a nightcap at Bernard's in the newly opened Elysian Hotel. This hotel just opened a few months ago and it's absolutely beautiful. Although I do have a bone to pick with them, last call at the bar is at 11:30. What?! We barely made it in time to order a drink. But it's a really beautiful bar with great service.
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