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Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in FLA...

RRtrackdawgson

RRtrackdawgson

Jul 5, 2001
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The best restaurant in every state
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FLORIDA: Bern's Steak House








Location: Tampa


Chef: Habteab Hamde


Every element at Bern's Steak House, from their perfectly aged steaks to their elaborate wine list to their impeccable desserts, comes together to turn a normal night out into a meal you'll never forget. A James Beard Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist and No. 10 on our list of the best restaurants in America, Bern's knows fine dining.
This post was edited on 2/19 7:54 AM by RRtrackdawgson
 
Berns is top-notch. Excellent food, impeccable service.
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in

Definitely not the best steak in Florida, but it's an experience not to be missed. You must do the kitchen and wine cellar tour and visit the dessert room.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in

It is definitely quite the experience. I am curious where the best steak in Florida IS in your opinion.
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in


Originally posted by nole65:
It is definitely quite the experience. I am curious where the best steak in Florida IS in your opinion.
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I make the best steak in Florida
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in

Originally posted by phideltflg:
Definitely not the best steak in Florida, but it's an experience not to be missed. You must do the kitchen and wine cellar tour and visit the dessert room.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
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I haven't actually hit the steakhouse proper, but +1 on the tour and the dessert room. It's a great insight into how they run their shop, not to mention the Napoleonic-era wines they have laying about.
 
Any chance that you can post the link from which you got that? Maybe we can go see what some of the "best" restaurants from other states are. TIA.
 
Been there a couple times, years ago. It was very good.

However, given how bland and generic steakhouses are I can't see how one could be rated the "best" restaurant in a state. Do they give you a larger scoop of mashed potatoes or 4 more asparagus tips than the other places?
 
Originally posted by RRtrackdawgson:
Originally posted by NDallasRuss:
Any chance that you can post the link from which you got that? Maybe we can go see what some of the "best" restaurants from other states are. TIA.
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Here ya' go...
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The only restaurants I've eaten at on the list are Kai in Arizona (I found it very meh and preferred a lot of my other restaurant choices in Arizona that trip); French Laundry in Cali which does live up to the hype as a really great restaurant although it is not my all time favorite; Berns in Florida which is an exceptional experience (I view it just like visiting Opus One in Napa, a little overblown on its rep for taste but an amazing all around experience. They have their own snail farms for ^*%* sake); Alinea in Chicago which I always think of as overwrought with too many ingredients; and Commander's Palace in NOLA which is great and probably the cheapest option in this list.

I haven't been to Joel Robuchon in Vegas but I have been to his "cheaper" option L'Atalier which has similar food kind of like Cafe Adelaide to Commander's Palace, so I'm sure I'd love the "real deal".
 
Originally posted by FSUTribe76:

Originally posted by RRtrackdawgson:
Originally posted by NDallasRuss:
Any chance that you can post the link from which you got that? Maybe we can go see what some of the "best" restaurants from other states are. TIA.
Click to expand...
Here ya' go...
Click to expand...


The only restaurants I've eaten at on the list are Kai in Arizona (I found it very meh and preferred a lot of my other restaurant choices in Arizona that trip); French Laundry in Cali which does live up to the hype as a really great restaurant although it is not my all time favorite; Berns in Florida which is an exceptional experience (I view it just like visiting Opus One in Napa, a little overblown on its rep for taste but an amazing all around experience. They have their own snail farms for ^*%* sake); Alinea in Chicago which I always think of as overwrought with too many ingredients; and Commander's Palace in NOLA which is great and probably the cheapest option in this list.

I haven't been to Joel Robuchon in Vegas but I have been to his "cheaper" option L'Atalier which has similar food kind of like Cafe Adelaide to Commander's Palace, so I'm sure I'd love the "real deal".
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If I could only choose one from the list to try out, I would go with Commander's Palace. There is something about eating Creole while in New Orleans that is special. It's one of those places where the food goes along with and matches the culture perfectly....makes me want to be there now!
 
Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
 
Originally posted by DanC78: If I could only choose one from the list to try out, I would go with Commander's Palace. There is something about eating Creole while in New Orleans that is special. It's one of those places where the food goes along with and matches the culture perfectly....makes me want to be there now!
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Yeah there's only four things I'm going to miss when I move from Tally later this year. 1) Easy access to Seminole sports, 2) easy access to Apalachicola and it's amazing oysters, 3) easyish access to the Emerald Coast beaches esp Grayton, Deer Lake, and Topsail and 4) somewhat easy access to the amazing NOLA bars, music venues and restaurants. Commander's Palace is absolutely great and one of my top five or ten restaurants of all time but I don't even know if I would say it is definitively the best place in NOLA.

It's too bad NOLA is sitting in Cancer Alley, as crime ridden as Detroit and Chicago outside of the tourist areas and has a lack of high paying jobs. I'd never want to live in NOLA but simultaneously I would find it hard for a year to go buy without visiting at least once. Best food city by far in the US imp ahead of San Fran and NYC and probably tied with Vancouver imo for best North American food city (the many different culinary styles of authentic Chinese and the best Japanese and sushi dishes outside of Nippon all using arguably the best seafood around (having just said that I love Apalachicola and will miss it dearly, the seafood is better in Vancouver just not the oysters as spot prawns are much better than gulf shrimp regardless of species, geoducks and abalones have no east coast equivalent on the commercial market (pen shells are close but can't be bought, we have no equivalent to the amazing fresh wildcaught sockeye salmon, dubgenessetc crab blows away stone crab and blue crabs, the urchin on the pacific coast are 100x than Atlantic species etc...)

Oops siderant about how awesome Vancouver food is now over. I shouldn't have started talking about food while staring at my reef tanks and having skipped brekkie.

The abridged version of my rant was 1) Commanders Palace is awesome. 2) NOLA is awesome just don't want to live there due to dying from cancer or violence young. 3) Vancouver is awesome. 4) I'm hungry and now want some %*%* seafood!
 
Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
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Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
 
Originally posted by SeaPA:

Berns is top-notch. Excellent food, impeccable service.
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And the most incredible collection of wine sold at really reasonable prices even though they have been holding on to the bottles for 50+ years in some cases.
 
Originally posted by DanC78:

Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
Click to expand...

The Columbia! Especially the original in Ybor where you can watch the flamenco dancers. It's Florida's oldest restaurant (1905) and while not the absolute best restaurant I've been to it is a great experience. Especially if you 1) eat in the flamenco room during a show, 2) order the WHITE sangria aka sangria de cava made from Cava (Spanish "Champagne") and Spanish brandy at your table, 3) order the 1905 Salad (labeled by USA Today one of the Top Ten Salads in the country), 4) get a small cup of Spanish Bean soup, and 5) sit back and watch the show while you wait for your paella a la valenciana (which is a must get).

It's timeless Spanish/Cuban food that Florida restaurants have been stealing from for over 100 years.
 
Originally posted by DanC78:

Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
Click to expand...
Same for me. I get much more enjoyment out of cooking a nice $10-12 steak and eating it with a side of fries and brussels sprouts than any steak I've had out.
 
I prefer Victoria and Albert's over Berns and it isn't really even close. I've been to both many times. Berns seems to have really become much more casual. Last time I was there a table of people were wearing jorts, another table golf shorts and shirts(one guy still had his spikes on). If I'm dropping that much on dinner I want a nicer environment.
 
Oh and if you like your mob history, Donatellos in Tampa is where MANY a hit was organized (along with Carmine's in Ybor).
 
Originally posted by FSUTribe76:
Originally posted by DanC78:

Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
Click to expand...

The Columbia! Especially the original in Ybor where you can watch the flamenco dancers. It's Florida's oldest restaurant (1905) and while not the absolute best restaurant I've been to it is a great experience. Especially if you 1) eat in the flamenco room during a show, 2) order the WHITE sangria aka sangria de cava made from Cava (Spanish "Champagne") and Spanish brandy at your table, 3) order the 1905 Salad (labeled by USA Today one of the Top Ten Salads in the country), 4) get a small cup of Spanish Bean soup, and 5) sit back and watch the show while you wait for your paella a la valenciana (which is a must get).

It's timeless Spanish/Cuban food that Florida restaurants have been stealing from for over 100 years.
Click to expand...
I remember seeing this place now...they have a location in St Pete/Clearwater as well.

Maybe we'll do this then...thanks Tribeapedia! You are the man.
 
Originally posted by DanC78:


Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
Click to expand...
Well if you want the most local history you got to go to the original Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City..it's Tampa's oldest Restaurant as it's over a 100 years old....personally I have numerous Cuban Joints in Tampa I prefer over that(Aguila..West End..La Teresita immediately come to mind),but The Columbia is still a place you gotta go at least once(like Bern's) just to say you have done it
 
Originally posted by DanC78:


Originally posted by FSUTribe76:

Originally posted by DanC78:


Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
Click to expand...

The Columbia! Especially the original in Ybor where you can watch the flamenco dancers. It's Florida's oldest restaurant (1905) and while not the absolute best restaurant I've been to it is a great experience. Especially if you 1) eat in the flamenco room during a show, 2) order the WHITE sangria aka sangria de cava made from Cava (Spanish "Champagne") and Spanish brandy at your table, 3) order the 1905 Salad (labeled by USA Today one of the Top Ten Salads in the country), 4) get a small cup of Spanish Bean soup, and 5) sit back and watch the show while you wait for your paella a la valenciana (which is a must get).

It's timeless Spanish/Cuban food that Florida restaurants have been stealing from for over 100 years.
Click to expand...
I remember seeing this place now...they have a location in St Pete/Clearwater as well.

Maybe we'll do this then...thanks Tribeapedia! You are the man.
Click to expand...
They have several outposts...but only go the original in Ybor for the true experience
 
The Columbia is now a small chain as they've got some other locations in Clearwater, Orlando, St Augustine and probably elsewhere, but the only three I enjoyed was the original, the now demolished one on the St Pete pier and St Augustine. Because while they all have more or less the same food (some other locations only have half the menu), the deceased one in St Pete was awesome because it was at the top of the pier, St Augustine has an awesome patio area for people watching and the original has all of the history, amazing decor and the flamenco show.
 
Originally posted by DanC78:


Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Eating at the International Plaza is so boring though, no character whatsoever. And when it comes to taste, I'm not kidding, my favorite steak is made by me.

With that said...we are looking for a nice place to go in March. I don't know much about the better restaurants here in Tampa, and we do not want to go to a place that we could find in other similar markets.

Is there another place in Tampa that is local with a little history to it that has good food that you can recommend?
Click to expand...
While it doesn't have the history of some of the other places, Ulele is very good. It's in the old water works building on the river; great food, great atmosphere. It's owned by the Gonzmart family (who own The Columbia).
 
I like Commander's Palace. Obviously, there are ebbs and flows to the quality of these older, historic restaurants. I think NOLA is not as diverse as some food cities. I'd rank Chicago and New York above NOLA (possibly LA), but there are some unique aspects to NOLA's food culture that are neat.

I've not eaten at Berns. I have eaten at Joe's (great). In Florida, in no particular order, I like and not limited to:

Victoria and Alberts
Norman's http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Orlando/Dining/Normans/Default.htm
Joe's Stone Crabs
 
Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
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Of the places you are thinking of, I have probably only been to Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris. Where else there has great steak and in your view, which place is best?
 
Originally posted by Gonolz:
Originally posted by NoleNewsIsGoodNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
Of the places you are thinking of, I have probably only been to Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris. Where else there has great steak and in your view, which place is best?
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Charley's which is right around the corner is a quality steakhouse better than Ruth's Chris and MUCH better than Capital Grille, but none are better Berns outright. In a bang for your buck category Charley's might beat Berns but not straight up. Flemings is right around the corner as well but I've never cared for it.

This post was edited on 2/19 2:36 PM by FSUTribe76
 
Originally posted by FSUTribe76:


The only restaurants I've eaten at on the list are Kai in Arizona (I found it very meh and preferred a lot of my other restaurant choices in Arizona that trip); French Laundry in Cali which does live up to the hype as a really great restaurant although it is not my all time favorite; Berns in Florida which is an exceptional experience (I view it just like visiting Opus One in Napa, a little overblown on its rep for taste but an amazing all around experience. They have their own snail farms for ^*%* sake); Alinea in Chicago which I always think of as overwrought with too many ingredients; and Commander's Palace in NOLA which is great and probably the cheapest option in this list.

I haven't been to Joel Robuchon in Vegas but I have been to his "cheaper" option L'Atalier which has similar food kind of like Cafe Adelaide to Commander's Palace, so I'm sure I'd love the "real deal".
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Joel Robuchon is as good as advertised.
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in

Originally posted by NoleNe...odNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
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I like Billy's Stone Crab better than Joes
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in

Originally posted by ncnole1975:

Originally posted by NoleNe...odNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
I like Billy's Stone Crab better than Joes

Posted from Rivals Mobile
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A stone crab is a stone crab. What makes Joe's better than any other place?
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in


Originally posted by TarponSpringsNole:
I prefer Charley's for a steak over all others in the area, but taste is really too subjective.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
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They do a great job dry aging their steaks. I can cook and season the steaks just as good or better than they can (pats myself on the back), but I cannot dry age a steak with the level of care and as LONG as they do. It's very wasteful to dry age steaks as you lose a lot of weight from the liquid leaving the steak and you have to cut back more of the exterior, but &*^&( if it doesn't give you a tastier steak than you can make at home. Especially if you like it rare or blue,
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in FLA...

Originally posted by Bragglefraggle:
Its good. Not life changing, but good

Posted from Rivals Mobile
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Agree. For me, it was a one and done kind of place. In fact, I had one of the "aged" steaks and it convinced my stomach that maybe "aged" and I will not be friends.
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in FLA...


I'd agree that I like prefer the flavor of the steaks at Charleys to Berns, but the overall experience is better at Berns. Charley' atmosphere isn't much different than an old Western Sizzlin.

The service is what, imo, really makes Berns stand out; they're very attentive to your needs, without you having the feeling that they are hovering over your table & constantly leaning over your shoulder. Their wait staff is like a good referee or umpire - you never even notice that they are there.
 
Re: Have any of you ever dined here? It's rated the #1 restaurant in

Originally posted by montconole:
Originally posted by ncnole1975:

Originally posted by NoleNe...odNews:

Bern's is very overrated unless you like dining in a weird venue with 70+ Year old Grey Hairs....it's living on reputation...a great wine list...and The Dessert Room....as that generation dies off it will struggle for Business as their are easily 5 places just in The International Plaza Area alone that have a better steak and where the younger generation dines...all my opinion of course....The Number 1 Restaurant in Florida is Joe's Stone Crab based on food and experience...it's where ya start in Florida and then work your way down the list
Click to expand...
I like Billy's Stone Crab better than Joes

Posted from Rivals Mobile
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A stone crab is a stone crab. What makes Joe's better than any other place?
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The shells are harder?
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
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