Billy's Stone Crabs

This little known restaurant on Hollywood Beach seems to be in direct competition to the World Famous Joe's. Does it compare? Does it have good claws? These were the questions I sought out to answer on a fine Sunday evening.

Bill Hershey, founder of Billy's, was married to the daughter of Joe's, which is the Stone Crab connection here. They seem to be the only two stone crab specialists in Miami-Dade and Broward. Billy claims to get his claws from the same supplier as Joe's and states they are exactly the same. Lucky for you, your columnist has eaten annually at Joe's since birth and is in a unique position to compare and contrast the two. The restaurant itself is a two story building on the Intercoastal with the dining area on the second floor. After the elevator deposits you at the Maître d' station, Michael Leffler greets you with a big smile and a New York feel. No reservations are accepted, arrive early if you don't like waiting, although it is nothing like the wait at Joe's.

I am pleased to report that Billy's has excellent claws, and even better they have an all you can eat option for those with a hearty appetite. They are available in Medium, Large, and Jumbo size claws. All of these sizes have an all you can eat option. What puzzled me was why anyone would bother with a large or jumbo all you can eat when the mediums were the lowest priced?

We ordered an appetizer of their Cole slaw and Crab Cakes to start. The Cole slaw was excellent, fresh, and mixed by our server table side. The crab cakes were more crab than cake and fantastic. I highly recommend them.

The moment of truth arrived and yours truly ordered the medium all you can eat claws. Also ordered were Shrimp Scampi, Blackened Grouper, and a side of hash browns. The claws were served properly chilled and cracked well, but the meat was not bruised. No cracker or mallet was needed to gain access to the succulent meat. The mustard sauce was also chilled and standard fare. I find the medium claws to be sweeter and tastier than the larger claws and always have. Stone Crabs are expensive enough, without jacking the price up for the larger versions. A standard order of medium Stone Crabs has 7 claws, large 5 claws, and jumbo 3 claws with price exponentially increasing as the size goes up and the number of claws goes down. I thought the claws were every bit as good as Joe's. The Shrimp Scampi and Grouper were also good, the grouper was a little on the small side. Personally, if I go to Joe's or Billy's, I am there for the Stone Crabs; however, at least they have decent alternatives for those who do not partake. The hash browns were good, and the service was exceptional. Our water glasses never went below half-full, and our server was very patient and doting to our table.

For desert, they tout a Key Lime Pie which we sampled and found it to be darned good. Unfortunately, their espresso machine was out of order, so we passed on the cappuccino. We liked everything we had and felt comfortable with the staff and ambiance. The second floor view was scintillating and calming.

This will bring us to the ever pending question. How does it compare to Joe's? Well, it really doesn't. Joe's is an institution that has been built for decades and deserves a review of it's own. The Stone Crabs, Cole Slaw, and service are on par with Joe's. The Hash browns and Key Lime pie are not. The rich excitement and anticipation of "going to Joe's" was not there, because it's not Joe's.

Billy's is a great alternative to Joe's for a Stone Crab night out. The claws are great, the service impeccable. I enjoyed my dinner at Billy's and I will definitely return. Those in West Palm and Broward may find this a closer alternative than Joe's to sample some first class Stone Crabs. Come on down to Billy's and enjoy your dinner. Just don't expect to meet Joe's. Billy's is located on A1A one block north of Hollywood Boulevard. A review on Joe's will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

The King of South Florida Bagels

Having grown up in South Florida with thick New York blood coarsing through my veins, good bagels are difficult to find down here. Luckily for me and everyone else, we have Sage Deli and Restaurant a/k/a Sage Bagels. There are a few decent bagel places in South Florida that are passable, but Sage is the only place that can muster the litmus test. Their bagels and bialy's are the best - period. Sage is the Heavyweight World Champion of South Florida Bagels. Their appetizers also are high quality, traditional, and never disappoint. You can imagine walking down Clinton Street on the Lower East Side when you enter Sage Bagel.

In business since 1973, the original owners, Milton and Iris Fuerst have maintained this exceptional bagel establishment without interruption. Although Milton died in 2002, Iris has kept the place up to snuff. Originally, bakers from Queens, NY, they opened their small shop in Hallandale and have kept the original location. They expanded into a small eat-in area which is always busy.

The world of commercial bagels is both a blessing and a curse. Places like Einsteins, Offerdahls, and Bruegger's have opened the eyes of the masses to bagel's and appetizers, NY style. For this we are thankful. The problem is they are embarrassingly bad when compared to the real stuff.

So what makes the best bagel different from say, an Einstein, Offerdahl, or other poser bagels? First is the preparation. Real bagels are boiled and then baked. You never just pop them in the oven,like an ordinary bread Also, each one is hand formed, no two are alike. The exterior is slightly crunchy with a chewy, not gummy interior. You generally slice in half and add a "schmear" of cream cheese. Purists prefer plain, scallion, or veggie. Nowhere in a real bagel joint will you find such Protestant things such as: honey butter,maple nut,and fruit flavored cream cheese. Also no real bagel joint will ever sell power bagels, cranberry bagels, asiago cheese bagels, mango bagels, blueberry, etc.

There is also the "bialy factor" at Sage. A bialy is a type of bagel-like creation that is a cross between a bagel and an onion pocket but it is not boiled and has a depression on the top usually filled with diced onions. Bialy's are part of their menu and they are difficult to find much less to find a good one.

Let's move on to appetizers. this includes, cream cheese, salads, smoked fish, and deli. They excel in this area. Their cream cheese is made fresh daily and whipped with the appropriate ingredients (scallion, veggie, plain). The cream cheeses are second to none. The salads include: White Fish Salad, Baked Salmon Salad, Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, Eggplant Salad, Chopped Liver, Chopped Herring, Nova or Lox Spread. They also offer Pickled Herring w/Onions & Cream Sauce, Schmaltz Herring w/Onions, Matjes Herring w/Onions & Wine Sauce, Pickled Lox w/Onions & Cream Sauce, and Gelfite Fish. These salads are also top quality and match up against any other local bagel joint. Smoked fish includes: Whole Filleted Whitefish, Hand-sliced Nova & Belly Lox, Kippered Salmon & Sable, and Sturgeon. Lastly, the deli meat is high quality and is better than most.

A few tips for the inexperienced: When buying Nova or lox, always insist they cut it near the head, never from near the tail. Nova is sweet and unsalted salmon, lox is it's salty cousin. (most people eat Nova). Figure one eighth of a pound per person for smoked fish. Bagel shops always sell a Baker's dozen, make sure you get the extra bagel. This stuff should be purchased the same day you are going to eat it. Finally, don't get sticker shock from the bill. It's expensive but well worth it. Honorable mention goes to Deli Den in Broward on Stirling Road.

Pay Sage Bagels a visit. They located in Sage Plaza next to Gulfstream on Hallandale Beach Boulevard just east of US1. Once you pick up a dozen of these, you too will imagine you are now transported to the Lower East Side of New York and wonder what those bagel chains have been doing all these years.