Buttons Bursting
Now the following testament to culinary genius might sound a little crazy, but the proof is in the tuna. Joe’s to a New Yorker means pizza, but say Joe’s to people just about anywhere else in the country and it only means one thing- Crabs. Just about everyone I know has gotten crabs from Joe. Even outside of Miami, Joe’s is synonymous with Stone Crabs, and the eponymous restaurant that famously doesn’t take reservations but is always worth the extreme wait. After spending tons of time in Miami, I have come to rely on Joe’s Takeaway (Joe’s to Go) for my stone crab fix, which solves the problem of the wait time, and thanks to the newly renovated space, also provides a more casual outlet in which to indulge in some of Joe’s other signature dishes, including their lobster reubens (yeah, I’m serious) and chopped salad. Joe’s is walking distance from my apt in Miami, and due my almost daily pilgrimages, I have discovered the true hidden gem of the Joe’s empire- Joe’s tuna salad.
Its okay to doubt me at first, many others have, but the death-row goodness of this tuna salad has converted many a cynic. There is really nothing fancy about the tuna salad- I have inquired about it to many Joe’s employees, most of whom actually share my sense of marvel at this dish. The tuna salad consists of nothing more than Bumblebee tuna, mayonnaise, and pepper. That is it. The trick, I have been led to believe, is the way that the tuna is worked- each chunk is mixed and massaged into the thinnest threads of tuna tastiness. The tuna salad is available on a sandwich as well, but in my house we buy it by the pound for long weekends. To me, this tuna is best appreciated with a fork, or paired with the challah and onion rolls that you get at Joe’s when you order.
Yum Yum Yum. At the risk of sounding crazy, I recently even smuggled half a pound of tuna back with me to New York, wrapped up with an ice pack to avoid any issues of smell or the like. I was a little nervous about security, but if forced to, I would have eaten my tuna on the spot, with my shoes, and coat off, in the x-ray machine.
