Dining Out: Joe's Crab Shack a worthy destination — by land or by sea

You don't need a boat to enjoy a waterside feast at Joe's Crab Shack on the Gordon River. A car will do. And at this time of year, street traffic is light, so just take U.S. 41 east to 1355 Fifth Ave. S. and find a parking spot in front of the rustic, ramshackle building (formerly Landry's).

Arriving by water is fun, though. Just steer in, tie up and don't worry if you aren't dressed in what GQ considers proper yachting attire. Joe's is casual. Which means there's no need to worry about the kids, either.

This local landmark — it's been around for three decades — is kind of an indoor-outdoor seafood playground where the small-fry as well as grown-ups can kick back, have fun and enjoy a good meal at a good, down-to-earth price.

I'm just sorry I waited so long to drop anchor here. Truth be told, however, my initial visits — shortly after Joe's opened in the late 1990s — were less than stellar. And many of the crab dishes still don't measure up to the high standards I've carried through life after growing up in Crab Town, also known as Baltimore.

They do a lot right, though. On a recent weeknight, my guest and I came away with virtually no complaints. We ended up inside the cavernous restaurant because it was a muggy evening, our window seats providing pleasant river vistas, complete with mangroves (but sans humidity). A number of others, however, ignored the heat and chose the outdoor picnic tables.

To add to our dining pleasure, we had an exemplary server, Elizabeth, who took us through a perfectly paced, multi-course meal that was well worth the under-$50 tariff.

Here's the scoop.

Joe's is one of those kitschy, beachy joints. Although in the same ZIP code as the fancy restaurants we tend to associate with Fifth Avenue South, it's a world away — decorated to the rafters with Styrofoam seagulls and nautical gee-gaws, neon beer signs and tacky seashell hanging lights. I had the feeling someone ran amok at a cheesy garage sale, but somehow it all works.

Other decorator touches include lots of obviously faux, droopy potted plants and a fabulously rusty corrugated steel ceiling. The floor is poured concrete, and we sat on kitchen chairs with mismatched colorful vinyl upholstery, circa 1950s.

Now, the food.

The extensive menu is a minefield of good-for-you and not-so good but tasty items, including light fare and full-fledged combos with all the trimmings.

We started off sharing a delicious, piping hot appetizer called Joe's Double Dip ($8), which included two rich and creamy dips, one containing sweet, shredded crab and the other an equally decadent mix of langostino (Spanish for prawn), lobster and crawfish dip. Excellent. Red, white and blue crispy chips came on the side.

Other appetizers range from standards like clam chowder and fried calamari to crab stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes and an interesting sounding medley of boiled shrimp, more of that good crab dip, friend cheese and chicken fingers.

Next came the house bread, truly a cut-above the often bland, lily white little loaves served by much of the competition.

Joe's serves a basket of delectable corn muffins, chockablock with kernels of corn. Two thumbs up.

In the main course department, let the size of your appetite guide you.

Diners can choose from salads, sandwiches, combination platters, fish dishes — even steaks for landlubbers.

I was stuffed from over-doing in the appetizer and bread departments (we went through two orders of corn muffins), so I chose the healthy sounding cobb salad ($10). My guest, with heartier appetite, consulted with our terrific waitress Elizabeth and settled on the fried scallop entrée ($12). Again, we were happy campers.

The cobb salad, which was made famous by Hollywood's Brown Derby Restaurant, was one of the best versions in town. The oversize plate included neat rows consisting of sliced hard-boiled egg, diced ripe tomatoes atop romaine lettuce with a bit of mayo, five huge shrimp, more chopped lettuce, lots of bacon and green onion and hunks of savory blue cheese.

The scallop entree, which contained a generous portion of properly cooked moist and succulent mollusks, came with exemplary fries and world-class onion rings.

Dessert — although Chocolate Shake Attack, bananas Foster and Key lime pie tempted — was out of the question.

We took our doggie bags and sailed off into the sunset, happy to have discovered an affordable, fun eatery in our own backyards.