Joes Beach Road Bar & Grille in Orleans

Joe's place is great. The place to sit is the little side room on the right. I like to call it the Right Room. It's got big overstuffed chairs in it, and is cozy as all get out. The napkins are bandanas in various colors, and in that little room, there is a menu on the wall from the 1930s: Steak = 55 cents, coffee 5 cents! Ah the good old days.

There is the big dining room with a fire place and a bar. It's loud and busy and crowded. Local, over 30-ish singles are known to drink beer standing in the bar area, chatting up a storm. Joe will walk around at times, asking how ya feel, and lightly touching your shoulder as he moves off, like you are good buddies. The wait staff is friendly, attentive and efficient. We had a wobbly table, and so to fix it, I took the silverware wrapped in a bandana and stuck under the edge. Very tacky move. Unfortunately, this caused major tipping problems, much to the whole Right Room's amusement and my loud squeals. The hostess rushed in, removed the offending piece, and inserted a little coaster. Perfecto. No troubles after that.

The menu is funky and a real dilly. All sorts of neat stuff on it plus the specials. Kids can get by here, too. Prices are from $5-$22ish. The raw clam appetizer makes your tummy whistle a happy tune, and the dinners are big and tasteful, all direct from the yum-yum tree. If you are able to fit dessert into your gut after those meals, you deserve some serious cudos.

The general ambiance is colorful, busy, friendly, and at least in the Right Room: cozy. You can't go wrong here, if you've got relatives to feed or a bewildered date to impress, this is your card to deal a soft, easy blow to the gustatory nerves.