Lu & Joe's Restaurant!!! It is my pleasure and my privilege to review this wonderful little…read morerestaurant. Lu & Joe's looks like it has been there forever! It is old, unique, not cookie-cutter and certainly not a hint of pretense anywhere around. Is it maybe run down a little, a bit old? Maybe but who cares? Lu & Joe's is one of the most charming roadside diners I have ever been to. This one building has a dining room on one side and a bar on the other. Above the door to the bar hangs a sign that reads "Please no profanity in the dining room. Thank you. Budweiser." LOLOLOL Lu & Joe know that their restaurant is a dive and they lean into it heavily. The naugahyde upholstery is clean, in good shape and colorful - but it's still naugahyde. The floor is probably asbestos tile squares from the 1950's (I say probably because I actually do NOT know if there is asbestos in the floor tile - but it sure looks like there should be). And you know what? That tile floor is spotless like the rest of the dining room. The menus do not have one drop of tomato sauce or grease or dirt on them. Someone clearly is taking great care of this restaurant. The menu is huge! So much to pick from. Oh, and did I mention that either Lu or Joe must be from Thailand???? One or both of them must be because the menu includes a full Thai menu, not one Thai dish, not only Larb Gai, not just Drunken Noodles - A FULL THAI MENU!!! And the dining room has genuine Thai decorations like a painting of a Thai palace with real flashing lights, Siamese touches like archways here and there, a memorial to some Buddhist god or goddess (at least I assume it's Buddhist) - and all of this thrown in with 1950's Americana. Lu & Joe's is truly a slice of the American Dream mixed in with an old roadside dive bar in Mt. Airy! Okay so now let's get to the food. I had tofu basil which was outstanding. The tofu was perfectly fried (not greasy) and there was LOTS of it. The veggies were crisp and fresh. There was a great amount of basil. And the sauce was excellent!!! Easily as good as - and mostly better than - the same dish I have had anywhere in downtown DC and at a fraction of the price!!! Bravo to Lu or Joe or both of them! My spouse had a bleu cheeseburger and it was a game changer. Easily a half pound of the juiciest ground beef I have ever seen! The plentiful bleu cheese and sauteed onions were a great addition. The fries were beautifully cooked as well! I do not have one bad thing to say about this place. We each ate every bite on our plates - huge helpings all around - and, all at once, we realized that we had found a real gem of a restaurant!!! Our server was likewise great. She was friendly and charming and easy to talk to! Not friendly as in "I better be nice to get a good tip" nice - but genuinely nice and friendly. She was fast, she paid the perfect amount of attention to us. I only wish I had gotten her name so I could sing her praises here. But - to Lu & Joe - we ate at your restaurant on Friday, April 10, around 3:30 pm. Whoever was serving then is a great addition to your wonderful restaurant. I certainly will eat at Lu & Joe's again. There is no pretense - only good food in impressive quantities and at great prices - in a clean casual/dive-y dining room where the server treats me well. Is there really anything else you need from a dining experience? I think not. I highly recommend Lu & Joe's to one and all!!!

Very sorry to say that this is not the same Lu & Joe's we've known and loved for more than 20…read moreyears. First, the good... The onion rings are just as good as they've ever been. We've always come here for the Thai food, but years ago--while dining with a large group--we ordered the onion rings and discovered how amazing they were. They seem to be the one thing that hasn't changed. The seafood dumplings are very different now--no longer like shumai--and are quite chewy, but still taste good. The OK... The drunken noodles with pork are also not what they used to be and are now just "OK." The noodles are unusually long and wide, making them difficult to eat, and we missed the sauce. The not good... The Tom Yum Goong with shrimp is much darker in color and has a strong lemongrass flavor, but it's far too salty. The green curry with chicken is also overly salty, and the chicken pieces are dark meat with gristle. When we ordered a Thai salad with chicken, the waiter said he had to check with the kitchen to see if it could be made because the kitchen staff are "new" (as of three months ago). Although he confirmed that order, the dish didn't arrive until after we had finished eating, so we sent it back. At one point, a cup of water spilled onto the bench seat. While the waiter wiped it up, he did not replace or refill the water. Overall, both the food and service are not what they used to be. We will not be returning.

I wanted crabs this past Saturday and all the places I called only had small and medium crabs…read more Found this gem on google and sure glad I did. Bought xl crabs for $95 what a steal and they were full of meat. Sweet and filling! The people that own this are the sweetest!! They even placed the crabs in my car for me! Who does that these days? I will definitely be going back!

I ordered a dozen any a half large crabs. They were great! I ordered ahead of time and they texted…read moreto let me know when they were ready. I paid and they assisted me with carrying them to my car. They have very good customer service. I would definitely order from them again!

Went to get crabs and ended up with additional menu items because it looked so good. They weren't…read moretaking phone orders so I got there at opening on Saturday Father's Day weekend. Ordered a half bushel and they were ready in just under an hour. They were mixed medium and large and they were great! Down to the bottom of the box they were excellent. I also got some of their deviled eggs which were a little sweet but tasty and a pint of their shrimp salad which was good. Spiced shrimp came in 3 different size shrimp for you to choose and they were also great. I sat in the parking area while waiting for it to all be ready as the shop is big enough to accommodate folks ordering but if you stay you'll be in the way. If I want to get crabs this is where I'm going.

I found this gem searching for something to eat after picking strawberries at a near by farm, and…read moreI'm so happy I did. We come back year after year for this amazing food. They have their top combos or you can build your own. They also have blue crab of course and make sure you place orders in advance as they sell out especially on holidays. There is nowhere to eat inside or sit so you can order to go prior or stop in and get yours to go as well. The staff is wonderful and it was nice to talk with the other customers as we waited for ours. It's not big inside just a couple counters with food options to choose from and you take with you to go. They have all the seasoning and sides for sale also, along with frozen items and even paper for your crabs if you need it.

I've been a happy customer of both the retail store and the wholesale ops in the back since they…read moreopened. (Anyone want to know how to cold smoke 24 filleted salmon in a cardboard refrigerator box? Let me know!). I needed to find some Chesapeake Channa to make updated Baltimore Coddies for a tasting event. (IYKYK, hon). The Trouts were able to special order the fish for me - not easy to do because CCs are a by-product catch so not always available. Outstanding service! If you can get them you really, really should. Chesapeake Channa are an invasive species that are wreaking havoc in the Bay. The good news: they are incredibly tasty, with a firm, flakey flesh that's suitable for pan frying, roasting, poaching (and sous viding, my technique of choice for this event). Everybody raved about how great the fish was - even after I told them that Chesapeake Channa is more commonly known as "Snakehead". (Hey, it worked for Chilean Sea Bass, which used to be known as "Patagonian Toothfish"). So, thank you to Lighthouse for helping me introduce an old Baltimore dish to a new audience, and help save the Chesapeake Bay at the same time. Score!

This outer suburban, roadside business has been there for a while. It's part country market, part…read moreseafood and fishmonger and part restaurant seemingly specializing in carrout. On our first visit on a winter Wednesday, we were impressed with everything we saw. Being a self-professed seafood snob with extensive periods of my life living ( and eating) in coastal areas, we bought some fresh fish ("blue catfish" to be specific). We help the Chesapeake Bay by eating this endangered species. We also bought some homemade compound butter - they have several seasoning blends. The verdict was that the freshness was outstanding and the trimming (no bones or other waste) was perfect. And with fish, freshness is everything. The price was fair too for the area and the service was personable and helpful. (Note that the inner lining paper of the wrapper stuck to the skin too much - they should change that but I'm not deducting a star - the fish itself was that great). On return trips, we'll check the other faire (shellfish, prepared-on-premises seafood, dine-in options). For now, we are quite happy and the Lighthouse deserves more business.

Bolder filled by 5:45pm on a dreary Thursday in late winter, deservedly so. Want to come later,…read moreeven on a weeknight, make a reservation or prepare to wait. This was our first time here, as on prior occasions we found the line too daunting. We were surprised when another 4:15pm patron was led to their reserved table, but we learned that their planning and caution was well-founded. We discovered the popularity of Bolder to be well-deserved. Seeking lite fare for an early dinner, calorie conscious, we both navigated the tempation-filled menu with success. We thoroughly enjoyed the bison burger and turkey club, the latter being sufficiently sample for a split lunch the next day too. Service was rock-solid and very efficient. We definitely hope to be back soon. And we will make a reservation. Dress code is casual.

I've seen the roadside signs for Bolder for years and have always been curious to try it. Running…read morelow on gas, I popped off the highway and decided to do so. It's a little bit off 70, but not bad. First off, this restaurant has an incredibly oversized parking lot. Maybe the restaurant has areas I didn't see, but I was a little bemused. Inside, it's decorated a bit like an old lady house with country accents. It's welcoming and nice, if a little old. I was seated and served quickly. My waitress was great. I ordered French onion soup and a bison burger with sweet potato fries. The French onion soup came out first. It had a huge layer of cheese on top, but it tasted like white cheddar. The soup itself was good at first but started getting bitter. I discovered a huge bay leaf in it. That explains that. Guys, leaving a bay leaf hidden in French onion soup is a violation of Article 35(2) of the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. My sweet potato fries were seasoned with a chipotle cinnamon blend. It was weirdly sweet and clashed with the burger. I didn't care for it and honestly feel like if you're going to season with something weird, you should be abundantly clear. The burger was a disappointment. It was fairly basic. It was cooked right, but every so often I would get a burst of salt. I suspect the meat was salted and not well mixed. My burger, fries, and side of soup came to over $40. I am honestly being more critical of them because of that. At that price point, I expect REALLY good, not salt pockets, a left-in bay leaf, and weird seasonings.

Instead of spending over $100 for an AYCE seafood boil, I was recommended Lighthouse Seafood and I…read morewas not disappointed. I spent $47 for 2lb of shrimp, 1lb of crab legs and 1lb of mussels which easily fed 3-4 people. We made our own sauce for the seafood but Lighthouse does offer butter and seasoning options. The picture shows only half of everything. I recommend this place for fresh and affordable seafood. I opted to order online and pick up at the location. It was a quick and easy pickup since the staff were great.

The seafood boil is top notch. It was my first time getting a seafood boil here. The whole thing…read morewas steamed perfectly in old bay and garlic butter. I added an extra crab leg cluster as well.

First timer. Very crowded and busy. 4 of us in back room. Server Brooke the only server but she did…read moregreat. Stuffed shrimp, stuffed flounder, crab imperial all very good. Cosmo and Manhattan a little weak. Definitely a return.

Trashy. Terrible parking and dumpy houses in the area. Lots of ATV's crossing the roads next to it.read more

What a lovely place! Casual, no fuss, good food, and Laura our server was delightful. It's going…read moreinto our regular rotation.

Great food; services really really good; prices are affordable…read more .....::...::/;/;;(;:/:;((:///:;::///:;;;;::///////:;;;;;:;,....