Famous Joes

Diners take a whiff of grilled meats and slide into dark-wood booths upon entering Famous Joes, waiting to be greeted by the chilly handshake of a cold glass of beer and the calming glow of baseball games emanating from the 21 42-inch flat-screen TVs hung on terra-cotta-colored walls. As a karaoke singer croons on, chefs pull ribs and pork from a 12-hour marinade, toss glistening chicken wings in 16 varieties of sauce, and hand-sculpt ground beef into half-pound patties and busts of Woodrow Wilson. Behind a row of stools, bartenders pour from 10 drafts and 30 bottled beers hailing from domestic and overseas breweries.