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| - Meet the new boss, not quite the same as the old boss. For those who don't know, Smokeless Joe is a transplant. It's previous incarnation was a shortbus-sized subterranean dwelling on John street. The unlikely location was superseded only by the unlikely beer list (hundreds of options) and its outstanding edibles. This new location is no longer an impossible-to-find-a-seat hole in the wall, but rather a full two floors on College street (right by Bathurst). It's a grown up pub now, and has thus sloughed off a bit of its erstwhile adolescent charm.
That said, the bar is an awesome place to settle down. They have over 200 different bottles here, and usually a dozen or so beers on tap, but they were out of a bunch of things due to a busy weekend. I ordered my favourite standby, the vegan chili ($8). It's not quite the same as I remember it, but still a fair portion and mighty tasty. I will still a bit hungry, and watching our server shucking sparked an impromptu order of ten caraquets ($2.75 each). Good oyster; not very briny and it tastes great with some hot sauce.
No longer the coolest kid in club district, Smokeless Joe is more of an average Joe among the other spectacular options on College street. Still, I'm happy they are back in business. I will surely return.
Obligatory Title Pun: Hey JOE/where you going with that beer in your hand?
Menu Readability: One rarely needs to invoke bold and italic on the same word.
Need to mention: Their receipts are laughably old school, but they do take credit.
What this place teaches me about myself: I like my underground spots to be literally underground.
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