Stan and Joes Opens in South River Colony Main Street

Stan and Joe's Saloon opened their doors to customers at 4 p.m. last Friday after county officials said yes to their liquor application. Co-owner Joe McGovern said that they got approval back on March 22, but that county officials delayed the official opening date until May 1.

"That wasn't going to work for us because we'd already hired our staff and we were ready to go," McGovern said.

So McGovern and co-owner Stan Fletcher worked the phones and got county officials to greenlight the opening of their second location sooner than May 1. They got word on Thursday they were a "go" and by Friday at 4 p.m., they were serving customers at happy hour.

The restaurant is the second for the duo, who have been involved in the restaurant business for the better part of three decades, primarily as bartenders. They opened their West Street location in 2007.

Opening the second store seemed like a natural path for the pair, who have a passion for food and music.

"We aim to be an American saloon with an Irish attitude," McGovern said.

Our experience

We took the family to Stan and Joes on Monday. They have a children's menu with a good selection for little ones 12 and under. Their four page menu includes appetizers like sliders and wings, plus salads, burgers, quesadillas, and entees.

We tried the sliders, the chicken quesadilla, the crabcake and the patty melt.

It was happy hour, so the appetizers and drinks were half-price.

Service was quick and very friendly, and the draft beer we ordered was tall and cold.

A good start.

The restaurant seems like it could tend to go a little loud with a full house. The acoustics might be better suited to enjoying live music than quiet conversation.

While we waited for our food, there are some things to do to keep little ones occupied, a pac-woman game and a golfing simulator, plus about a dozen televisions on the wall tuned to different sporting events (the O's Opening Day played on a couple of the sets).

The food was delivered quickly and the order was just right. The quesadillas were well-portioned, filled with chicken and grilled peppers and onions. The sliders were juicy and came served on a tiny brioche rolls with cheese and bacon. The crabcake was generous and was served with a shaker of Old Bay seasoning (how Maryland!). The patty melt had a good portion of cheese and was tasty. The children's chicken tenders were delicious and kid-friendly. 

It is definitely another great place to add to a list of Edgewater favorite restaurants.

Many of the customers we met while there were regulars of West Street and were happy that the bar had opened a second spot closer to home.

"We love Stan and Joes and this is a lot closer," Matt Cook of Edgewater said. Matt's wife Donna said that they are big fans of the food and the music.

The live music will start this Friday with American Standard.