Bill Hershey has to laugh when customers tell him his stone crabs are better than Joe's. They are exactly the same, he says. Same water. Same boats. Same truck they rode on.

He should know.

"I've been crackin' crabs for 30 years", says Hershey, a gregarious fellow who got his start at Miami Beach's Joe's Stone Crab -- was even married to the boss' daughter -- before striking out on his own.

He ran a number of seafood markets and restaurants and, after making a pot of money selling one of them, decided to retire. That idea didn't take, and 11 years ago he bought what's now Billy's Stone Crab Restaurant and Market on the Intracoastal in Hollywood.

They're still friendly, Billy's and Joe's -- they're far enough apart that they're not truly competing -- and Billy's shares many similarities with its venerable cousin to the south: the staff in black and white uniforms, an all la carte menu, really good coleslaw. There are significant differences as well. For one thing, Billy's menu isn't nearly as long (sorry, no calf's liver), and the service isn't nearly as haughty.

Then there's the wonderful Key lime pie. Billy's may be the only restaurant in the world where a waiter proudly announces that something is not made on the premises but rather under exclusive contract by a bakery in the Keys.

Oh, and there's the view. Billy's has one. With the restaurant on the second floor above the seafood market, the prime tables are along the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the nightly yacht parade. The upper bar level of the split-level dining room also provides an excellent view, an important consideration since Billy's, like Joe's, doesn't take reservations.

Once seated, you're faced with a tough question: Gee, what will we have for dinner?

Duty bound, we did in fact branch out. There are only a few landlubber entrees, but the list of fish preparations is diverse and interesting.

I tried the mahi mahi Bretone, sauteed and buried under a lush blanket of mushrooms, shallots, crabmeat and shrimp in a lemony butter sauce. Darling wifey made a lighter and more sensible choice with the mahi blackened Cajun style (perfectly seasoned with bite). Picky Peter was pleased with his garlic shirmp over linguine, and Persnickety Paula tried the Key West-style salmon, richly sauced with shrimp and crabmeat and avocado.

All the dishes were quite good, but of course none of this really matters because you are going to order the stone crabs. Hershey says seven out of 10 customers do, and he goes through 2,000 pounds of claws a week.

So the only real decisions you're facing are whether you want medium, large or jumbo, and what sides to pick. The tradition is to share that wonderful tangy cole slaw, creamed spinach and hash browns, but this time we opted for sweet potato fries, a limp but tasty rendition.

As for the claws, Hershey says the mediums are the sweetest, the large probably the best value.

As for the "market' pricing, you can count on paying about $25 for mediums, (about seven claws), $45 for large (five to six) and $65 for the big boys (three to four). Or go for the all-you-can-eat special (not available on holidays or Friday and Saturday nights; absolutely no sharing or doggie bags) at just $65, $100 and $150. Ouch.

Place: Billy's Stone Crab Restaurant & Market

Address: 400 N. Ocean Dr. Hollywood

Rating: Very Good

Contact: (954) 923 2300

Hours: Lunch (downstairs patio) noon-5 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving) Oct. 16, and Mother's Day

Prices: Starters $4.25-15.95, sides $2.95-595, entrees $12.95-23.95; stone crabs, lobster and Alaskan king crab marketprice; desserts $4.

FYI: Courtesy Holds Available, Full Bar, AMEX, VISA, MASTERCARD