Crawfish News

Famed Viet-Cajun restaurant with spicy seafood makes TX debut in Arlington

Big EZ catifsh, nice and spicy.

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A Louisiana-based concept known for Viet-Cajun boiled crawfish and fresh seafood is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth: Called Big EZ Seafood and Oyster Bar, it's opening in Arlington, at Arbook Oaks, a community retail center at South Cooper Street and Arbrook Boulevard, directly across from Parks at Arlington mall.

It's going into what was previously a Corner Bakery at 3810 S. Cooper St. #102. According to a representative from property management company Weitzman, it'll open in spring 2024.

The location is the first in Texas for Big EZ, which has three locations in Louisiana. At Arbrook Oaks, it will join a lineup that includes Arlington’s only Target location, as well as a number of retailers, services and dining options.

Big EZ started out as a small seafood market and po'boy shop, founded by cousins Thien Nguyen and Nhu Nguyen in 2015 in Gretna, Louisiana. They made a name for themselves by helping to pioneer a "Viet-Cajun-style" style of crawfish in which crawfish are boiled in the traditional South Louisiana way, then drained and tossed in spicy garlic butter with citrus, ginger, and Chinese pepper.

"At first, the idea of boiled crawfish bathed in a bath of garlic, butter, citrus, and spices didn’t go over well with the Cajun/Creole population, but soon, the techniques that they first developed in their childhood home of California found their way into the hearts of even the pickiest crawfish lovers," they say.

The technique was common in the local Vietnamese community, but Big EZ helped make it a trend, earning them an appearance on Gordon Ramsay's food series Louisiana Uncharted.

Most of their menu has a Cajun theme, a cuisine that's beloved in North Texas, including etouffee, po'boys, crab cakes, oysters, and bread pudding - but with fun occasional Asian influences such as the BBQ shrimp with jasmine rice, and the "Saigon" flavored wings with lime and ginger, one of their five wing flavors along with lemon pepper and garlic parmesan.

There are also fried seafood baskets, fried chicken, meat pies, crawfish pies, seafood egg rolls, garlic noodles, garlic fries, and "animal" fries with ketchup, Cajun mayo, hot sauce, and bacon bits.

Prices are affordable: etoufee is $15. A shrimp & catfish plate with fries, hush puppies, and toast is $16. The most expensive dish is a seafood platter with catfish, shrimp, oysters, fries, hush puppies, and toast for $21.

They also have a full bar with refreshing cocktails, some done in the boba tea style.

When they opened a second location in Kenner, Louisiana, in 2021, they expanded their concept with bigger ambitions including a larger menu, full service, and a more decisively colorful approach to decor and ambience, including rooms vividly painted to resemble Mardi Gras floats, an approach they'll take for the Arlington location as well. (They also have a sibling called Big EZ Seafood & Wings, a casual spot located in Harvey, Louisiana.)

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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