Seafood News

Seafood boil restaurant from the Northeast makes Texas debut in Carrollton

Seafood boil from Cap't Loui in Carrollton

dallas.culturemap.com

A seafood restaurant from Massachusetts has come to Texas with a location in Carrollton: Called Cap’t Loui, it's a seafood boil spot located at 4070 SH 121 #308, in a shopping center called The Collection that's also home to Leo’s Brunch House and a number of Korean restaurants.

Cap’t Loui specializes in seafood boils in a spicy red Cajun spice mix — a flavor profile more common in Louisiana than the Northeast. But the concept was founded in Stoneham, Massachusetts by owner Henry Kim, a native of Korea who was previously involved with the Bonchon Korean fried chicken chain. Cap't Loui has since opened locations in nine states including Alabama, Georgia, California, Nevada, New York, and New Jersey.

The signature dish is "the broiler," AKA the seafood boil, with choice of shellfish such as crab, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, clams, or mussels, by the pound or half-pound, and served in a bag with potatoes and corn.

Other menu options include oysters on the half-shell, wings, po'boys, fried seafood baskets, and fried chicken sandwiches, priced from $14 to $22. (The seafood boils are listed as "market price.) There are also sides such as French fries, sweet potato fries, garlic noodles, steamed rice, and garlic bread.

The Carrollton location is from husband-and-wife franchisees Danny and Hanna Rhee, who moved to Texas from California with a few years in the restaurant industry. They were inspired by Hanna's brother who had opened a few Cap't Loui locations, and wanted to bring something to their new home.

"Carrollton is a place where we go to eat a lot as a family. We enjoy it, and it's becoming a destination place for eating," Hanna says. “Our goal, our desire is not just to provide a place where people can come and eat but a place where people can build relationships. That's really our heart."

"We love to host people, and it came from that desire, wanting to provide an atmosphere that people enjoy and provide food that tastes good," she says.

Henderson Ave News

Cozy Western-chic bar Stay Darlin' rides onto Dallas' Henderson Ave

Stay Darlin'

Stay Darlin' is coming to Henderson Avenue.

There's a distinctive new bar with a twang that just debuted on Dallas' Henderson Avenue: Called Stay Darlin', it's a Western-chic cocktail and wine bar, now open at 2929 N. Henderson Ave., in the space most famously occupied by Sissy's Southern Kitchen.

The new spot will feature a from-scratch cocktail program and shareable kitchen. It'll be open for dinner every night, starting as a cocktail bar but building into a lounge as the night goes on. Daytime weekend brunch will be added in July.

"Darlin’ is the unplanned night," says co-founder Brandon Luke in a statement. "The catch-up you’ve been meaning to have, the happy hour nobody planned, the late one you didn’t see coming — where the phone stays down and the conversation runs long. You come for a drink and stay for the way the night turns."

According to a release, Stay Darlin’ — or Darlin’ for short — is from a partnership between HattenLuke Hospitality Group, the Dallas-based company founded by Luke and his partner, chef Ron "RV" Van Hatten, whose other concepts include The Woolworth and Uno Mas Tex-Mex in downtown Dallas; and The A&B Effect, a Houston company led by managing partner Adonis Graham and bar chef Bronson Gutierrez, who've relocated here for Darlin', their first project in Dallas.

Luke previously installed a location of Uno Mas at this address; he also owned Smithy, a bar in the space next door. They've closed Smithy to focus on Stay Darlin'.

Cozy Western vignette at Stay Darlin'Photo courtesy of Stay Darlin'

Food & drink
The menu by Von Hatten, a former Corporate Chef at Landry’s, Inc. is centered on small plates built for sharing. Standouts include:

duck fries finished in duck fat with truffle and pecorino
steak bruschetta with Prime hanger steak
Caesar, with everything from dressing to croutons made in-house

The bar program by Bronson Gutiérrez features sous-vide spirit infusions, house-made syrups, and fresh-pressed citrus. Nine signature cocktails include a dirty martini with house olive or pickle brine and choice of vodka or gin; espresso martini; and a chili margarita with spicy tamarindo.

They'll offer frozen and draft pours, Perrier-Jouët Brut pours by the glass, Coors Banquet, Shiner Bock, and Texas beers.

The space
The venue has seating for 112, plus a 13-seat bar, main room, and two patios which have been rebuilt as a candlelit space for adult nightlife with dark wood floors, exposed beams, leather, brass, and fringe.

VIPs
Darlin’ is offering a limited VIP club option with 50 numbered memberships at $188 a month which confers reserved entry, a signature cocktail built with the bar chef and saved under their name, partner experiences with Texas makers such as McKinney Hat Co., Tecovas, and Pinto Ranch, and first access to Darlin’s artist series.

henderson-avenue openings