The Drake

[Rover]

TBH, I have yet to eat at an establishment with a true Northeast seafood taste, other than Red Lobster, but I don't know how authentic they are.

Red Lobster is not a quality seafood restaurant. It is a very generic fish restaurant. It is sort of like what El Chico's is to Mexican restaurants. I am hoping we FINALLY get a REAL seafood restaurant of quality. Since it is Good Egg, I can hope. If they just have fried catfish and shrimp with crab legs then it will be a fail.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Red Lobster is garbage. Last time I ate there, I left physically ill. Not because of the poor quality "seafood", but because I had shelled out a decent amount of cash for such sub-par food.

I'm really looking forward to this.

[Buffalo Bill]

Should be a great addition to 23rd Street.

Right now I think the best bet for seafood is Rococo.

[Teo9969]

The upscale steakhouses usually have good seafood. Mahogany's crab is obscenely delicious and I've had great fish at Mahogany and Ranch.

Shrimp/Scallops can vary in quality. But all the seafood comes at a higher price in these places.

Lobster Cargot at Mahogany is just...oh man...

[Ginkasa]

Not a sea food fan personally. I guess I'll just have to go to Cheever's or Tucker's again.

[/first world problems]

[Urbanized]

Yeah, just like the millinery in Paseo, I think a good, truly fresh seafood place in OKC will find an audience simply because of pent-up demand. Cajun, fried or national chain are the only options for seafood-first restaurants in OKC. Frankly, the best fresh seafood option I can think of in OKC right now is Mickey Mantle's STEAKHOUSE. I mean, it's completely legit, , surprisingly large selection, they fly their fish in daily, and it is delicious, but who goes to a steakhouse to eat their fish? Especially when there are amazing steaks to be had on the same menu?

No question A Good Egg is the right bunch of people to take this on. I'm excited.

[bradh]

I don't mind the cajun/gulf coast flavor because I grew up on it, but I'm a seafood junkie at heart, so I don't mind all of it.

[bchris02]

I don't mind the cajun/gulf coast flavor because I grew up on it, but I'm a seafood junkie at heart, so I don't mind all of it.

I agree. I do like the cajun/gulf flavor seafood options that OKC does have. There is a surprisingly large amount of it here considering how far it is from South Louisiana. Good cajun food is hard to find in a lot of places. However, the New England genre of seafood that is unbelievably lacking in OKC is about as different from that genre as it is from sushi.

[bradh]

I don't know the NE seafood, but I just prefer good fresh fish, like I was able to enjoy in Seattle. I really love me some crab legs.

[Urbanized]

I'm not complaining about cajun, by the way. I love cajun. But I also love variety.

[Patrick]

Red Lobster isn't that bad, for a chain restaurant. You can't really compare it to a local restaurant, which it is not.

[bchris02]

Red Lobster isn't that bad, for a chain restaurant. You can't really compare it to a local restaurant, which it is not.

Red Lobster and Olive Garden are sister chains. Like Olive Garden, Red Lobster is consistent, but it's consistently mediocre. Some chains like Pappadeaux, Bonefish Grill, McCormick and Schmick's, etc are much, much better than Red Lobster in the same way the chains Macaroni Grill and Bravo! are much better Italian food than Olive Garden.

[Patrick]

Red Lobster and Olive Garden are sister chains. Like Olive Garden, Red Lobster is consistent, but it's consistently mediocre. Some chains like Pappadeaux, Bonefish Grill, McCormick and Schmick's, etc are much, much better than Red Lobster in the same way the chains Macaroni Grill and Bravo! are much better Italian food than Olive Garden.

I would agree with that.

[tomokc]

And over at the "Best Burger in OKC" thread I don't think anyone has nominated McDonald's.

[adaniel]

I don't mind the cajun/gulf coast flavor because I grew up on it, but I'm a seafood junkie at heart, so I don't mind all of it.

I know some people from the NE who practically inhale Cajun food. The cajun style of cooking is becoming very popular well outside of the gulf coast.

Sorry but I find most seafood from the NE to be bland and lacking in flavor (but then again my family is from Looziana so I am obviously biased). I remember eating some fish when I went to Long Island this summer that was supposedly caught that day. Yeah it was fresh, but I kept asking myself, "what's the big deal?"

[Stew]

This is great news. Although I'm skeptical anybody can do great seafood so far from the sea but if anybody can I'm sure it's them.

Another kudos for okctalk.

[Urbanized]

Man, if you think seafood options outside of cajun are limited to New-England style, it only illustrates how dire our situation is here. Unless they travel a lot, folks from around OKC haven't been exposed to seafood from the mid- and southeast-Atlantic coast, from the Caribbean, from Mexico, California and the Pacific Northwest. There are also plenty of great dishes from Asia and elsewhere. Seafood doesn't have to (and shouldn't) be limited to fried catfish, cajun (though I love it), Red Lobster and Long John Silvers.

[Dubya61]

I grew up hating what I called seafood (but in reality, it was locally caught fresh water -- if you can call Oklahoma rivers and ponds fresh water -- fish: cornbread coated and fried, thank you Momma). When I joined the Navy and spent a lot of time on Mediterranean coasts, I grew to love seafood. I am pretty certain the difference is freshness. The first eye-opener to the wonders of good seafood remains a favorite to this day. We went out to a place in Souda Bay called (by the Sailors), the Souda Bay Fish House (real catchy name, eh?). Not knowing what to get, I chose what my date was having: Swordfish. The server asked us to come to the kitchen and pick out our cut. We went back and there, on an ice-table was a huge swordfish. From there on out, I was hooked on seafood, so long as it was fresh. I know cajun food and certainly like most if not all I've tried, but can't really put my finger on what might constitute other regional treatment of seafood.

[bchris02]

Man, if you think seafood options outside of cajun are limited to New-England style, it only illustrates how dire our situation is here. Unless they travel a lot, folks from around OKC haven't been exposed to seafood from the mid- and southeast-Atlantic coast, from the Caribbean, from Mexico, California and the Pacific Northwest. There are also plenty of great dishes from Asia and elsewhere. Seafood doesn't have to (and shouldn't) be limited to fried catfish, cajun (though I love it), Red Lobster and Long John Silvers.

This pretty much sums it up. However, even Tulsa, Wichita, and Little Rock have better exposure to decent seafood than OKC. While I don't expect anybody here to get even close to a dockside seafood cafe off the coast of S. Carolina, we can definitely do better than Red Lobster or Long John Silvers.

[bradh]

we can definitely do better than Red Lobster or Long John Silvers.

As someone stated earlier, if you're limiting your seafood exposure to places marketed only as seafood, you're doing it wrong.

[Rover]

Restaurants focusing on seafood, particularly in Oklahoma, need the volume that allows them to ship multiple types of high quality fresh fish to their establishments on a daily or near daily basis. They need chefs that specialize in understanding the nuances of the tastes of particular fish and how to complement it with particular side dishes, wines, etc. Most steak houses or general continental food restaurants do not focus on constantly improving fish dishes. Most chefs from here don't have years of experience preparing high quality seafood dishes. So yes, high quality seafood restaurants do it better. If you are expecting to have the best seafood dishes at steak houses or general restaurants, you are going to be disappointed if you are a seafood aficionado. I am hoping that Good Egg understands the focus needed and equips and staffs accordingly, including the wait staff who recommends the dishes, sides, wines, desserts, etc.

If Good Egg is only trying to be better than Red Lobster (or any "fish place" in OKC now, then that won't be a very high bar. If they don't actually focus on high quality seafood and all that implies, it will fail. If they are going to pose as a seafood restaurant, they should actually be one. I am sure they understand and will do that.

[Bellaboo]

This pretty much sums it up. However, even Tulsa, Wichita, and Little Rock have better exposure to decent seafood than OKC. While I don't expect anybody here to get even close to a dockside seafood cafe off the coast of S. Carolina, we can definitely do better than Red Lobster or Long John Silvers.

Go to VAST and order up the scallops...... your opinion might just change. They have other seafood other than the scallops, that's just what i had.

[Rover]

Best fish place in Wichita is BoneFish...another general chain. Better than Red Lobster, but not nearly up to the original BoneFish. I know there are some restaurants in Tulsa that serve some decent fish, but certainly not great seafood. Don't know about LR, except they do good catfish (not really SEAfood). If Good Egg wants, it can easily zoom to the top of the list regionally. It just takes commitment and investment in that commitment.

[BDP]

This is great news. Although I'm skeptical anybody can do great seafood so far from the sea but if anybody can I'm sure it's them.

Another kudos for okctalk.

Well, if Nobu can do sushi in Dallas, you'd think good seafood could be done here too.

[bchris02]

Best fish place in Wichita is BoneFish...another general chain. Better than Red Lobster, but not nearly up to the original BoneFish. I know there are some restaurants in Tulsa that serve some decent fish, but certainly not great seafood. Don't know about LR, except they do good catfish (not really SEAfood). If Good Egg wants, it can easily zoom to the top of the list regionally. It just takes commitment and investment in that commitment.

If Red Lobster is like Olive Garden, Bonefish is like Carrabbas. Carrabbas is a significant step above Olive Garden in that they have a better menu and also prepare their food on-site as opposed to Olive Garden which basically microwaves pre-packaged and frozen meals, but it's still a general chain and not the best in the genre. Likewise, Bonefish would be a welcome alternative to Red Lobster even being the chain that it is. I read that originally Bonefish was supposed to open in Tulsa, OKC, and Wichita all at once but the OKC location was cancelled because of the 2008 recession. I really wouldn't be surprised if they eventually make another attempt at getting into the OKC market.