20 Feet Seafood Joint Floats Our Boat

by Steven Doyle photos by Joey Stewart

All good things are worth the wait, and for seafood lovers in East Dallas this never rang truer than for 20 Feet Seafood Joint owned and operated by Marc Cassel and his lovely chef-partner Susan Fries, to whom he is engaged. The tiny restaurant located next to two East Dallas sweethearts, Good 2 Go Taco and Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House has already made quite the splash with local residents and foodmongers. There is a good reason why, the food is delicious and very affordable.

Most remember Cassel most at his post the original Deep Ellum Green Room where he created a mussel dish that enamored the city and is heavily replicated by his colleagues. You may still find these mussels on the menu at Toulouse and a few other local restaurants. The mussels are made up of a broth with ginger, shiitake mushrooms, champagne and garlic. I am happy that the chefs reprised these, and the night I last visited 20 Feet there were plenty of orders flying out of the kitchen.

There are a few fun facts about the restaurant I came across while discussing the restaurant, such as how the name came about. 20 Feet is not where you would find the ingredients at the restaurant, rather the length of dogs Cassel owns. Also, Cassel made it to the finals in Top Chef and was flown in for further auditions. He may have said some off the cuff remarks that sent him packing before the show even started. I guess Tom Colicchio doesn’t have the sense of humor Cassel possesses.

The food is fresh, the atmosphere is endearing and the pie is just like my grandmother made. Yes, chocolate pie with real whipped cream is the only dessert we found on the menu and that is certainly OK by us. The French Fries seem to also have a cult following. The fries are thin, crispy and well-seasoned. 20 Feet also has the best daily bargains on Bluepoints at a buck and a half a piece.

Check out 20 Feet soon while there is still no liquor license in place. I have threatened to bring a blender for table-side frozen margaritas. You may want to bring a good beer or wine that pairs easily with the fare.

Photographer Joey Stewart was pleased with his assignment to shoot nearly everything at the restaurant, and it would be a sin not to share each of them with you.

20 Feet Seafood Joint | 1146 Peavy Rd, Dallas | 972.707.7442

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