:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46853154/Screen_Shot_2015-07-28_at_3.37.49_PM.0.0.png)
Attention oyster lovers: Los Angeles-based seafood institution Water Grill will open right here in Dallas come 2016. The first location outside California for the concept — which Eater LA says serves "some of the city's most pristine seafood" — will be located just north of Klyde Warren Park at 1920 McKinney Avenue, on the ground floor of a currently-under-construction 12-story office tower.
A press release makes it sound like a veritable wonderland for those who enjoy the fruits of the sea: There will be an oyster bar serving up to 18 different bivalve varieties plus live uni, and saltwater tanks filled with a seasonally-changing selection of live shellfish such as Dungeness crab, spiny lobsters, and spot prawns.
The menu will change daily but will always include 13 kinds of sustainably-caught fish. A glance at the menu for the Santa Monica location reveals inventive-sounding menu items like scallop crudo with togarashi and Japanese mustard, a wild jumbo shrimp banh mi, squid ink pasta with grilled calamari, and of course, pricey seafood platters heaped with chilled shellfish. On the dessert menu, there's a banana chocolate sundae with chocolate-covered cornflakes.
The interior of the future Dallas location is intended to look like "a refurbished ship," with reclaimed wood from old barns, a copper bar top, and a wine cellar for private dining, and a 2,000 square-foot patio, plus the all-important skyline views. As far as the bar goes, expect 20 local beers on tap, 35 wines by the glass, and craft cocktails.
Scope out the menu for Water Grill's Santa Monica location, below, to give you an idea of what's in store for Dallas:
