WATER GRILL DALLAS, I see you wavin’

Here in Dallas, we have a lot of restaurants. Like, too many. Far too many. That’s why so many good ones fail, in fact. But despite the plethora of choices, the number of quality seafood restaurants is actually quite small. I can count on one hand the seafood restaurants I enjoy: TJ’s two locations in Dallas, Montlake Cut, perhaps a Truluck’s every once-in-a-while. The Oceanaire is a thing, but it feels a bit stiff to me. Well, now there’s a new, beautiful, large-and-in-charge option for fresh-off-the-plane-from-Los-Angeles-this-morning fish. Water Grill is a gorgeous new restaurant on McKinney Avenue at sort of the line between uptown and downtown, casting the perfect net to catch both business folk and uptown dwellers.

We do love our patios here, and this one is a great one. Lounge and dining room in one, with huge windows and the opportunity to have a cover if necessary, it’s pretty much perfect. Just add rosé.

The decor at Water Grill is spot-on. It’s like Wes Anderson redecorated Balthazar in New York. Which makes sense when you take a look at owner Sam King’s resume.

Take a tour of the nearly 10,000 square feet shrine to copper, wood, glass and glorious seafood…

Our media dinner consisted of course after course of impressive dishes. Even a side of kale – sautéed and topped with yogurt and hazelnuts – was delightful and something I’d return to eat.

Disclaimer: These images were taken by me at a media dinner hosted by Water Grill on January 9. Thus, all alcohol and food items were comped. That said, I will definitely be back on my own because there are tons of other things on the menu I’m dying to try, like the ceviche, the bigeye tuna poke, the wagyu burger, the tuna burger, all the salads and the miso cod. I can’t wait.