Lobster roll: Photo by Mark Davis

Lobster roll: Photo by Mark Davis

20 Feet Seafood has one of the finest lobster rolls in Dallas. The house-made bun, which encases juicy, plump hunks of lobster with a touch of lemon juice, is not only an effective delivery system but is also light and sweet. There is a reason why this seafood is a notch above your typical East Coast sea-shack fare. Owners and chefs Marc Cassel and Suzan Fries of East Dallas became well acquainted with the nuances of fine dining while cooking at The Green Room, and at Stephan Pyles’ Star Canyon before that. During a trip to the East Coast, they admired the quality and simplicity of the dishes prepared in tiny kitchens in Boston seafood joints. Mutually inspired, Cassel and Fries took a different culinary turn and set up shop near White Rock Lake — Dallas’ version of a coast, you could say — bringing their culinary prowess (and Cassel’s popular Green Room mussels) while leaving the fine-dining stuffiness behind. Here, you can bring your dog, grab a seat on the newly expanded patio — which regulars say has helped lessen the notoriously long wait for a table during the weekend — and crack open a beverage of the B.Y.O.B. variety (save for moonshine, Fries warns). Cassel says a beer and wine permit is in the works and should be ready in the next few months, but even then they’ll remain B.Y.O.B.-friendly.

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20 Feet Seafood Joint
1160 Peavy
972.707.7442
20-feet.com

Ambiance: laid-back
Price range: $9-$19
Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.;Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Did you know? Look for pictures of the couple’s four dogs in the napkin holders. The restaurant is named after the number of their feet, plus Marc and Suzan’s, of course.