“We said we will not open the doors until we have fresh hydrangeas on the tables,” Bonnie said. “We said we can’t bring the water here, but we can bring the flowers. It’s a Nantucket thing for sure.”
The Sheas, along with business partners Salvatore Gisellu and Michael Lee, opened Urban Seafood Company in June 2021. The partners also own and operate Urban Crust, established in 2009, and Urban Rio, which opened in 2012. The restaurants are within a mile of each other in downtown Plano.
In addition to being co-owners, Gisellu is the executive chef, and Lee is director of restaurant operations.
The restaurant has only one freezer because everything served is fresh. Every morning, a fishmonger dons a parka, enters the walk-in cooler and filets fresh fish for the day.
Gisellu said despite being landlocked, they have no problem accessing fresh fish from around the world.
“We can get stuff from the East Coast, West Coast, South America and Europe in 24 hours,” Gisellu said. “We use red fish, snapper, flounder from the Gulf. We use salmon from Alaska, and we have Branzino (a type of sea bass) from Europe—it’s here in 48 hours. And live lobster from Maine is flown in daily.”
Cold-water oysters from the East Coast, New England clam chowder and the restaurant’s signature lobster rolls have proven to be crowd-pleasers, Gisellu said.
Regarding the ambiance, Nathan said the patio showcases colors seen while sitting on an East Coast dock, while the interior is a bit more elegant.
“We didn’t want to create a fancy white tablecloth-type restaurant,” Nathan said. “You don’t have to have a lot of money to eat here.”
Urban Seafood Company, 1104 E. 14th St., Plano. 214-251-8771. www.urbanseafoodcompany.com Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Brunch hours: Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
