David Chang, co-owner of Redfish Seafood Grill in Cy-Fair, owes a lot to his cooking abilities. Not only have they helped him sustain his business over the past 13 years, but he jokes his culinary skills also are the reason his wife, Rolita, fell in love with him.

“We met soon after I opened the restaurant,” David said of his wife, who now co-owns and manages Redfish with him. “The sea bass special was her favorite. I think that’s why she married me.”

David launched the eatery in 2003 as a one-floor establishment. Five years later, he had the second floor built to accommodate his growing customer base. The venue also offers outdoor patio seating.

The Redfish menu features a list of seafood entree staples as well as poultry, steaks and an extensive sushi menu. The back page of the menu is dedicated to specials, which are rotated throughout the year to include new experimental dishes.

“We might change one or two things on the specials menu per week,” David said. “Cooking is like an art to me. If you cook the same thing every day, it’s no fun. I like to challenge myself.”

David’s motivation seems to be paying off for Redfish. Business is strong, and 70 percent of diners are returning customers.

Standard fish offerings include Chang’s special sea bass, stuffed flounder and blackened redfish. The specials menu includes items, such as the lobster seafood pot and a brand new Gulf snapper dish served in an Asian spicy black bean truffle sauce, which David introduced in late March.

All the fish is fresh and delivered daily, he said.

While David heads up the kitchen, often working 12- to 14-hour days, Rolita takes care of restaurant management and customer service. She said she makes it a point to develop relationships with regular customers and gets to know each of them as individuals.

“We see our customers as friends coming into our house for a meal,” Rolita said. “Having been open this long, we have second and third generations of customers coming in now. We want people to feel warm when they come here.”

David said it feels good to make customers happy with his cooking.

“Running a restaurant is hard work, but this is why I love it,” he said.

19550 Hwy. 249, Houston 281-970-8599 www.redfishhouston.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-9 p.m. Kitchen is closed daily 3-4 p.m.

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