Photo by Stephen Burnett

Eatery more than doubles in size to meet demand

In March, CR Surf & Turf Seafood and Steak in Cedar Park got a fresh start when the restaurant reopened after renovation.

The expanded eatery is now more than twice its previous size. It has increased space in the kitchen, bar and dining room. It now includes lobster and crab in the new water tanks.

Owner Hao Lien said the expansion helps CR Surf & Turf meet its goal of providing fresh, affordable seafood and steak in a family setting.

"We knew we had to open [a] bigger [area] the first month that we opened because we had a line out the door almost every day," Lien said.

When Lien opened the restaurant six years ago, it was next to a dentist's office. He obtained a new lease in October 2012 allowing the restaurant to occupy the whole building. Workers erected walls, resurfaced the floor and installed new plumbing.

Renovation, not including higher operating costs because of the added space, totaled about $200,000, he said.

"It was a total, 100 percent renovation, even on the old side because we had to match everything to the new side," Lien said."It's not my first rodeo. I've done renovations [for] restaurants before in Austin."

Lien's family is known for its Asian restaurants in the Austin area and has won awards from local media, he said. Lien once ran a Sea Dragon establishment on RM 620, but the restaurant's business dwindled during construction of US 183.

Lien said he has lived in the South for years and enjoys a variety of Southern food, which led him to open CR Surf & Turf.

"I figured [it was] about time to do something that I've been wanting to do for a long time," he said.

Now he said he eats Asian food about once a week while serving seafood, steak and Cajun fare daily at the restaurant. CR Surf & Turf features Texas-raised shrimp, oysters, tilapia, catfish and calamari. Other fresh seafood is flown in from Maine and other seaside states, Lien said. Restaurant staffers prepare everything fresh, including seafood, steak and salads.

The restaurant closes from 3–4:30 p.m. daily so chefs can prepare fresh vegetables, meats and other items for the dinner crowd, he said.

"We try to get the best product that we can, best ingredients that we can," Lien said.

Offerings such as lobster remain seasonal and have variable prices, but are always fresh, Lien said.

"It just depends on what Mother Nature can give us," he said.

CR Surf & Turf Seafood and Steak, 601 E. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park, 512-260-0600, Hours: Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 11:30 a.m.– 9 p.m., closed daily from 3–4:30 p.m.