Open Arms

With the sun setting behind the prairie mansions on Windomere Avenue, we sip our wine and stare out the big glass windows at the fruit stand across the street where watermelons are lined up with such precision that it looks like art. The neighborhood is mixed, with dollar stores and shabby auto-repair shops sharing blocks near impeccably restored old homes. (McCoy and Branstetter, who also own the O.C. Mercantile shop, live in one of those houses just blocks away.)

Desserts are next. It's a tough job, but somebody...you know how it goes. The blackberry cobbler--not oversweet and not overpowered by the rich, thick, warm crust--is spooned into a parfait glass (a nod to the DQ, says McCoy) and topped with a perfectly scooped ball of vanilla ice cream. We share it a spoonful at a time, trying to make it last as long as possible. On our next visit, the hot fudge and peanut butter sundae doesn't come close to the cobbler experience. And the Key lime pie (also served in the parfait glass) is creamy but thin and lacks the jaw-biting tartness we like.

McCoy won't let us leave until he shakes our hands and invites us back. We're not getting special treatment. He does this with everyone in the place.

More than the plump shrimp, more than the savory sweet potato fries, more than the cobbler we'd like to gobble every day for the rest of summer, we'll come back for the easy gentility of Starfish. And for the big hello from McCoy. For real.

1417 W. Davis St., 214-042-8100. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. $-$$