Longtime Dallas chef and Plano native Marc Cassel will soon open his seafood restaurant 20 Feet Seafood Joint in the same strip along Peavy Road as Good 2 Go Taco and Goodfriend Burgers. Choosing this particular spot wasn't really all that difficult Cassel said.
See also: - Goodfriend is a Good Find
"When the girls [Colleen O'Hare and Jeana Johnson] signed a lease for Good 2 Go Taco," Cassel said, "I was pretty interested. Then, when Matt [Tobin] signed a lease for Goodfriends, that sealed it for me."
The owners behind the three restaurants that are lined-up side by side along the 1100 block of Peavy Road have a long history together. If you drew a six degrees of separation chart, there would prominent circles and loop backs (and probably Kevin Bacon). An important note would be the Green Room, where Colleen O'Hare (of Good 2 Go Taco) worked with Cassel. Suffice to say borrowing a cup of sugar ain't no problem.
On Monday I spoke with Cassel, whose resume includes the Green Room, Star Canyon, Hotel Zaza and Park, about the progress of his new casual seafood spot. He expects to open a week from today. After hitting a few snafus, he thinks he has everything ironed out.
I mentioned how difficult it is to open a new restaurant and asked if after his experience in opening Park and Star Canyon, it was easier this time around.
"No," Cassel said emphatically. "Not at all. It's been a labor of love, but it never gets easier. Only this time it was different because it was my own money. Not that I wasn't conscious about costs when it wasn't, but this time I did a little more soul-searching. I didn't have to have the Cadillac of equipment necessarily."
For the first couple of weeks, Cassel said 20 Feet will only be open for dinner. Lunch will start after they get their legs under them.
