Restaurant Review:
Pier 247

Once upon a time, North Oak Cliff’s culinary options were a meager lot of taquerias and home cooking. Now valet parking and two-hour waits are de rigueur as upscale restaurants have taken over the trendy Bishop Arts District. That’s why Pier 247, housed in a vintage brick gas station, is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Chef Richard Glenn’s menu of Cajun classics, fried fish baskets, and po’ boys isn’t designed to land on any best-of lists. But it feeds the locals just fine. The triple seafood club was a mouth-filling feast with its layers of shrimp salad, crab cake, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and spicy remoulade, all sandwiched between slices of sourdough. The best po’ boy was the Peacemaker, pairing bacon with fried oysters. Of the fried basket offerings, I preferred those same crispy, meaty bivalves to the fried catfish. The clumpy, undercooked breading didn’t adhere to the fish properly. But the gumbo and étouffée satisfied, as did a brunch offering of barbecue shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and bell peppers. Best of all, Pier 247’s patio is a festive perch from which you can watch everyone else wait for their reservations across the street as you feed your face, pay your check, and then hop in your nearby car and head home. No valet required.