Quaffed hair with frosted highlights. Silky golf shirts and freshly pressed khakis. And a bottle of crisp Sauvignon Blanc paired with a basket of fried oysters. Oh, yeah—this was Colleyville. Where else besides this big-money, big-hair Tarrant County burb could you find well-groomed baby boomers savoring hush puppies like they were truffles? And who else other than culinary darling David McMillan could take a typical fried catfish joint and turn it on its gills?
Located downstairs from McMillan’s lauded 62 Main, Kingfish is comfy and casual and appeals to both the minivan brood and buffed and Botoxed empty nesters. Take, for instance, the hush puppies. Sure, McMillan’s fritters are crunchy, moist, and lightly spiced. That’s expected. But as an appetizer, they’re slathered in melted cheese, chopped bacon, sour cream, jalapeños, and green onions. “They are sooooo good,” cooed our chirpy waitress. “You’ll never eat nachos again.” Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But they were delicious, though a puppy purist at our table huffed that he found them “overwrought.”
Happily, the purist found solace with the fried catfish: downy meat with a crackling, golden brown crust. “Now this is country catfish,” he declared. He was right. The fillet was huge and a beauty, though $10.95 for one fillet and two sides—no matter how good—is a bit steep. A better bang for the buck was the shrimp and grits for $13.95: sautéed shrimp, bacon, garlic, mushrooms, and scallions served over ethereal Jack cheese grits. The dish was flavorful and very filling. Other standouts at Kingfish include a blackened catfish sandwich, scallion and ginger-marinated salmon, and the Kingfish gumbo. (Andouille sausage and okra? Of course. Crab? Now that’s a tasty surprise.)
Desserts were the only true disappointment. Made elsewhere, the Key lime pie and coconut cake seemed a little prefab and listless. But judging from the empty wine bottles and happy smiles at the table next to us, owner McMillan has another hit with the Colleyville crowd.
Update: Kingfish has closed.
