C'mon, admit it. You've always harbored a secret longing to eat fried catfish while Billy Bass sings "Don't Worry, Be Happy" in the background. Well, now you can do just that at The Fish Shack, which opened last week in Durham (2512 University Drive; 401-4665; thefishshackdurham.com).
Partners Dan Ferguson (who also owns The Original Q Shack next door) and Turner Lawrence are offering a free fried-catfish basket in exchange for one of the singing fish wall trophies, which they're using to decorate the restaurant in a style that can only be called redneck revival.
If the decor's tongue-in-cheek humor is a bit on the stale side, the seafood is fresh, cooked to order and delivered fast to your table. "Our goal is seven to 10 minutes," Ferguson says, regardless of whether you order a fried seafood combo, grilled fish of the day, spicy Low Country boil or oyster po' boy. Naturally, it doesn't hurt that The Fish Shack is a counter service eatery, which makes for fast service and low prices. Most entrees are under $10, prices that might well have you singing along with Billy Bass by the time you leave.
North Raleigh has landed a new seafood option, too, albeit one of a very different sort. Nantucket Grill (1145 Falls River Ave.; 870-1955; www.nantucketgrill.com) is a full service restaurant, for one thing, with full bar and private banquet facilities. And while The Fish Shack drops its line in Southern waters for the most part, Nantucket Grill casts its net for North-of-the-Mason-Dixon-Line fare such as lobster bisque, New England grilled crab cakes, fried cod sandwiches and whole-belly clams.
The restaurant is the first Raleigh location of a small chain with three locations in Durham and Chapel Hill. The lobster roll that has long been a signature offering at those locations is missing on the new menu, but the Raleigh location does offer Nantucket Grill's award-winning New England-style clam chowder. Homemade desserts, another Nantucket Grill hallmark, are also well represented.
And some closings ...
On a sad note, The Rockford has closed after a 15-year run. The downtown Raleigh landmark (if a funky little second-floor eatery and bar that you had to know about to find can be called a landmark) was a bohemian destination on Glenwood South long before the address became trendy and will be missed.
In Chapel Hill, The Barbecue Joint has also closed, but the closing is only temporary. According to owner Jonathan Childres, he and partner Damon Lapis plan to reopen the restaurant this fall in a larger location with a full bar. In the meantime, gift certificates will be honored for catering services, which continue to be offered and can be arranged by calling 332-7504. Or you can hold onto your gift certificates until the new restaurant opens in the fall. Childres promises they'll still be honored.
