Saint James rebrands as Jimmy’s Dockside to offer seafood that travels well | Review
Saint James Seafood had only been open a little over a year — just long enough to establish itself as the Triangle’s premier seafood restaurant — when an explosion in a neighboring building forced its closing.
It would be nine months before owner/chef Matt Kelly was able to reopen in late January of this year.
We all know what happened two months later. Having your restaurant shut down by forces out of your control — not once, but twice in a span of less than a year — would be enough to make many restaurateurs throw in the towel.
Not Kelly, who as it turns out is as resilient as he is talented. In July, the chef — who has also given the Triangle best-in-class restaurants Vin Rouge and Mateo — reopened Saint James as Jimmy’s Dockside. Aimed at riding out the pandemic until Saint James can be revived as a full service restaurant, Jimmy’s Dockside offers contact-free takeout Tuesday-Saturday.
The menu has been pared down from the seafood lover’s paradise that was Saint James, and now focuses on casual dishes that travel well. That includes a few non-seafood options — a double cheeseburger served with a generous heap of Old Bay-dusted fries, for one.
And slow-smoked ribs, slathered with a spicy-sweet molasses-dark sauce.
An order of fried chicken survived the half hour drive home still juicy in a crackly batter crust when I ordered it. Like the ribs, the chicken comes with your choice of side. Get the excellent potato salad and add a side of coleslaw for an instant picnic on the deck.
Jimmy’s Dockside lives up to its maritime pedigree, too, with a seafood offering ranging from Cajun po’ boy (shrimp, catfish, or oysters) to Maine lobster roll — thoughtfully packaged as an assemble-your-own sandwich, in order to prevent the lobster salad and creamy slaw from making the buttered and toasted bun from getting soggy on the way home.
A fried N.C. seafood platter offers your choice of shrimp, oysters, catfish or any combination, and comes with hushpuppies, fries and slaw. I got all three recently, and don’t regret the splurge.
Old Bay peel ’n’ eat shrimp, served chilled with cocktail sauce, dijonnaise and lemon wedges, is another keeper. And I can’t imagine starting a Saint James — er, Jimmy’s Dockside — meal without an order of the smoked fish dip, which comes with house-made pickles and fried saltines.
Paired with a Polynesian Paralysis cocktail (which you can make with a mix available on the online order site; just add the liquor of your choice), the experience conjures up memories of appetizers and tiki drinks in the restaurant’s dining room.
For that matter, so do oysters on the half shell, paired with a bottle of sparkling rosé from a selection of reasonably priced wines and local beers.
Yes, you read that right. Watch the video on the website to see how Kelly shucks and vacuum seals the oysters with ice. If, like me, raw oysters are at the top of the list of things you’ve missed for the past six months, you’ll be ordering a half dozen or more before you’ve finished watching the video.
Fittingly, the restaurant is named for the patron saint of oyster fishers, but Saint James also happens to be the patron saint of pharmacists. That’s also fitting, because — regardless of whether you’re in the mood for seafood — Jimmy’s Dockside is just what the doctor ordered.
Saint James Seafood aka Jimmy’s Dockside
806 W. Main St., Durham
984-219-7900
Note: Complimentary parking for curbside pickup available in the parking lot to the left of the building.
Takeout Tales
Send me your experiences with restaurant delivery and curbside pickup at ggcox55@gmail.com. I’ll publish as many as I can (edited as needed for brevity and clarity) in this space.
Tazza Kitchen
Kathleen W. gives a shout out to Tazza Kitchen in Cary. (tazzakitchen.com) Inside-the-Beltliners will be happy to know there’s a location in Cameron Village, too:
I have been a lunchtime regular at Tazza Kitchen in Cary for years, and am now a lunchtime pickup regular. I miss the peanut soup they had on the menu before the pandemic, but the tacos are as good as ever. I have been getting two brisket and one shrimp, but the chicken is fine too.
Their pickup is one of the best I’ve experienced. When I order online I give a description of my car, and when I arrive I park in one of the designated spots and they bring the food out to me. I have been having all pickup put into my trunk, as I am doubly high risk, so no contact at all.
Dim Sum House
Frank L. discovers a hidden gem for dim sum and other Chinese delights in Morrisville:
I have a good Chinese place to pass along. Dim Sum House is one block off of Airport Boulevard about a mile southwest of Route 40. The recommendation came from a Cincinnati friend who had stopped there on his way back from visiting his son in Wilmington.
Last night, we had Pot Stickers and Steamed Pork Buns along with three dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Shredded Pork with Smoked Tofu and Green Beans in Garlic Sauce.
Packed together, the dishes were still hot when we got back to Durham and all of them were very good, the best we’ve had down here.
This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 12:14 PM.