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Legacy Hall's Sea Breeze Lobsta and Chowda House

Legacy Hall boasts 20 food stalls, a beer garden and Plano’s first brewery. One stall, however, stands apart. Literally; it’s the only stall on the second floor of the hall.
Photo by Cori Baker

Legacy Hall boasts 20 food stalls, a beer garden and Plano’s first brewery. One stall, however, stands apart. Literally; it’s the only stall on the second floor of the hall. Sea Breeze Lobsta and Chowda House is a fast-casual seafood concept from the fishmongers behind Sea Breeze Fish Market and Grill.

Note: here’s everything we know about Legacy Hall.

We caught up with Ryan Oruch, co-founder of the Lobsta and Chowda House and Rick Oruch, fishmonger and founder of Sea Breeze Fish Market and Grill, to get the latest details on the concept. According to them, there are a lot of reasons to be excited for its grand opening (scheduled in early November).

What are the most exciting dishes on the menu?

Ryan: I think guests will really enjoy the Sea Breeze Trio, because it’s the only way to easily try all three of our regular menu rolls on one platter.  You’ll get ½ of a traditional Maine lobster roll, ½ of a Connecticut hot lobster roll, and ½ of our new Sea Breeze roll, which features shrimp and crab in a traditional Louie dressing.

Personally, I’m really excited about Ryan’s Rotator Roll.  We’ll create a specialty roll each month. 

How is it different from the Sea Breeze Fish Market?

Ryan: We made our roots in fast casual, and we’re going back to counter service with Sea Breeze Lobsta and Chowda House.  Of course, there is no fish market here.  At Legacy Food Hall, it’s all about the rolls and the chowder.

What will the atmosphere be like?

Ryan: Diners should enjoy a real East Coast vibe, like they’ve walked into a Lobster Shack in Maine.  We’re thrilled to be on the second floor, where the atmosphere will be fun and lively.

What are three things that most people don’t already know about the Sea Breeze Lobsta and Chowda House?

Ryan: We’ll be the ONLY food destination on the 2nd floor. Several of our menu items at Sea Breeze Lobsta and Chowda House will be available ONLY there – not at our original Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill. And this concept has been in our plans for over five years – and Legacy Food Hall gave us a perfect location.

The team at Legacy Food Market all understand seafood and come from that background.  They’d always envisioned an anchor stall that featured fresh seafood.  This gave us the largest dining destination at Legacy Food Hall – with the most in depth menu.

 Our family has spent years touring New England seafood destinations scouting out menu concepts, décor and more.

What are the benefits to having a local fishmonger?

Rick: We receive shipments daily from suppliers on both the Pacific and the Atlantic. People are amazed to find that we regularly have over a dozen types of fresh seafood, as well as amazing shrimp from the Texas gulf coast, Lobster from Maine and more.

Rick also offered a few tips to make sure you always get the freshest fish.

  1.        Know who you are buying from.  In decades past, our families knew their butcher, their fishmonger and their grocer better.  Those experts became a source to know what was fresh, what was coming in and when to purchase it.
  2.       Don’t be afraid to take a smell test.  Fresh fish shouldn’t stink.  In fact, other than a clean, ocean scent, most fish should have no aroma at all.  If the professional at your seafood counter won’t let you smell the fish before you buy it, it’s a red flag that should concern consumers.
  3.       When possible, it’s always best to purchase fresh fish.  You don’t know how long following being caught a fish was frozen or the method with which it was handled.
  4.       Make sure to store your fish properly.  When we sell fish from the fish market, we always send the consumer home with a small bag of ice.  Many people think that is to protect the seafood on the drive home. However, we provide that to put on top of the fish once it is in your refrigerator at home.  The average home refrigerator is about 45-50 degrees.  Seafood is best stored at 34 degrees.  The only way to adequately create those conditions is to put ice on the fish in the refrigerator.
  5.       Consume your fish as soon as possible.  We recommend that people cook their fish within 24 hours of purchasing it.  However, when stored properly in the refrigerator, the fish will safely last up to three days.

Sea Breeze Lobsta and Chowda House is currently slated to open on November 6. Get hungry, folks.