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(Rockwall) August 16, 2012 – With the start of a busy school year underway, it’s the perfect time to take a break from cooking and bring the family to Dodie’s Cajun Diner at The Harbor. You’ll experience authentic Cajun cuisine and a warm welcome from the restaurant’s owners, Mike McRae and Gabe Nicolella.
Dodie’s outdoor patio overlooks the Harbor Amphitheatre and lighthouse on Lake Ray Hubbard, and delivers a spectacular view of sailboats and sunsets. Enjoy a dish of Red Beans and Rice, Shrimp Creole, Etouffee, or the diner’s best selling Cajun Cocktail – a giant glass of fresh shrimp, crawfish tails, avocado, tomato, onions, peppers and cilantro – just right for chillin’ in the fall breeze that we know is coming soon!
Perhaps you’re going to be “Sailing with Scott” aboard Seawolf, the 40-foot Spanish cedar cataraman that departs from the lighthouse in front of Dodie’s, or you’re looking forward to watching fireworks from the deck of the newly christened Harbor Lights. After your cruise around Lake Ray Hubbard, Captain Scott Self may hand you a coupon to enjoy 20 percent off your next dining experience at Dodie’s.
Dodie’s is also a perfect landing spot after Parasailing The Harbor aboard Chute ‘n the Breeze with Rance Rudy.
“Rockwall is such a great and unique community. We feel right at home here. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know everybody,” said McRae, who began making improvements to the restaurant from the moment he and Nicolella, his long-time business partner, purchased Dodie’s at The Harbor in February. “We’re amazed at how many folks come by to tell us they’re glad we’re here – that they’re excited to see us improving the quality of the restaurant.”
McRae and Nicolella say that it’s Rockwall’s big sense of community and small town charm that drew them to Dodie’s at The Harbor, despite the fact that renovations and improvements were needed at the restaurant to ensure guests receive the ultimate dining experience.
“We knew it was going to take quite a bit of effort to get Dodie’s where it needed to be to reclaim some old business and develop some new business. At the time, the food and service was inconsistent at best,” McRae said. “But we knew from visiting other Dodie’s locations in Dallas that there was a really, really good product to be had; we just didn’t feel like it was being produced at Dodie’s in Rockwall.”
McRae pointed out that Cajun food is very popular but not overly saturated in the Rockwall market. “People who love Cajun food, LOVE Cajun food,” he said. “There’s just not a whole lot of it close by. If you do it right, people will travel to get good Cajun cuisine.”
Drawing on years of experience managing restaurants and nightclubs – including the 28,000 sq.ft. Baha Beach Club in Chicago in the 1980s; Confetti’s in Dallas “back in the day;” and 19 years on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Nicolella turned his attention to the Dodie’s kitchen.
“At first Mike and I spent a lot of time visiting the Dodie’s in Allen, gaining insight from the owner there, learning the products and recipes,” Nicolella said. “Then we came here and discovered that the Rockwall Dodie’s wasn’t using the same recipes. For the most part, they weren’t using any recipes at all.”
Using a recipe book to deliver quality food on a consistent basis is “Restaurant 101,” McRae said. “No matter how much you say ‘no, I already know how to make it,’ the bottom line is, if I walk in the kitchen and you’re preparing Etouffee and you don’t have the recipe book out, we’ve got a problem.”
In addition to following and fine-tuning taste-tested recipes, Nicolella and McRae introduced new menu items as well, including Redfish Nola, which features blackened redfish and crawfish etouffee with white rice. They expanded the selection of salads to include Grilled Atlantic Salmon Salad, Chilled Shrimp Salad, Blackened Chicken Caesar and Cobb Salad. More items are being introduced this fall.
“The goal is not just to serve up food that is consistently good,” Nicolella said, “but to have some ‘oh wow’ food, so when people are deciding where to eat, they say, ‘Let’s go to Dodie’s and get some crab cakes and Pasta Monica again.’”
We love serving the Rockwall community. We have never experienced a place quite as unique, or met so many truly genuine people. It’s a feeling you don’t get anywhere else. We hope you’ll find it’s that way at Dodie’s, too” – Mike McRae and Gabe Nicolella
McRae and Nicolella have given Dodie’s a new look, too – replacing the outdoor awning and remodeling the interior to bring more of a French Quarter feel to the restaurant. They may extend the bar out into the patio area, and add garage doors that open to a breezeway.
Live entertainment is featured regularly. Drink specials include $2.50 domestic draft beers, $4.50 frozen drinks, $3 well drinks, and $3 wine by glass from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; $2 Margarita Mondays from 7 to 11 p.m.; $2 domestic draft beers from 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays; $3 Crown and Down/U Call It from 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays.
“With a great atmosphere, good music, good food, and a few ‘oh wows,’ Dodie’s at The Harbor is quickly becoming more than a restaurant – it’s a destination. It’s the flavor, the flair, the New Orleans experience you won’t find anywhere else, unless you’re on Bourbon Street,” McRae said. “We invite you to come in and have dinner, and stay for the experience.”
Restaurant’s new ownership gives back to the community it now calls home
The Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 31 for Dodie’s Cajun Diner at The Harbor, celebrating the restaurant’s new ownership and its mission of giving back to the community.
New owners Mike McRae and Gabe Nicolella welcomed a crowd of Chamber Ambassadors and guests with a tasty sampling of Cajun Cocktail and other house specialties.
As a Silver Sponsor of the Concert by the Lake Series, a sponsor of Cars for CASA and the Dirty Rock Off-Road Triathlon, and most recently, the Rockwall Rotary’s Hot Rocks Bike Race, the restaurant’s new ownership aims to make a difference in the community it now calls home. (Congrats to Michael Marshall, winner of the Hot Rocks Raffle prize package that includes parasailing for four at Parasailing The Harbor, and dinner for four at Dodie’s!)
“We love serving the Rockwall community. We have never experienced a place quite as unique, or met so many truly genuine people. It’s a feeling you don’t get anywhere else,” said Mike McRae and Gabe Nicolella, who are planning several special events to benefit local charities.
Stay tuned to Blue Ribbon News for all the details.
Written by Dawn Redig, Blue Ribbon News, all rights reserved.
To submit your news and events or to inquire about profiling your business, email editor@BlueRibbonNews.com.
Chillin’ on the patio at Dodie’s Cajun Diner at The Harbor added by Editor on
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