The wait for one of this year's most eagerly anticipated restaurants end this week. Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers will open this Friday, July 15.
Developed by Gatlin's BBQ owner Greg Gatlin, executive chef Michelle Wallace, and chef de cuisine Darius King, Fins & Feathers features a menu of Southern-inspired comfort food built around fried chicken and seafood along with a healthy dash of inspiration from Houston's immigrant culinary traditions.
“Here on the Gulf Coast, it’s so nice to have somewhere in your neighborhood where you can get fresh, great seafood,” Gatlin said in a statement. “I also think everybody remembers who had the best fried chicken in their town when they were growing up — maybe it was their own grandma. We want to tap into that and make you feel the same way when you eat ours.”
The diverse menu covers a wide range of tastes. Meals could start with oysters raw or roasted. Other appetizer options include Mexican-inspired dishes such as shrimp and crab campechana or roasted duck with mole rojo as well as New Orleans BBQ shrimp, sweet and spicy miso wings, and the biscuits that have been a staple of the breakfast menu at Gatlin's BBQ. The restaurant puts a chicken spin on a traditional charcuterie board with the "Fins & Feathers Clucker," a board that includes Szechuan-spiced chicken cracklings, Southern-fried gizzards, chipotle-glazed crispy chicken feet, smoked chicken liver pate, and berbere-spiced quail, served with accoutrements.
Sandwich options include fried chicken or fish with Nashville-style hot sauce, fried seafood po' boys, and a turkey club made with smoked turkey from Gatlin's BBQ. Entrees include smoked or fried chicken, as well as fried or blackened catfish, smoked chicken enchiladas, and daily fish specials. Red beans and rice, mac and cheese, creamed corn, french fries, and more are available as sides.
Beer, wine, and champagne offer pairing possibilities.
Craig Schuster, lead architect for H3D Hospitality Group, designed the 3,000-square-foot space. It is expected to seat approximately 80 people.
A standout football player at both St. Thomas High School and Rice University, Greg Gatlin opened Gatlin's BBQ in 2010. It moved to its current location on Ella Boulevard. in 2015. Known for its well-executed brisket and ribs, Creole-inspired sides like dirty rice, and Wallace's creative sandwiches, the restaurant earned honorable mention status on Texas Monthly's 2021 list of the state's 50 best barbecue joints.
Gatlin's Fins & Feathers will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 11 am. Sunday hours will be 10:30 am to 3:30 pm with a dedicated Sunday brunch menu to follow in September.
The clucker platter offers chicken feet, gizzards, cracklings, and more.
