A legendary Texas oyster purveyor is opening a restaurant on the Gulf Coast. Prestige Oysters will soon welcome diners to Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, a new establishment located on the waterfront in San Leon.
To bring Pier 6 to life, Prestige Oysters president Raz Halili has hired chef Joe Cervantez as executive chef. Cervantez comes to Pier 6 after three years at Brennan's of Houston and, prior to that, over two years at Killen's Steakhouse.
As diners might expect given its location and its owner, Pier 6 will focus on seafood, with a particular emphasis on oysters from different parts of the Gulf. Shrimp, crab, and a seasonally appropriate selection of whole fish will round out the menu, which will offer raw, wood-grilled, and other familiar preparations. Cajun and Creole flavors will be well represented, but Cervantez also plans to nods to the East Coast such as seafood rolls and chowders.
"Starting a new restaurant is fun,” the chef said in a release. “It’s nice setting time aside to just think about food. Plus, we’re right there on the coast, sourcing literally right out of the water. The endless possibilities of what we can make of this place are exciting to me. We’ll never get bored of it.”
All that cooking will take place in a large, 5,000-square-foot restaurant with an over 2,200-square-foot patio. Coeval Studio's design incorporates "wood tones" and natural light to capture the appropriate ambiance. Eventually, customers will be able to access the restaurant by sailing into the marina, but for now they'll have to drive.
Halili may be a first time restaurateur, but Prestige has supplied restaurants along the Gulf Coast for two generations. He feels ready to make the leap to operating his own establishment.
"Hospitality is an adventure. I’ve experienced dining around the world and am excited to take part in it myself, especially working with a skilled chef like Joe," Halili said. "He comes highly recommended from many chefs around town. I’ve been around chefs for well over a decade, and you don't come across too many who have the culinary skills, along with the charisma and character, that Joe has."
A rendering shows Pier 6's interior
