Seafood Boils Beyond the Bayou Coming to St. Paul’s Grand Avenue

Sameh and Saed Wadi who created the globe-trotting sensations Saffron, World Street Kitchen and Milkjam Creamery are teaming with Thien Ly of Brooklyn Park’s Cajun Deli to open a new St. Paul seafood restaurant, Grand Catch. The restaurant will open in the old Grand Central address at 1672 Grand Avenue in St. Paul near the Macalester campus.

Sameh told the Star Tribune, ““The core value will always be that Cajun fish boil, with a bit of a riff on that Vietnamese/Middle Eastern connection.” The flavors will be a heady mix of worldly spices.

That means straight-up Louisiana-style boil, po’ boys, small plates put through the lens of the restaurant owners backgrounds: Palestinian, Vietnamese, Laotian and more. Sameh took an extensive trip through Southeast Asia last year and likely picked up a pile of inspiration from eating around the world.

The restaurant is currently getting a quick makeover with a kitchy/nautical theme and is expected to open by this spring.

Sameh and Saed Wadi ran the critically lauded Saffron restaurant in the Warehouse District for 10 years and operate the World Street Kitchen restaurant and truck alongside the ice cream restaurant that inspired a rabid fan base, Milkjam Creamery. Those restaurants are based in the Lyn/Lake neighborhood. Chef Sameh also recently revamped the menu at the downtown sports celebrity draw restaurant and lounge, Seven.

Cajun Deli is a Brooklyn Park based restaurant serving Louisiana-style boils packed with crab, crawfish, shrimp and more.

• Sameh Wadi On Family, Saffron and The New Mediterranean Table [ETC]
• All Wadi Brothers Coverage [ETC]
• Brothers behind World Street Kitchen bring new seafood spot to St. Paul [STRIB]