Seafood restaurant Bait will open in CWE this month

February will see the opening of Central West End’s newest seafood restaurant, Bait. Owner Kalen Hodgest will open the eatery at 4239 Lindell Ave., for a limited menu Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and host an official opening the following evening, Feb. 15. This is Hodgest’s first restaurant.

“Our main concept for the restaurant is centered around creating a curated seafood experience with a multicultural twist in an intimate setting,” Hodgest said in an Instagram message.

Bait’s menu will be helmed by chef Ceaira Jackson, formerly of SOHO and Fleur de Lilies. Diners can expect to see seafood dishes like whole fried snapper, halibut with clams, oysters, alligator, prawns, a house seafood chowder and more. The restaurant will also offer a surf and turf plate, two steak options (including a 30-ounce Tomahawk) and even a vegan burger.

The bar menu is still in development, but Hodgest said he expects many of their signature cocktails will to be served tableside from a bar cart.

Bait will seat around 60 and will initially be open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, but eventually Hodgest wants to expand to Tuesday through Sunday with a Sunday brunch.

Adam Rothbarth is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.