This seafood restaurant in Cary reminds me of my grandma’s cooking. Here’s what I ate

This is the first story in The News & Observer’s Tasty Triangle series.

There are few restaurants that remind me of the way my grandma cooked seafood.

I grew up in her kitchen during the summer, watching her place flour-covered fish fillets into a plastic bag, shaking it up and dipping them slowly into hot grease on the stove.

The crackling and simmer of the golden brown fillets always excited me, because by the end of the meal, I would be full and satisfied.

Frying fish is an art form. You need the right temperature for the oil, the flavorful seasonings and flour. There is skill in telling when a piece is done or which one needs a few more minutes to finish frying.

At TrY Seafood Grill in southeast Cary, the chefs seemingly have that art form down to a science.

When I visited the restaurant on a busy mid-afternoon, about 12 customers were piled into the small space tucked in the Tryon Woods Shopping Center. I knew I was in for a treat by the smell of fresh fish fry and popular R&B tunes playing on the stereo.

TrY Seafood Grill opened in 2021 and is owned by Regina Scott, the president and CEO, and her husband, Harold. The restaurant is one of the few Black and woman-owned spots in Cary, The News & Observer reported.

After satisfying my taste buds, I talked with Regina Scott about her inspiration behind the menu and what customers can expect.

A mixed menu packed with your favorites

The restaurant’s menu is a mixture of Caribbean, Latin and Southern cuisine. The menu is also packed with nearly everything from the land and sea. And I mean that literally.

There are crab legs, lobster tail, catfish, whiting, shrimp, snapper, salmon, mussels, scallops, Po’Boy sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, jerk flavored turkey and chicken wings. The fish is seasoned and prepared about four different types of ways including jerk, Cajun, and teriyaki.

There are crab cakes, empanadas, Rasta pasta, shrimp scampi, kid’s meals and sweet plantains.

This is without mentioning the salmon burgers and sides like soups and salads, desserts, combos, cheese grits, fries and yellow rice.

So as you can imagine, I was hungry and overwhelmed.

After some minutes of consideration, I ordered an eight-piece jumbo shrimp and fries basket and buttered calamari rings. I also tried two pieces of fried catfish and an Arnold Palmer to drink.

Everything was fried hot and fresh. The breading on the catfish was soft and light, but the ends were crunchy, giving it a tasty balance. Drizzled with hot sauce, the fish brought me right back to all my family reunions on the coast in the summer.

The jumbo shrimp were served over golden brown steak fries and a lemon to sprinkle on top. I tasted black pepper and some hints of paprika and salt. The calamari rings — which were my favorite — came with a special homemade sauce that I need the secret recipe to.

“And did you try the cornbread?” Regina Scott asked me during a phone interview. “That’s a staple here.”

I didn’t, but now I know what to order next time. Who doesn’t love cornbread?

Scott said they opened the restaurant in Cary, having moved to the Triangle from Long Island, New York, where they used to operate the first TrY Seafood Grill. The “y” is capitalized to emphasis their store’s symbol— a Triton.

The Scotts first considered expanding their business to Charlotte but were swayed by the rapid growth of the Triangle, and their family.

“The in-laws said, ‘Please look into the Raleigh area (because) we don’t have that many seafood restaurants, and what you guys have with those options of steam, fry and grill — it’s a plus,’” Scott said. “Cary reminds us of Long Island being a melting pot of different walks of life coming through. ... There’s just so much growing.”

Originally from Miami, Scott said the inspiration for the mixture of cultures and flavors on the menu comes from her own mixed-race heritage. Her mother, who is Black, created the recipe for the collard greens and helped with the cornbread recipe. The empanadas come from her Puerto Rican background on her father’s side, she said.

The steamed and healthier options on the menu are for people like her husband, who is pescatarian and rarely eats anything fried, she said.

“I love steamed, I love fried, I love grilled, it doesn’t matter,” she said.

A family-owned and operated business

Since opening, business has been non-stop, Scott said. The store sees customers from all over Cary and the Triangle.

The restaurant has a dine-in option as well as catering and curbside pick-up so customers can always order online. Some have traveled from as far as Charlotte and Fayetteville after seeing food bloggers talk about TrY Seafood Grill on social media. The restaurant is also active on their own TikTok page sharing videos of new menu items, events or specials.

Lunch specials are everyday from 11 to 3 p.m., and customers can get any combo for $8.50.

During the week, the catfish, snapper, whiting and grilled items sell out quickly, Scott said. Blackened catfish served with veggies and “crab poppers,” a hush puppy mix with crab meat, are also a hit.

On Friday through Sunday, the restaurant offers items that aren’t normally available during the week, including turkey wings, which are in such high demand, the store sells out by 4 p.m., five hours before closing on Sunday. On Saturday, the store sells lamb chops, which can come over yellow rice, mashed potatoes or grits. On Friday, customers can ask for Caribbean jerk chicken.

Two weeks ago, TrY Seafood launched its first food truck that ill operate from Tuesday to Thursday. So far, the food truck has gotten invites from corporations around the Research Triangle Park area and has fee up to 200 employees, Scott said.

“It’s been soaring and we’re super grateful for that,” she said.

The jumbo shrimp, calamari and catfish I had at TrY Seafood were all tasty and special. My grandmother’s cooking was one-of-a-kind, but I may have found one of the best places in Wake County to order all my favorites. I’ll be back.

Details

TrY Seafood Grill is at 8204 Tryon Road, Cary. TrY Seafood grill is open six days of the week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Learn more at tryseafoodgrill.com.

Tasty Triangle

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