I’m about to get serious on you here for a minute, Foodies. As a small business owner myself, it’s extremely important to me to show our support for local businesses as they depend on locals like us to keep them going. With the “Great Floods of 2015″ and all the drama of roads and boat ramps being shut down, we may have all forgotten how some of the businesses associated with both Lewisville and Grapevine Lakes were affected.
Big Daddy’s Ship Store is one of those businesses on Grapevine Lake who have been affected by the flooding this year. Around Memorial Day, they were actually temporarily out of business (for the first time since they originally opened) because the lake levels were too high. But they opened their doors again as soon as they could, hosted a Rally Charity Contest to raise money and are now cranking out their famous burgers, sandwiches and fried food items again.
Big Daddy’s Ship Store is located at the Scott’s Landing Marina on the Grapevine side of Lake Grapevine and has been around since 1997. It was started by current co-owner, Craig Pritchett’s, parents who decided to retire in 2012. When they did, they handed the business over to their son, Craig, and long-time employee Matt Armand, who had both managed the restaurant for several years.
Matt and Craig have kept the integrity of the original restaurant, with most of the original menu items still on the menu today. But they did overhaul the fried food items with fresh fried foods including Fried Gouda, Fried Jalapenos and Onion Rings.
They’ve also added some of their own unique creations including Matt’s famous Shrimp & Grits made with polenta, which they occasionally serve in the outside grill along with other delicious dishes including fish tacos, rib-eye steak and baby back ribs.
But let’s talk about what we ordered today, shall we?
At the suggestion of Matt, we had to order some of their famous hamburgers including the Buffalo Bleu Cheese Burger topped with a buffalo sauce and melted bleu cheese as well as the Crazy Burger which comes topped with bacon, sauteed onions and three kinds of melted cheeses.
And with the approval of Matt’s dad we also ordered the Grilled Bacon Avocado sandwich. All of the burgers and sandwiches come served with their fresh-cut French fries which were incredible. You can tell when a French fry doesn’t come from a freezer and these fries definitely do NOT.
You know we try not to leave a Foodie Friday meal without dessert, so Matt brought us some of their homemade Coconut Cream Pie. All of their pies are made by his dad based on Mrs. Pritchett’s recipes. And this pie was DELICIOUS. He can make me a pie any time. It was wonderfully creamy with a buttery, flaky crust and the perfect hint of coconut.
So, here’s the deal Foodies… Big Daddy’s Ship Store is absolutely delicious and is a great spot to head for live music on the weekends, a good burger and to watch fireworks on Friday evenings during the summer. And as they’re working to get back on track after the flooding, let’s show our support for them. Keep checking their Facebook page for updates regarding the re-opening of their outdoor grill area and the re-institution of their breakfast menu on Saturdays and Sundays!
We’re excited for what the future holds for Matt and Craig and look forward to them feeling lots of Foodie love in the next few days!
*Side note: When you head out to Big Daddy’s Ship Store, you’ll still have to get a little creative with some of the road closures. So, here are directions…
Get yourself over to Hwy 26 in Grapevine. Turn right on Dove Rd. Turn right on Oak Grove Loop. You’ll come to some barricades at the end of the road past the soccer fields. Turn right to go down that street where you’ll see a big field across from the Marina. Park there and walk across the bridge to the Marina. Big Daddy’s is towards the back… you’ll see the neon Open sign!
Jay Marks writes the Foodie Friday each week. You can read his blog at http://iamjaymarks.wordpress.com
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