click to enlarge Photo by Emanuel Wallace

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In my recent review of Boiling Seafood in Cleveland Heights, I wrote the following words: “Mark my words, it's a concept that's ripe for the picking in terms of replication.”Two months later, I’m reporting the news that the concept indeed is being replicated. Within a couple months, The Boiler will open in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. The restaurant will open in a portion of the St. Helena Romanian Byzantine Catholic Church, an attractive brick building in the heart of Gordon Square.The concept, while new to Cleveland, is modeled down to the menu after similar boiled seafood shops down south and out west. If you were to cross a Louisianan crab boil with a Szechuan dry pot, this is what would come out the other end. Seafood such as crawfish, shrimp, crab, clams and even whole lobster are boiled in a flavorful broth, tossed in an aggressively seasoned spice mixture, and delivered to the table in clear plastic bags. Diners can pour the contents out onto the white-paper table toppers or eat straight out of the sack. Plastic bibs and gloves are supplied by staffers and there are plenty of paper towels.Speaking on behalf of the owners, Naser Matar says that those who are bringing the concept to Cleveland have experience running this type of restaurant.“They have similar restaurant concepts elsewhere,” he says. “They want to bring this concept to Cleveland.”The casual, family friendly eatery will occupy approximately 4,000 square feet of the church property. There is an effort underway to acquire a liquor license.When it opens sometime this summer, The Boiler will join restaurants like XYZ Tavern, Luxe Kitchen, Spice Kitchen, Toast and Arcadian in the immediate area.