Something's fishy when 2 of 3 Rex's Seafood restaurants in Dallas are closed

[Editor's note: This story has been updated after receiving information from records from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Texas Comptroller.]

In a matter of days, two of the three Rex's Seafood restaurants in Dallas were shuttered.

Employees and customers of Rex's Seafood & Chop House on Mockingbird Lane near Lakewood were locked out in mid-May, according to a sign on the door. The sign says Rex's is "in default of its lease obligations because it has failed to pay rent." The landlord confirmed it was true. Rex's Seafood owner Rex Bellomy has not returned a request for comment.

The original Rex's Seafood, located near West Lovers Lane and Inwood Road in Dallas, was soon found closed, too, with a note on the door explaining kitchen renovations would force its closure through mid June.

However, a spokesman from the Texas Comptroller confirmed a lien was filed Jan. 13, 2016 for the Lovers Lane fish shop. The lien, for more than $1.3 million, was placed on the business Feb. 10, 2016 for failure to pay tax liabilities.

The Lovers Lane fish market and restaurant also has an expired beer and wine permit as of May 4, 2016. The expired permit does not mean the business can't operate, says a TABC spokesman; it just means they would not be allowed to sell alcohol until they obtain a new permit, which takes about 40 days.

Of note, there's a third Rex's Seafood at the Dallas Farmers Market. It's owned by Bellomy's son Beau Bellomy, who says he has no plans to close. A trip to the farmers market confirms the restaurant was open -- and busy -- on Monday, May 23.

Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Leslie Brenner said Beau Bellomy's farmers market shop is "a super pleasant place to sit at the counter, sip a glass of white wine and indulge in a seafood lunch or snack."

The two Rex's Seafood restaurants that are closed are located at 6465 E. Mockingbird Lane and 5200 W. Lovers Lane, both in Dallas.

The Rex's that is still open is located at the Dallas Farmers Market, inside a building called The Market, 920 S. Harwood St., Dallas.