Sunday, December 16, 2007

"The Catch"

I've decided to try restaurant reviews for the winter. This is the perfect topic for me because I love to cook and eat, I enjoy trying new things, and I love to write.

The Catch
is a restaurant in Ridgefield, Connecticut that specializes in fish dishes. They do offer other items (like Braised short ribs and steak), but the fish is the dish!

The restaurant presents a set list of fish (i.e., Chilean Sea Bass, Salmon or Halibut) with options for sauces. You can also choose two sides from a long list of options including sweet potato fries (one of my favorites) and sauteed spinach with garlic.

I was there last Wednesday with my friend Joey. We shared calamari which are lightly coated in cornmeal and cooked exactly right. They melt in your mouth. The calamari are served with 3 dipping sauces. One is a smoky tomato, one is lemon-pepper, and the other is a wasabi-based sauce that would be awesome on a grilled turkey sandwich with muenster cheese, crisp lettuce, and oops, I digress.

I had the Tortilla Mahi Mahi special - it was amazingly prepared, encrusted with cornmeal and served with a medley of color - like a salsa. It was prepared perfectly and needless to say, I was a member of the clean plate club that night.

The atmosphere at The Catch is not pretentious. With low level lighting, a giant bay window, and nice dining music, the main dining room has tables that are close together but not overly crowded. On the Saturday and Wednesday evenings on which I have been there over the past few months, the crowd has been steady.

The bar is a great place to sit, too, for an impromptu, more casual feeling. Plus, when you are face to face with the alcohol, well, you try different things. I had a Frangelico after dinner for the first time in a long time.

There is nothing fishy about this joint. The food is straight-forward, the staff are efficient and friendly, and best of all, they prepare all dishes exactly the way you want them...offering choices along the way.

Stay tuned for next week's review: top Connecticut sushi spots! (I'm hoping that all of this leads to the gig as the Phantom Diner for the Hartford Courant - I used to sing in the St. John's Church Choir in West Hartford as a child with the man that did this back then)!

1 comment:

Michele said...

MMmmm... I have yet to find a good restaurant that serves nice calamari as it is my favorite. I am a vegetarian and fish is important to me. All the calamari I have eaten is tough, chewy, rubbery and disappointing to say the least... *sigh*. Your experience sounds perfect... the menu at "The Catch" is ideal and what I wouldn't do to have this establishment in my neck of the woods!
~Michele~