2362 Market @ Castro
phone: 415.431.5000
hours: Sun- Thurs 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-10pm, Fri- Sat 11:30am-3pm
5:30-11pm
Full Bar
American, Seafood
catchsf.com
Oh, the buzz. When Catch finally opened their doors in late
2002, it was all anybody could talk about when it came to Castro
restaurants. Acclaimed for being a friendly neighborhood eatery
with fresh seafood and hot live music, I had to check it out.
The Ambience:
Very lively. The main dining room is classic though bustling,
with an open kitchen and bar. Catch also has a unique front
patio that really serves as a second room with a fireplace and
heat lamps. Large screen windows, giving the feel of a single
large room, separate the two spaces. There are also three vertically
stacked super funky blue fish tanks by the bar that are rather
mesmerizing.
They have live jazz bands and pianists every night of the week.
I just so happened to be sitting next to the pianist, which
made my night. He was spot on with a very gay mix of show tunes
and Chopin.
The Menu:
The menu is surprisingly unfishy. They offer about eight entrees,
four of which are fish, thus not really living up to its name.
Oysters, crabcakes, tuna tartar and shrimp appetizers will run
you about $8-$12. They have a great selection of salads for
$5-$8. For dinner, Alaskan halibut, bluenose bass, blackened
salmon and a clam & mussel risotto (!) are about $15. They
also have rib eye steak, tagliolini, chicken and gnocchi.
The Food:
My dinner partner was disappointed with her halibut. We determined
this was because it was a filet, not a steak, which wasn't specified.
It had a sweet marmalade sauce with raisins, and I found it
quite tasty. I had the blue cheese tagliolini with spinach (I'm
a sucker for all things cheesy), which I also really enjoyed.
We split a warm chocolate cake for dessert, which was good,
but not extraordinary.
The Service:
Our server was very friendly and little awkward, which endeared
me to him. He kept mentioning that his lover was also a waiter
there, which was extraneous though interesting. I couldn't help
thinking that it was a line (though truthful) to impress both
the locals (isn't that cute?) and the out-of-towners (look,
honey, our friendly gay waiter in the Castro works with his
boyfriend. How very gay!). Regardless, he was very adept and
accurate with a smile.
Reservations: Suggested
Overall: B+
The hot location and buzz don't really represent this average
sort-of-seafood joint, but I'd still go back.
Reviewed : April 2004
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