Catch 35 - Average Fish (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 76)

At one of our many charitable functions, with silent auctions that include restaurant gift certificates, we were the successful bidder for Catch 35. This has never been our favorite fish place, but it was for a good cause, so we decided to give it another try. Catch 35 is definitely consistent, because, as always, it was ok, but not spectacular by any means, although the location and atmosphere improve the dining experience (at least for Lisa).

We started with wine by the glass. Steve's Sauvignon Blanc was putrid - perhaps the worst wine by the glass he's ever had. Lisa did better with her Chardonnay, which she actually liked, although finding it a bit dry.

We started with a shrimp cocktail appetizer. The shrimp themselves were quite good, but the sauce was not tangy enough. Both salads were ok, but not great. The tomato mozzarella had good tomatoes but the cheese was a bit tasteless. The baby lettuce, goat cheese and walnuts again was ok, but not memorable.

Steve had the salmon, which he liked, but which was not quite as good as at the top fish houses. Lisa had the shrimp stuffed with crab, which is her standard fish house fare. She also liked this dish, but did not find it top notch.

For dessert, Steve had the apple pie a la mode. He liked the ice cream but thought the pie had too much apple and not enough crust. Lisa liked the pie, though, since she strangely feels an apple pie should have apples (Steve thinks it should only have crust). Lisa had a dark chocolate creation which barely tasted like chocolate, which is a major demerit in her book.

The washrooms were nice but nothing special and required knob touching to exit, thus causing a markdown.

Catch 35 is one of those places that is very successful, but, to us, is very average and sort of operates on auto pilot. Readers would do much better, in our view, at Shaw's or McCormick and Schmick (among others).

Our ratings for Catch 35 35 West Wacker, Chicago

6.5 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes