catch - modern seafood cuisine

we love the food but the room leaves us cold. catch is in a small strip mall so the entrance isn't great either. we've been to lunch three times and loved the food but cannot imagine going for dinner, just too cold. and the chairs are hard.

excellent food. service ok. sweet potato salad was awesome. scallops excellent as well. second visit an both times were great. will definitely be back.

please go....it's a food experience. some people eat to live and others live to eat. i'm probably the later, i love seeing what people can create w/ food, show me something new and exciting. i'll try anything, if i don't like it well then it's probably b/c it has beets in it hahaha...grody!

this restaurant showed me that chefs are still out there creating food experiences for people who are willing to try it. i'm so in love w/ everything on this menu....you get what you pay for folks, and this is worth laying down some cash for, trust me. you won't be disappointed.

i don't even remember what i had, some creation of the chef's, but it blew my socks off. just enough flavor to make you say omg but nothing overwhelming that was covered in thick sugary sauces or condiments....just good clean full flavor food at it's best. i will certainly be back.


-----05 jun, 2012-----

no clue what the lower rating is for.... i went to the location off market, by the harley dealer....i'd like to describe this better but i just moved here. my gps took me around my head to scratch my %#@ but i was determined to find it, i'm glad i did!

i just moved here from another coastal town, my favorite place there was also a restaurant called catch so of course i wanted to try this one. i was not disappointed. everything from service, specials, menu, originality, promptness, and more pleased me.

i'll definitely be going back. the chef even came out and asked how everythig was.

dessert special was bacon caramel ice cream, holy cow.....party in my mouth!! excitement! i heart bacon, in any way shape or form, so i was very appreciative someone figured out how i could incorporate it into all my daily meals hahaha.

i went to dine at catch for dinner tonight and the food was awesome!!! i had the calamari app for first course and chowder, my husband got grouper and i got the tuna special. if you happen to go get the tuna!!! i also had dessert. i think it was called "chocolate fantasy" which i heard was made by a local pastry chef. i will def. be back!!! this experience was worth every penny.

don't miss a great night,can't wait to return. we arrived on a wed @ 7pm.there werent too many tables.we were seated and bread was brought.intresting "grilled with a herb oil".they also brought out a complimentary order of there lemongrass pork dumplings."crispy & juicy"really nice touch.nice selection of wine we enjoyed a bottle of first press chardonnay.great choice.we orderd the atomic beef salad>hot and spicy with citrusy peppercorns.they have a signature sweet potato salad it was too a great choice.the local beer steamed clams with smoked sausage & cilantro was lip smacking good.for entree's we ordered the striped bass, tuna with avocado-piquillo pepper salsa and,crispy pork belly & scallops.there was a small wait on the entrees because the dining room was nearly full.meme was our server, she was very knowlegable and told us about sunday brunch starting soon and they're monthly beer dinner.we bought tickets to the dinner.great experience,will be back next month.thanks catch for a great night.try the bacon ice cream.

fabulous experience ! our server lindsay was very knowledgable about the menu and provided great service. there were 4 of us and all enjoyed our meals - lobster roll, kobe burger, crab cake w/ potato salad, and shrimp and grits. to start we ordered the duck salad - to die for - and the calamari which was mediocre. the duck salad is definitly a must ! overall, for lunch it was a fabulous choice ! i hope to go back from dinner soon !!!

more to it - bias. rhodes not only talented chef

i've followed the progress of keith rhodes on "top chef" and in your paper's constant reporting on him as the first chef booted off this year's show. friday's article is the fourth or fifth you've carried on him since his appearance.

friday's excuse offered by mr. rhodes is "when you're under pressure, sometimes little things unfold."

suggesting the use of precooked, frozen shrimp was shocking. that is not a "little thing." i can't imagine that wilmington's best chefs would ever consider using a precooked product - not under pressure, not for expediency, not because it's cheaper. rhodes has now offered all those as excuses.

it's sad that mr. rhodes is the only wilmington chef we've seen on "top chef." the executive chefs at manna, marc's on market, port land grille, deluxe, ruth's chris, bento box, jerry's and a host of others would have far better represented wilmington's culinary talent.

i hope they get the chance to do so.

hazel white jones, hampstead
(from letters to the editor, star news december 12, 2011)

nicely said, but there's more to it. rhodes does take advantage of his relationships and arrangements with local reviewers and press which have not been unbiased in the wilmington restaurant scene. you can't blame him for that ...he is a business man. some in the press write often to promote restaurants that they have made arrangements with(of course all good) and then tend to negatively write about others where arrangements have not been made. maybe some restaurants are on certain tours or promotions...of course nothing negative will be written of them. it's sad but true, there is a lot of bias in wilmington restaurant reporting... but this practice tends to happen in cities across america.

pretty good lunch. i had the fried seafood platter.the healthy sized portion of amber jack and nice plump oysters were delicious, my only complaint would be the hushpuppies, which were closer to the same-name shoe than the light, airy deliciousness i've grown up on in eastern nc. i look forward to trying them for dinner sometime.

simply, ahhhmazing. catch has, by far, the best seafood entrees i have ever eaten. however, don't dismiss his talents when it comes to preparing meat dishes. his pork nam sad or beef nam sad appetizer is ridiculously well prepared, and dances on your tongue. doesn't hurt when they grow their own hydroponic bib lettuce!!! the tempura fried scallops with lobster raviolis were to die for. they only had them on special once, but those are the best scallops i have ever eaten. the presentation is beautiful. the chef pays a lot of attention to what is going out on the plate. the waiters take the time to precisely tell you everything that is included for daily specials, and this is not an easy task. the ceviche changed my entire view on ceviche. it was the perfect start to a delicious meal. the decor is impecable, the service is outstanding. the draft beers are amazing (try the good vibes, it's local!). oh, one last suggestion, the shrimp n grits with chorizoo :)

not worth it!. this was the 2nd time we visited this restaurant.the first was just after it opened. that experiance was very poor both food and the service. no other way to explain it other than terrible. in fairness, they did comp most of our group's meals. one of our party never did receive their order! we elected to give them a 2nd oppertunity, which was a huge mistake. i knew we were in trouble when the waited described the lobster appetizer, for $10, as "lobster on a hot dog bun", no kidding, this is a quote! the food was over priced and substandard. i had a $20 sliced steak special which was a very poor grade of meat with barbecue sauce from hienz poured on the top. the side dish was inedible, to this day i am still not sure what is was. my wife's food was just as bad. it was a complete waste of $80, our time and the few calories we consumed. the chef better stay off the tv and in the kitchen or it will be one more vacant storefront in wilmington

incredible food. the owner/chef is on this season of bravo's "top chef" and he makes amazing tasting creations. service is great too.

the entire experience was wonderful. the entree was cooked perfectly. the dessert was as good as the rest of the meal. the coffee with dessert was fresh and hot instead of fresh but not so hot that seems to be what most restaurants serves. the wait staff was very attentive & knowledgeable about the menu. the food was nicely plated. surprisingly this was $20 cheaper them a place i was in last week in cape hatteras with much nicer food.

tuna!. the first time my husband and i visited catch (on market), we both ordered the tuna dish. we both agree that it was the best we have ever had. perfectly done and perfect accompaniment. we were so thrilled that we ordered dessert (not usually done). i took the server's advice and ordered one of the "cakes" with toasted almonds on top (can't recall the fancy name). i think my husband fell in love that night... with the cake. :)

we went back a couple weeks ago, but unfortunately the tuna wasn't on the menu, but our meal was still awesome. what can be better than mashed potatoes with truffles?! got the almond topped cake (again) and pear bread pudding. delicious!

best seafood in nc?. the good: probably the best seafood restaurant in wilmington... possibly in north carolina. black owned (very unusual for a fine dining restaurant). relatively easy to get a table. easily accessible with plenty of parking. smooth atmosphere. true, gourmet, write home to mom cooking. extremely attentive chef (last time we were there -- he trashed all of the day's fresh fish delivery because he didn't like it, and sourced the day's seafood himself). big appetizers, unique salads, melt in your mouth seafood. special desserts. good service. this is really the whole package. this is where you go to impress a date.

the bad: as with most "fine dining" restaurants, eating here is a 2.5 hour affair. it takes time to prepare food that well. expensive... our family of four enjoyed a three course meal and the bill with tip came to $145. it's located in a (nice) strip mall.

verdict: the best. really. even if you can only get here once a year, it's worth it!

the best in wilmington....!!!!. i was at catch a week ago and it was the best dining experience i've had in a long time. my server, teri, was very attentive and nice. while i was eating, other servers also came by to check on my friends and i, which was great!!! you do have to ask for bread if you want it, which is understandable.

the plates were adorned with bright colored flowers...overall the presentation was awesome. for apps we got the calamari and the firecracker shrimp, and they were very good. i ordered a sweet potato salad and omg it was so good!!! i loved it. my three friends ordered crabcakes, grouper, salmon, and i got the tuna for my entree. everything was perfect, and i couldnt have asked for more. the specialty drinks from the bar were great too. overall my experience at catch was well worth it. i was kind of sketchy looking at some of the past reviews, but i'm glad i tried it despite the negative comments. my friends and i will be back...and we'll keep coming back! i'm excited to see what catch has to offer in the future....go in and experience this wonderful restaurant yourself! best in wilmington!

* ask for bread!!! it is upon request!
* try at least one of their appetizers!!!