I was in Chicago recently for a work conference. We planned a dinner out with guests/clients and wanted something within walking distance from the hotel. After careful scrutiny, we booked reservations at Catch 35. Located on Wacker Drive, near the Navy Pier and near our hotel, it was an easy walk with some great people watching.
The restaurant looks rather pretentious online, but is rather simple when you arrive, with friendly staff, and comfortable surroundings, no where near a pretentiousness level. The menu is pretty vast with offerings including shrimp, crab, mussels, lobster, steaks and chicken. They even have a combo you can get for a single price get a salad, entrée and desert.
We happened to be there during their lobster festival. Lobster was made in a large variety of ways. Lobster tail, lobster bisque, lobster on steak, lobster rolls, lobster cakes, you name it.
I started my meal with a Cosmo. An easy go to drink, that is really hard to mess up. This drink did not disappoint. It was your typical Cosmo.
My co-worker, John and I love to split meals, we both love variety in our meals. We started with a Caesar Salad, which was good, but not overwhelming with flavor. It did have a great Parmesan crisp on top. For our main dishes, John ordered the Chilean Sea Bass with a Hawaiian ginger chili sauce. Served with rice and vegetables. It was cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of sweet and spice.
My main dish consisted of Filet Oscar Style, with mashed potatoes. The filet was cooked perfectly, and just the right amount of Béarnaise to make it delish, but not overwhelm the dish.
The restaurant was very accommodating with food allergies, as we had a few guests with very specific food restrictions. They were more than helpful making sure the restrictions were followed for all courses.
I was actually stuffed after the salad, and don’t think I even attempted the potatoes.
For desert, the table ordered a variety of deserts including a toffee bread pudding, Crème Brule, cheesecakes and more. Each more delicious and decadent than the last.
They have two locations, one in the heart of Chicago and one in Naperville, which is considered little Chicago with its rich mix of restaurants and shopping. I would recommend this restaurant. It was a nice evening with some great people.
