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Tampa's Westchase has netted a restaurant where seafood is king but casting for a steak is also worthwhile.
By CHRIS SHERMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 7, 2002
Tampa Bay area restaurateurs for years have gone to bed with visions of Outback bucks dancing in their heads. Now they have a new fantasy: the next Bonefish.
The latest independent version of the New Fish House, complete with young servers and chefs, $15 entrees and a slick, no-way-nautical decor is Catch 23 in Tampa's Westchase.
The Catch has been carefully thought out, and in some ways, its good ideas go beyond the modest innovations of its inspiration. There are nice umbrella tables outdoors, a clever Cuban Alfredo pasta for a starter and a kids menu with a pint-size surf 'n' turf.
The menu is standard-issue modern: four or five grilled fish with contemporary sauces, mussels, pasta and steaks, with a mild tropical accent in the sides. The greater distinction is the care taken in choosing the sources of ingredients, raw and prepared, which is the starting point of all good restaurants.
Some of the good things come from respected local providers: the key lime pie from Mike's and the lobster pillows from the Ravioli Co. The restaurant brags about the freshness of its seafood by listing the home ports of all its products on its daily menu. Unfortunately, it's the regulation fish list and the usual sources, but at least we know where it's from.
So the salmon is from farms in the Shetland islands; the tuna and mahi from Mantua, Ecuador; the scallops from New Bedford, Mass.; the oysters from Prince Edward Island. The good news is that I have seen black grouper from Madeira Beach as well as the Yucatan, and snapper from Tarpon Springs.
That's not as impressive as restaurants that search out a half-dozen sources of oysters (rarely seen here) or as silly as a place I remember that listed airline flight numbers for each fish (that was during the '80s at their most indulgent). My dream is for seafood restaurants to help connect us to other fish in the sea, ideally our seas. But we've learned that being on the edge of the gulf doesn't count for much. One plus here is a minus: no sea bass. I'm glad to see someone lay off it for a bit; besides, Chile ain't local.
Similar good ideas show up in the wine list, 30-something bottles and almost as many glasses, most priced $15 to $30. They're stacked in an understandable light to heavy range, from white zinfandels to La Crema and Simi chardonnays; reds range from Byron pinot noir up to Franciscan's rich Magnificat and a gutsy meritage from Belvedere.
Catch's best idea may be its location: West Park Village, the New Suburban development in the horse latitudes of the Hillsborough 'burbs, where thousands of new residents have had little hope of nearby sustenance beyond the blandest roadside chains. Yet in the most humane corner of the area, all sidewalks lead to an instant small town square with a pizza place, bagel shop, ice cream stand, Starbucks (natch) and even an uptown and sometimes jazzy neighborhood bar. And a slick seafood spot.
Slick is the plan, although after a month, execution doesn't meet concept consistently. Having a bread runner visit with a basket of banana bread and salt rolls is a waste when the bread is stone cold.
Fish wasn't the strength it should be. Tuna was overcooked and sent back, but the second try still lacked flavor. Grouper was local and a better fish, but the Rockefeller sauce, which sounded like a clever idea, was parsimonious and too mild, although slickly made. Roasted tomato sauce and garlic cilantro butter also lacked fire. The kitchen gets the right texture on these, but it should punch up the flavor.
Mussels were among the best I've tasted, fresh and moist in a toasty coconut curry broth that I could drink and call my meal complete -- and exciting. Likewise with the peppery remoulade on the calamari; the squid was lightly battered but not crisp enough in the frying. Shrimp skewered on sugarcane needed to come off the grill with more char, too.
Ironically, steak is among the sharper tastes. Catch uses Buckhead beef, a brand-name supplier from the yuppie capital of Georgia. It's aged, and it came off the grill with deep char marks and juicy red flesh that beat most of those places that specialize in beef. Caribbean scampi had six good-size shrimp with a spicy twist on the Italian.
The sides run mixed, too. Yucca fries and potato shoestrings ought to be crisper and Jamaican cole slaw livened-up for me. But I'm glad to see plantains on any menu, and the black beans are near a personal best. They might not be Cuban enough for some, but cumin and a little meat made them nearly a chili that could make a great lunch or winter supper.
Salads, which come with dinners, were reliably good, a Caesar and a toss of bright greens with a citrus vinaigrette. They make a fish dinner salad of shrimp, scallops and fish on greens quite tempting.
And I will go back. I'd like to see the Caribbean touch more savory than sweet, maybe some sandwiches and $10 meals for weeknight family suppers, and, of course, more local fish. But I think the service and the kitchen at Catch will find their groove and make themselves at home.
We'd all like to have a place like this within walking distance.
10103 Montague St.
West Park Village Town Center, Tampa
Phone: (813) 920-0045
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Reservations: Suggested.
Details: Full bar, wheelchair access, no smoking area.
Features: Outdoor seating, takeout.
Prices: $9.50 to $19.50.