Catch 22.

After spending the better part of last year without fish in my diet (pregnancy, fish, the whole mercury thing…yeah, they don’t mix), an opportunity to visit the District’s newest seafood destination, Catch 22, jumped out at me.  From the team that brought you Milk & Honey Cafés (College Park and Bowie, MD and Atlanta, GA), Chef Sammy Davis (grand prize winner of the Food Network’s Chopped Redemption series) and his business partner Monique Rose, are at it again but with a seafood twist.  I like the vision for this restaurant, the District badly needed an approachable seafood dine-in concept.  D.C. has its “seafood” but nowhere in this area will you find seafood nachos, various shellfish cooked several ways and your pick of pasta on one menu.  What to try at Catch 22?  See below.

1. Seafood nachos:  I am a nachos girl.  Nine times out of ten I will order nachos on a menu if they are offered and I have the appetite for them alongside my main entrée (greedy, I know…le sigh…).  When they have seafood on them, I am absolutely intrigued because I have not had this exhilarating experience since a trip to Charleston, a town of seafood gluttony, a few years back.  Catch 22 brought back fond memories of this unusual combination with a light white cheddar sauce and shredded crab meat.  I ate the whole plate.
2. Super Seafood Platter:  This is the dish that the District has been waiting on.  This is also the Star of the Show at Catch 22.  Seared crab cakes, fried shrimp, fried whiting and your choice of one side (*the smoked Gouda grits for yours truly) make up this dish.  I say the dish we have been waiting for because I can only think of one other place where you get this variety of crispy seafood goodness on a plate in a dine-in atmosphere.  We are here for it!
3. The Dranks:  Ever been to Stan’s in D.C.?  Catch 22 seems like it wants to challenge the veteran bar on potency.  The difference between the two are, however, Catch 22 actually has good mixed drinks outside of your typical Rum and Coke.  The Shark Bite, for example, will give you just the pinch you need after a long day with its wicked combination of Grenadine, Blue Curacao, Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila and topped with Sprite.  Don’t stir it!  Just sip (as I was instructed by our gracious waitress).  Good advice because even after sipping this oh so slowly, I began to have flashbacks of my feelings after my first drinks at Stan’s.  With drinks ranging from $7 to $13 a pop, two making you feel NICE (*in my Beyoncé/JayZ Everything is Love voice*), this is more than a fair deal.

Though Catch 22 is new to the D.C. city limits, the food is all too familiar to this area with its sister restaurant predecessors.  For those looking for your crispy seafood fix, this is your spot.  For those looking for a drank (spelled with an “a” for emphasis), this is your spot.  They will see me again and if not for both fixes, I will definitely return to get bitten by the shark again…

Tags: Catch 22, dc, restaurant review, seafood

Category: restaurant reviews, Reviews, seafood, Washington D.C.