Although I cannot be certain, it would appear from the menu that Catch Restaurant acquired its name because of its heavily laden / abundant-with-seafood menu selections. On our first day in Carmel during a recent trip for an anniversary celebration, we were casually strolling along the south side of Ocean Avenue and passed a restaurant with which we were previously not familiar.
Full Dining Tables at Restaurants in Carmel
It was 11:20 am and in Carmel, the restaurants were all beginning to fill with hungry patrons. However, it has always seemed to us that any time was a time when restaurants were filling – or already filled – with hungry patrons! Today apparently, was no different.
It was definitely different though, at least as far as Catch… As we walked past the front door, and then the other door on the east side of the restaurant, we noticed a lack of diners. That was the unusual exception to the “Carmel Rule” of full tables in restaurants. I was curious as to the reason.
We Take a Chance
We continued farther up Ocean Ave – at least on the south side of the street – and checked out several other restaurants along the way. They were all pretty much full of hungry diners. We were getting hungry, too. Turning around and heading back toward the ocean, we again passed Catch. Oddly, there was only one table occupied. Couldn’t understand why. But we decided to take a chance…
Orchids were everywhere inside the restaurant. Lighting was soft and relaxing. The feeling was welcoming, comfortable, and a table seemed to be calling our name. We asked the hostess if we might have the table just inside the door by the sidewalk, and right next to a bubbling fountain. Orchids were gracing our small table, too. Everything seemed perfect. Could it be? Why were we still wondering about the reason for such a lack of dinners? To this day, I am not sure I understand why there doesn’t seem to be an answer to that question. That is now a moot and irrelevant point / conundrum.
Awesome Lunch
We decided that our lunch would be a light one that would include wine, a salad, and crab cakes. It was actually not such a light lunch. Oh, well… For starters, our waiter brought us an amuse-bouche consisting of a teaspoon of caviar, accompanied by a small glass of champagne.
Lauren then selected a glass of Folk Tale sparkling rose-Brut. I selected split of Candoni Prosecco. Shortly, a smiling waiter arrived with a basket of warm Italian bread and pinch bowl of olive oil resting on a scosche of balsamic vinegar. This combo was a great start to what was to be an awesome lunch!
Brought to the table next was a Classic Caesar Salad ($16.95) with Romaine lettuce, fresh anchovies, shaved parmesan, and croutons, served with homemade Caesar dressing. This was accompanied by Catch’s Dungeness Crab Cakes ($18.95) – a very generous pair of angelic cakes with avocado, corn, fresh mango salsa, and house-made garlic aioli. Hey! You people on the sidewalk! You have no idea what you are missing, here!
Like a Breath of Fresh (Ocean) Air
For someone who used to work long hours in restaurants and learned to appreciate “little things” like plating, Catch Fish House in Carmel was like a breath of fresh air. All ingredients were absolutely fresh, and the plating was beautiful. We actually shared the salad and the crab cakes, too. It was more than enough for lunch and a perfect place to enjoy the mellow ocean breeze that wafted in through the open door…
It was also the perfect way to start off our celebration of 20 years of marriage. We had but eight days left in California, and rest assured, we planned to sample the food and wine from as many venues as we could during our time in Carmel. But for now, it was time to take a very long walk along the beachfront on Scenic Ave. The sky was a clear blue, the temperature was rising, and my longing for ocean air, crashing waves and whatever else our senses would allow were our only priorities!
(Catch is located on Ocean Ave between Lincoln & Monte Verde) – Carmel, CA
Your Table is Waiting
Ralph Pancetta
