53Catch

Frank Pronesti (of The Rushton) has built a delectable homage to sustainable seafood. Catch’s kitchen does a superb job with sea creatures. Their clambake is a delirious combo of fat fresh clams with pork belly and fish stock, they turn sea urchin roe into erotic cream sauce, and mashed potatoes into edible glory with chunks of fresh lobster. Their bouillabaisse is complex tomato-based soup with impeccable seafood, and lots of it. Even commonplace items like mussels deserve notice for their freshness and plumpness. We love the ungreasy deep-fried smelts with collards and aioli, and the scallops with delicate duck confit cassoulet and a benediction of cardamom-scented carrot cream. And don’t skip dessert: Tres leches cake (yes, three milks: fresh, condensed and evaporated) is a cross between dolce de leche and cake: Divinity on a fork. In summertime Catch boasts one of the most expansive terraces in town.