Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

What a Catch!

1940459486Don’t read this review if you’re on a diet; there isn’t much in the way of healthy alternatives here. Don’t read this review if you’re on a budget; there isn’t anything cheap here. However, if you’re willing to spend your hard-earned cash to forego Leo’s dinner for a night and opt for some of the best seafood that D.C. has to offer, I urge you to keep reading.

Kudos if you’re able to find Sea Catch on your first try. The restaurant’s address says it’s on 31st Street; however, all that’s to be found there is a small, black sign — smack in the middle of many other small, black signs — pointing you into a large brick alcove where the restaurant can be found, tucked away in a remote, dark corner. What the restaurant lacks in curb appeal, it more than makes up in other areas.

Inside, Sea Catch is brimming with luxurious decor, wood paneling and minimal lighting. Despite its opulence, the interior is surprisingly welcoming and fitting for a building that is over 150 years old. There is a fireplace for chilly weather, outdoor dining for nicer days, large, spacious windows overlooking the canal and an expansive bar. While around the bar many young, suited professionals sipped martinis and talked about their latest acquisitions and business deals, the restaurant’s back room contained some very large, very loud families, yelling, toasting and scolding their children over tables of lobster claws and tuna au poivre. This mixture of people spoke to the character of the restaurant as elegant and refined without being stuffy or pretentious.

It was hard not to stare at other people’s food as the waiters brought it by. The party sitting across from us had ordered shrimp cocktails filled to the brim with some of the largest shrimp I had ever seen in my life. The portions here are massive, to say the least, and somewhat help to justify the prices.

We started with a dozen Kumamoto oysters, which were recommended to us by the waiter. If I had to give one recommendation, this would be it. Each oyster was perfectly fresh and tasted as though it had just been plucked fresh from the ocean. They were served with a mixture of cocktail sauce and horseradish, which was a spicy complement to the oysters’ cold saltiness. Oysters are discounted to a dollar apiece every night at the bar from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., so if you’re at all short on change, take advantage of this great deal.

The seafood linguini was also delicious. Heaping mounds of pasta were piled over shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes, scallops and crab. Topped with a creamy tomato sauce and priced at $29, this meal perfectly embodied the expensive but satiating spirit of the menu.

At $42, the Sea Catch Restaurant Shellfish Bake is a seafood-lover’s dream, offering the best that the restaurant has to offer all on one plate. The dish includes a one-pound Maine lobster, steamed Chesapeake oysters, Top Neck clams, mussels, corn on the cob and red potatoes, all smothered in a white wine and garlic broth. Each clam and oyster was just as delicious as the last. The lobster was fine, though a little overdone, and the white wine and garlic broth was the perfect complement to every piece of food on the plate.

They say you get what you pay for. And at Sea Catch, you’re paying for a lot. The restaurant’s outstanding seafood and elegant decor create the perfect setting for either a date or a celebratory dinner. If you’ve grown tired of celebrating every other occasion at The Tombs or Paparazzi, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to an end-of-the-year feast at Sea Catch. You won’t be disappointed, though you might want to start saving now.

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