Smith Point or Sea Catch?

[j_web]

Has anyone tried either/both of these? I'm looking for good seafood without the price of Kinkeads or Oceaniare.

Thanks

Joe Webster

[squids]

I've only been to Sea Catch twice, both times for lunch, and it has been awhile at that. However, based on both those times, I would definitely recommend it for location, and for the food.

[gnatharobed]

Went to Sea Catch for lunch a couple months ago. Food was good, service was great. Never been to Smith Point.

[Tweaked]

I'll take the opposite view, went to Sea Catch with my parents a couple weekends ago and thought the food was very mediocre. I went with the oysters ceviche, which were nice oysters but the cevichization did nothing for them. Then went with the yellowfin tuna from the "off the grill selection" which came with basmati rice and mixed vegetables...again it was fine, but nothing to write home about.

Mom had some flounder off the grill which was fine and Dad had the seafood gumbo, which again was fine but nothing that great.

I don't know, after it had been recommended on some other food boards and by Sietsema, I was expecting more. I guess I'd say, you can get a solid piece of fish there, but don't expected to be wowed by the cooking. And it's not exactly cheap either, most of the fish on the off the grill section run in the low $20s, a lot of the other main dishes are in the high teens to low $20s, and most of the apps (beside soups and salads) are in the low teens. For what it's worth, the outside deck area does have a nice view of the canal.

[sara]

Went to Sea Catch on Valentines Day 6 years ago and will never go back. VERY overpriced (even tho I wasn't paying), highly mediocre food, condescending service (towards me as a younger woman), and the weirdest part is that it seemed be THE place for much much older men to take their very young dates on V Day (I was the exception, with a date only 4 yrs older than me). That freaked me out, turned me off, etc. That said, I'm not currently recommending Kinkeads as an alternative. For good seafood at a lower price I'd say Johnny's Half Shell.

[squids]

Keep in mind you went on Valentine's Day--not the best day to judge a restaurant, IMO. And 6 yrs ago is an awfully long time--even for me! (I harbored a grudge against Fuddruckers in my youth and boycotted them for a long time...only went back for a "family" event.) Not the same as Sea Catch, I admit, but still....

[clifford]

Went to Sea Catch on Valentines Day 6 years ago and will never go back. VERY overpriced (even tho I wasn't paying), highly mediocre food, condescending service (towards me as a younger woman), and the weirdest part is that it seemed be THE place for much much older men to take their very young dates on V Day (I was the exception, with a date only 4 yrs older than me). That freaked me out, turned me off, etc. That said, I'm not currently recommending Kinkeads as an alternative. For good seafood at a lower price I'd say Johnny's Half Shell.

Sara, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience at Sea Catch. We have taken great strides to improve our level of service over the last year, and every day is a new learning process. Please PM me if you are interested in coming again, as I would relish the opportunity to meet you.

I'll take the opposite view, went to Sea Catch with my parents a couple weekends ago and thought the food was very mediocre. I went with the oysters ceviche, which were nice oysters but the cevichization did nothing for them. Then went with the yellowfin tuna from the "off the grill selection" which came with basmati rice and mixed vegetables...again it was fine, but nothing to write home about.

Mom had some flounder off the grill which was fine and Dad had the seafood gumbo, which again was fine but nothing that great.

I don't know, after it had been recommended on some other food boards and by Sietsema, I was expecting more. I guess I'd say, you can get a solid piece of fish there, but don't expected to be wowed by the cooking. And it's not exactly cheap either, most of the fish on the off the grill section run in the low $20s, a lot of the other main dishes are in the high teens to low $20s, and most of the apps (beside soups and salads) are in the low teens. For what it's worth, the outside deck area does have a nice view of the canal.

Tweaked, thank you for your comments. We certainly aspire to present all of our customers with a "solid piece of fish", impeccably fresh and simply prepared. That is what we do. Our cooking philosophy is based around this premise, so you won't find many "avant-garde" preparations.

If you ever consider coming back, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cheers!

Brian Reymann

General Manager