Catch - Recent visit

Catch Modern Seafood

6623 Market Street
Wilmington NC
910.799.3847


Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am - 2:00pm
Dinner: Monday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm

I've already given my take on Catch Market Street location here, but it's been long enough that I felt an update was warranted.


We had the pleasure of eating there with our good friends Ben and Amy on Saturday night while they were in town for a visit. As usual, chef Keith Rhodes didn't disappoint. And the staff was spot on. Service was smooth as glass, professional and pleasant. Our server was actually Kyle Lee McKnight's girlfriend. He's the chef at Circa 1922. We really need to get down there. I've seen Kyle's farm plot out where our friends Dave and Christin have their farm and I keep meaning to go to Circa and forgetting.


But this is about Catch. We ordered a plate of firecracker shrimp for the table. It used to make an appearance as a salad on the lunch menu for Catch downtown, and was one of my favorites. It serves well as an appetizer. The shrimp were plump and fresh and the firecracker sauce (not too hot) was perfect on the shrimp and a good contrast to the cool shredded lettuce.

Ben tried the sweet potato salad - one of Phillip's favorites - and loved it. Phillip had the beet salad, which the server offered me, but I declined. I know it's a shortcoming of my palate, but even Keith can't make beets not taste like dirt. To me, anyway. Phillip said it was wonderful. I'll take his word for it. I had a nice plate of fresh greens tossed with a tangy vinaigrette. Perfect.


Dinner entrees for the table included the shrimp and grits, a mahi special, crab cakes (me) and a ginormous Prince Edward Island lobster (Phillip). All were excellent and certainly up to snuff with Keith's normal standard. My crab cakes had way more crab than anything else - as it should be. The shrimp and grits were non-traditional with a sweetish asian sauce. Special note for the grits, which were RIGHT - stone ground adluh grits. Nice and thick and textured and seasoned. Unlike the grits Amy had at Sweet and Savory for breakfast the next morning, which she dubbed "grits soup". I had the fortune of being married to the lobster guy, so I got to taste that, um... extensively. It was delicious. Sweet and tender and perfectly cooked without too much adornment.


Keith was nominated for a well-deserved James Beard award this year. He's getting regional and national accolades that he has definitely earned. If you haven't made it out to Catch yet, make a reservation and get out there. It's a Wilmington restaurant you don't need to miss.