Catch 35- Naperville, IL

A Top Pick for Seafood

Catch 35 is a place that continues to surprise me. Moving to the St. Charles area in June of 2016, I continue to explore the greater Chicago area to please my ever-lasting obsession for great food and fine dining. Located in the heart of downtown Naperville, this restaurant has seafood on the brain and goes in for one of my top picks for fresh seafood. Shipped in fresh every day and selected by the chef, there is something different every day on the menu at Catch 35. They cook what is fresh. It's a simple golden principle that has kept this restaurant a favorite of residents and travelers for years. They also have a nice selection of steaks from bone-in rib eye to their filet mignon. I am convinced that people who say they don't like seafood just haven't had really good seafood. If this is you or you know someone like this, this is a great place to take that person because there really isn't a bad dish on the menu. They also have a location in Chicago on Wacker Drive which is another popular spot for food enthusiasts.

The dining room and bar area are classic and elegant. You get a feeling of spaciousness as soon as you walk in the door and are greeted by their exceptional staff. This place prides itself on service and it is so apparent. Both times I have had the pleasure to dine here, their staff has been extremely knowledgeable on the entire menu as well as their stellar wine selection. They are also very attentive. It's always nice when you can ask, How is this? What do you recommend with this? How about a wine to pair with this? I recommend the dining room for a date night or family night. You can even come for lunch and it's nice to be able to sit by the window letting in all the natural light, being able to see a nice view of downtown Naperville. Have a business meeting where you don't want to scream over the other person to hear what they are saying? This place is perfect for that. The atsmopshere is cool, calm and collected.


Off their main dinner menu, I recommend starting with the Bluehill Bay Mussels. What's nice is that you have the option of having these plump babies in a special lemongrass broth or with a white wine, garlic-butter sauce. The white wine sauce is a personal favorite and these are some of the best mussels I have ever had. I kept asking for more bread because I wanted to soak up the sauce! The mussels melt in your mouth. I've tended to go to restaurants that don't clean their mussels properly, but without a doubt Catch 35 ensures there isn't any grit in these shellfish.

 If you want to continue with some more incredible shellfish, their selection of oysters is astounding. I really couldn't decide which I liked best, but they are all served over ice in a gorgeous display with horseradish/cocktail sauce, a beautiful Asian salsa (which I couldn't stop eating), and vinegar with shallots. Lemon provided of course. You can never go wrong with Blue- Point from Long Island, NY. Excellent. Cascos from Maryland are slightly smaller but just as delicious. However, the Duxberry oysters were my absolute favorite. A bit larger with a beautiful brine and they slide down so easily. The oyster selection is handpicked daily by the chef, so there is always something different available. Another recommendation when they have it on the menu is the Hawaiian tuna. It's served poke style with ginger and avocado in a soy marinade served with crispy chips. All I can say is this dish is to die for and a great starter to tempt you further into the menu.

Onto entrees. The Catch 35 Mixed Grill is a great dish allowing you to try several things on one plate. You receive a house selection of fish and shellfish depending on what is fresh. Usually lobster, shrimp and salmon in a delicate beurre blanc sauce which adds a nice compliment to each element on the plate. If you have never had beurre blanc, it is a wonderful tangy butter sauce with shallots. It's made even better with the addition of yuzu. The halibut, Alaskan King Crab legs and Chilean sea bass are staff favorites as well for entrees. Within many of the dishes found at the restaurant, you will often find a combination of Asian and French elements. Many of the sauces, marinades, vegetables and sides are rich in flavor and use inspiration ingredients like soy, garlic, ginger, and scallion. For those who prefer to keep their feet on dry land, the bone-in ribeye and filet mignon are my recommendations. They practice both dry and wet aging at Catch 35 allowing for different flavor complexities.

If a full dining room experience isn't on your agenda, I suggest the bar area. Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays their bar menu is half off until 6pm and the selection from that menu alone is more than sufficient. I had the pleasure of trying the Szechuan Scallops which is probably my favorite dish to date and was able to get it during their half price hours at only $8 dollars ($6 for a dozen oysters on top of that. How great!). The scallops were perfectly seared and paired with a soy-based sauce and a medley of shitake mushrooms, red and green pepper, as well as tender-crisp scallions. In the middle of the plate, to my surprise lay a homemade potsticker stuffed with chives. The sea scallops were a perfect size and you get a good amount too! 5-6 if I recall. For the price, how can you beat it? The entire dish is topped with fried rice noodles which are always a nice crispy element.



Stop by Catch 35 at the Naperville location today for an unforgettable meal.  I can't wait to return for my next visit. Another nice thing is that the restaurant is located right next to a large parking garage, so finding a spot is never too difficult.

Price range in all for this location? $15-$65 per plate depending on what you order. Completely worth the price.

 Questions about my experience or recommendations for this spot? Leave a comment or contact me!


(all photos except for schezuan scallops are credited to catch35.com menu gallery)