My partner and I tried Catch last night for the first time. It's located a few doors down from the new Pottery Barn at Market and Castro.

They took over a big space that I believe used to house the Names Project AIDS Quilt. While I still am in mourning over the loss of that fabulous institution to - Atlanta - Catch is a pretty nice replacement. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and the enclosed front porch, where we were seated is a gem - fireplace, heaters, big plastic window that can stay up in nice weather or come down in the cold. Great view for people watching as they go by on Market Street, too.

Between the two of us, we had three dishes. I started with a half Caesar that was one of the best I've eaten anywhere - crisp fresh greens and very tasty understated dressing, sort of like the one at Zuni. A repreieve from the all the over-anchovied, gloppily-dressed Caesars I've had over the years. Chris enjoyed his steak sandwich with fries - a compliment from someone from Kansas. I had mussels with fries, also pretty good although not the best I've ever eaten.

Overall, a nice meal - maybe a B+ - which came to $36 (including tip and tax) with a big bottle of San Pellegrino water. Pretty decent value, I'd say.

Not a destination, but definitely worth a visit if you find youself in the Castro. A worthy companion to the likes of Home, Chow, and Blue - all decent, mid-priced restaurants in my part of town.

I'm glad to hear the update on Catch. I was there shortly after it opened and thought it was ok but not worthy of a repeat visit. I think the cocktail prices are out of line for the neighborhood ($10.50+tip for one martini).

I second SFFlyman's thoughts -- the atmosphere is certainly nice (although the lighting was a little harsh), but the food is nothing to write home about.

As an aside, I think it's owned by some guy who owns a restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf, no?

Thanks for the review dgolds. Isn't this the place where they have a sort of open-air seating in the front? I had been by there one day at brunch time and thought how fun it looked. I had thought it was closer in price to 2223. Glad to hear it's like Blue and Chow, two of my faves.

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"Ummm... just decaf for me, please."

I returned to Catch yesterday for Sunday brunch. The food had improved since my first visit... no one had complaints about the food at our table of 6. The service was decent too. The drink prices are still high, but overall I would say there is a marked improvement since my first visit.