Why have I never, before now, explored the Crab Catcher restaurant? Apparently lots of other folks have over the 27 years the Burwell family has owned it, and now Jon is the executive chef (no nepotism needed), presiding over everything, including cutting the fish at 7 a.m., creating the ever-changing sauces and selecting the best fish from all over the world for his world-class menu. His halibut comes from Alaska, the salmon from the Pacific, blue prawns from Australia, clams from Manila and mussels (plump and juicy) from Prince Edward Island, plus soft-shell crabs from Maryland, the mecca for those delightful creatures.
My mouth was literally watering as I looked over the list of a dozen appetizers, and Jon said he would put together a sampler plate for me. Choosing was the hardest part; eating the easiest, beginning with the Southern-style crab cakes featuring blue crab, old bay spices, chiles and citrus, served over granny apple relish; a slab of spice-crusted rare ahi over Asian slaw; fire shrimp done with Serrano, ancho and Anaheim chili paste, which he warned me was very hot (so it was, but the Dry Creek fume blanc helped to put out the fire); and last, but not least, a spring roll, influenced by both Chinese and Thai rolls but with a character all its own, which I requested baked, not fried, and it was a perfect vegetarian venture.
Before I decided on my entrée selection, I checked out the dinner specials for that evening, which happened to be Hawaiian buta papio with fingerling potatoes, sauté of baby leeks, hon shimeji mushrooms and tiger shrimp, done with a caramelized onion curry crème fraiche and yellow pear tomato salsa; and a catcher’s mix grill consisting of Costa Rican mahi mahi, top sirloin with blueberry zinfandel veal stock reduction and a Canadian lobster tail enhanced by a roasted garlic cilantro butter and served with smoked bacon and blue cheese crushed potato and Chinese longbeans. But some of the 20-some selections on the regular entrée menu entranced me, so I followed my heart and my stomach to choose.
Lest you think the Crab Catcher is only about fish, consider this. The list includes filet mignon, bone-in New York steak, double lamb chops, grilled chicken and several versions of pasta: lobster, scampi, clam and primavera. I was drawn to the seared soft-shell crab, done with celery root puree, garlic-braised pear tomato and Maui onion and fennel compote, plus the grilled Australian lamb sided with goat cheese and thyme polenta and served with an unbelievable apricot sour cherry chutney (I could have eaten a bowl of that alone) and black mission fig port wine reduction. To top it off, there was a gorgeous, á la San Francisco cioppino, filled with shellfish, pieces of the day’s catch combined in a chipotle tomato saffron broth, done to a bright, spicy turn. Heavenly, and easily on par with the lamb and particularly with the sweet, plump body of first-of-the-season, soft-shelled crab, complete with attached, crisply sautéed limbs. What a culinary experience! Kudos to the handsome and knowledgeable chef who has gained a wealth of expertise in his 31 years. Ah, if only I were a few years younger!
Be sure to check out the dessert tray, also his creation, with blissful dishes such as Key lime pie on a macadamia-nut, graham-cracker crust, paradise pie topped with macadamia ice cream and sporting an Oreo cookie crust, and so it goes. There’s much more going on at this seven-day-a-week restaurant, like the café and the oyster bar where you can enjoy drink specials along with specially priced sushi, oysters and appetizers. For specific information, call the Crab Catcher, 1298 Prospect (Coast Walk), (858) 454-9587. Enjoy!