Dive into the Loop looking for top-quality seafood and you'll surface at Catch 35. The riverside restaurant, sandwiched between businesses and bustle in the Leo Burnett Building, is the perfect place for all things fish.
So much fish, in fact, that it's a nearly impossible feat to scan the menu and settle on just one type. Its ocean-size array of appetizers, salads, grilled fillets, wok stir-fries and a category called simply "out of the ordinary" changes daily to reflect the freshest catch.
Notable items include seafood cobb salad with lemon dill sauce, stir-fried sweet and sour halibut with wontons and grilled swordfish with black peppercorns and cognac avocado salsa. Entrees average $18-$36, but top out at $59.95, should your golden taste demand Australian twin lobster tails.
The accompanying wine list runs just as long as the menu, with reserve specialties such as Opus One Cabernet Sauvignon and more than 10 types of Champagne. Stop by on Sundays, when selected bottles are half-price.
With appropriate decor (notice bold aquatic-themed paintings bordering the walls) and a home inside an industrial-esque building that perfectly reflects the neighboring waterway in its windows, an evening spent at Catch 35 is sure to be an elegant one. And no, as the owners assure you, none of the products actually come from the Chicago River.
Centerstage Reviewer: Carly Schwartz