Just barely recovered from a week in St. Croix, we were travel weary but wouldn't dream of missing Great Escape. Hey, a girl's gotta eat anyway, right? There were only six of us this time. The Great Escape was built on the formula of a perfect table of eight but travel, schedules and sicknesses sometime force us to go with less. If only four of us are available we move the date, but six works just fine and makes for a cozy table.
I'd never been to FishHawk Ranch and was delighted to discover this beautiful planned community located in Lithia, FL. Catch 23 is situated in their town square along with a salon, grocer and a few casual eateries. The restaurant is elegant and stylish and the service was very good.
Their chef specializes in Latin and Caribbean cuisine and boasts a menu with enough variety to please everyone. Seafood, steaks, sushi and more, deliciously prepared and presented. Hubby had a very tasty pork chop, and someone had Steak Diane, something you don't often see on a menu - it was great. The Caribbean chicken was quite spicy but every crumb on the plate was eaten. Since I'd overindulged while on vacation, I opted for the Fish Salad - skewers of shrimp, scallops and whitefish served over a delicate arugula salad with a citrus vinaigrette and it was delicious.
Hubby typically likes a piece of bread with his salad but was told they didn't have any bread.....really? The waitress did say we could order a side of garlic bread but that's not what he wanted. My only complaint is I have a problem with a restaurant that charges hefty prices and won't give you a darn slice of bread that would cost them barely a nickel.
I'd definitely come back and try something else. I make it a practice to take the long way back from the washroom so I can surreptitiously glance at what the other diners are eating, taking mental notes for next time. Catch 23 also offers weekly dining specials like Monday Burger Night for $4.99 or Wine Lover's Wednesday where ladies can enjoy all the wine they care to drink for $15 (men pay $20).
We skipped dessert as usual and headed over to one of our homes for cheesecake, coffee and some great Cupcake Vineyards Malbec, a rich red from the town of Mendoza, Argentina. It had a soft velvety texture that went down real smooth. I'd been drinking rum all week in St. Croix (don't judge me) so it was great to switch back to my preferred once a week glass of red wine.
http://www.catchtwentythree.com/fishhawk/
16132 Churchview Drive, Lithia, FL 33547
813-681-4989
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