Catch Twenty-Three Introduces New Menu

Catch Twenty-Three goers are in store for a surprise starting today. The Westchase restaurant specializing in Floribbean-style cuisine including steak and seafood, will unveil a new menu featuring about 20 new items, from appetizers and sushi to entrees.

The new menu offerings make their debut today, May 23.

The restaurant will stay true to its Caribbean-inspired style, and maintain all the classic favorites that fans have come to crave, like macadamia-crusted Chilean sea bass and the blue cheese braised mussels appetizer. 

It was earlier this year when Proprietor Chef Rob Wickner began thinking about changing things up. He wanted to introduce not only some new dishes, but also amp up the offering of more casual choices, adding several new flatbreads and sandwiches to complment the already exisiting list of upscale entrees on the menu.

"We listened to our guests," said Chef Rob. "We surveyed our regulars in person, and we used social media, in the form of our Facebook and Twitter pages, to ask our guests about new items they would like to see on our menu."

One popular suggestion from fans on the Facebook page was Ceviche. The dish, fresh fish and shrimp cooked in citrus juices, will have a Carribean twist with coconut milk as an added ingredient. Catch's Ceviche will be served in a martini glass and topped with fresh tomato, cilantro and avocado.

Other new appetizers include a jumbo shrimp cocktail and an indulgent chicken carbonara flatbread, made with grilled chicken, a blend of cheeses, applewood-smoked bacon and a drizzle of cream.

Chef Rob was also sure to pay attention to the restaurant's growing sushi crowd. Juan Ocampo will join the restaurant as the new sushi chef. Ocampo has several years of experience at well known Tampa restaurants including Samurai Blue and Jackson's Bistro.

"Our sushi is extremely popular with our guests and we now have new rolls on the sushi menu," Chef Rob said.

The new casual choices include a Cuban-style burger with serrano ham, Swiss cheese, pickle and mustard, a lobster and shrimp roll, a skirt cheesesteak sandwich, a shrimp scampi po boy and barbecue grilled chicken or pulled pork sandwiches. And a new "Catch Pasta" entree can be prepared three completely different ways.

"It was time to make a change and offer some fresh new options," Chef Rob said. "We're excited to roll out the menu this Wednesday and we hope our guests enjoy the new offerings."