Belleville Eats and Drinks

Just ate there and it was great. This is seafood you don't get at any onter place in Belleville or even most of St. Louis. It has a nice lounge for a before or after dinner drink and is very elegant. Even though it is upscale they have a kids menu and prices are resonable. Portions were generous and presented in a way you would expect in a 5 star restaurant.
 

Seriously?

I ate there and thought that 45.00 for a "surf n turf" was anything BUT reasonable!

Their menu pricing is all over the place and looks a lot like amatures. A 35.00 bottle of wine for 18.00 and a 28.00 steak for 35.00.

Plus the place smells like new paint so bad I can't stay in there (yet).

Hopefully this is just growing pains -- I will certianly check it out in a couple weeks again.
 

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Before taking my wife there for dinner, I thought I would try lunch. I was underwhelmed. At most they had one third of the seats filled, but it still took 25 minutes to get my shrimp Po' Boy. I expected that delay would translate into either or both the sandwich and fries to be too hot to eat. Both were barely above room temperature and they were less than tasty. It looks like the lounge area is nice. Stopping in for a couple of drinks might be the best bet, but I don't know about the pricing. I will give it one more chance in a couple of weeks, but my best guess is that next year at this time they will be history.
 

Catch 22 is open for businness. The hours are Mon Tue Wed 11-2 for lunch and 5-9 for dinner and Thur Fri Sat 11-11. Dinner being served after 5pm. Friday and Saturday reservations are strongly recomended, along with no sandwiches being served on friday and sat nights after 5pm. The wine list is priced to put a smile on your face, there is no reason to have to pay an arm and a leg for a nice bottle of wine and they have proven that. It's very nice to see an upscale venue in Belleville. I have to say there is no other nicer seafood place on this side of the river, if you want a 30min meal at night this is not the place for you but if you want to enjoy a great night out catching up with your better half or some friends you will sure love CATCH22.
 

I have been back twice since my ill-fated lunch at Catch 22. Both have been with friends for a couple of drinks in the lounge. It is a nice, quiet place to have a drink and chat. However, stick to bottled beer so you know what you are getting.

My wife likes Cosmopolitans and Pomegranate Martinis. The first time I ordered a Pomegranate Martini and was told they did not have Pomegranate flavored vodka, so they could not make one, so I ordered her a Cosmopolitan which was undrinkable.

On our second trip to the lounge they were able to make a Pomegranate Martini which appeared and tasted like it was just pomegranate flavored vodka shaken with ice and strained into a glass. I do not know what the bartender (same guy as first time) thinks goes into that drink, but it sure needs more than flavored vodka. Most recipes I have seen use vodka, Cointreau, pomegranate juice and maybe some lime juice. The drink should have a red color from the juice.

No mixologist at that bar. You better stick to shots and beer.
 

I would give them a chance to work the kinks out. The Belleville restaurant business is trying to grow and there is always a learning curve unless your chain food. It appears the owners are sincere in their efforts and I believe will be a great addition in Bellevlle.
 

In spite of the "not so good" reviews I read on this blog as well as others, I decided to give this place a try. Overall, I'm glad I did. I went to Catch 22 with my husband and another couple. I had the sea bass for dinner. It was actually really nice. The Fish was cooked well, and the sauce that was with it was pretty tasty. My husband had the swordfish, which was AWESOME. His fish was cooked very nicely, and the flavor of the marinade/sauce that it came with was a really yummy citrus-y based sauce. The other couple said they really liked their meals as well. Also, the other couple had the seafood gumbo, which smelled delicious, and they said it tasted delicious as well. The only dislikes we had were: #1.Our ceasar salads, (They were swimming in water, so much so that my first bite was of a completely sopping wet mushed crouton).-Unedible. #2. The Mahi-Mahi lettuce cups appetizer had very little Mahi-Mahi and were very hard to eat (messy, not a real "lettuce cup") #3. The service could be a little better. With the prices this restaurant charges, you want great/outstanding service. Our server was very nice, but he seemed really nervous, a little forgetful, and a little unfamiliar with things. BUT, again, he was very nice and I'm sure with time will be great.
Again, Overall, the food was good. With time, I think the food could be great.
 

Been 3 times. 1st 2 times were excellent w fair prices 4 good food. Last time not so much. Waitress inexperienced, salad only lettuce & croutons. Had mahi lettuce cups each time. 1st 2 were great. Last time mixture w very little mahi spooned over flat lettuce leaves. Special was good but it was chicken. Also never order cannoli there as it is not cannoli. Since it was good 2 out of 3 times giving it another try 2nite.
 

Stopped in on a whim, I'd seen other businesses in the building before that didn't last and had no idea what Catch 22 meant. Saw it was a fine dining establishment (In downtown Belleville? Wow!"
I was only dressed in my t-shirt and shorts, but the bartender greeted me, passed me a menu and convinced me to try something. Glad I did. I ordered the spicy tuna roll, which I expected to be somewhat like sushi, but it is actually deep fried. Yet somehow the freshness and flavor is sealed inside the shell. From walking in with no expectations at all, this place bowled me over. I hope this place is there for a bit. You can't get this sort of service (or class) in Bellevegas normally. I would compare it to a just opening Porter's Steakhouse. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5. Thanks Andy and Phyllis! (ask for them. Bartender and server, respectively.)
 

Took my wife here to try it out. Food was great and our server, Megan was very attentive and seemed genuinely interested in our experience. The only snafu I had was when I ordered a Manhattan from the bar. I was halfway through it (and it was great) before the bartender came out and said he accidentally switched an ingredient. He brought out a proper Manhattan and despite my protests, he gave me the first one (which was actually better) free. I;m glad this is the new place on the block. They treated us like family!
 

Love the food! Seems pricey for Belleville, but it is good! Anyone know how long they've been here?
 

If you never have to eat again, I wasn't hungry at our party there, please visit Catch 22 for their wine and beer selection alone! If they don't have want you want there (beer wise), then you can hop on down to their sister bar, Boo Agave, like a block away. Best selection in Belleville, bar none!
 

Had 2 good times there. Honestly this is the best restaurant I've eaten at in Belleville. It seems odd to me that they aren't busier. I encourage anyone reading this to go there. This is the type of restaurant we need, not just another Fishers. Thanks Prysilla and Gavin!
 

Food is Yummy! Was kind of pricey, but it is "fine dining". Everything seems brand new and the place smells clean, if you know what I mean. The staff is new as well and at the bar they thought they couldn't make "my" martini, but instead of getting a manager or saying "no", they actually blended some vodkas together to create my NEW martini! Great time there and I wanted to write this to Angela who took great care of us and Adam at the bar. See you soon!

Sue
 

Great location for lunch and dinner, especially during the week (M-R- you can order sandwiches at night). Right now, they have a salmon burger deal with a drink and fries for $5. It's a great deal and tastes delicious!!! Also, there is a great bar area with a beautiful lounge. Definitely worth checking out!
 

I have had he pleasure of eating there more than a few times and I have genuinely enjoyed every experience I have had there.

The first time I ate there was in March with my girlfriend and I wanted to go there and give it a chance considering it was a relatively new restaurant and she loves seafood, so we both ordered an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.

My appetizer was the utterly fresh and delicious Mahi Mahi Lettuce cups. These lettuce cups are a mixture of mango, onion, avocado, mahi mahi, and cilantro in romaine leaves (small artisan style). The presentation was admirable with a drizzled soy ginger sauce? Anyway it was just so fresh tasting. At first I was a little thrown off by the fact that there were vegetables and fruit mixed mixed with fish but I was proven wrong.

So we finished our appetizer and we then moved onto our entrees. She ordered the Seabass because she like fishy fish and I ordered the Filet Medallions and Shrimp because I like steak and shrimp.

Each of the entrees came with two sides and a salad choice of either a spring mix salad or a Caesar salad. We both got the spring mix salad with their in house raspberry vinaigrette dressing which was full of flavor. We both got the veggie of the day which was zucchini and for my other side I got mash potatoes and she got citrus infused rice.

When the time came that the entrees came out they had prepared my filet medallions to a perfect medium which I had requested and her seabass was pan seered so well she was pleasantly surprised and pleased (she is hard to impress).

As we were enjoying our entrees it became clear that this meal was by far the best local Belleville meal we had had in a long time.

When our server came to pick up our empty plates I asked her why the meat seemed to taste better than a majority of the steak houses in the area and she said it was because the meat that they have is USDA Prime and not USDA Choice. A majority of steakhouses in the area carry choice meat which is a step below prime meat.

After our entrees we had dessert. My girlfriend and I shared one of their homemade canolis. It was just the thing to finish off the meal. It appeared to be to eggroll skins deep fried with cream filling and a drizzled chocolate sauce.

Not to mention the service was fantastic and very courteous.

If you live in the Belleville area and are tired of the same old same old treatment from bad service to just plain bad food, go to Catch 22 for fresh and higher quality food than the city is used to. Also, if you tired of the hustle and bustle of Red Lobster and want a more calm and kinder place go to Catch 22.