Catch 109 — Restaurant in Morehead City

I find it difficult to write this review because I have never left a negative review like this before. One of the best parts of leaving reviews is shining light on the people who do amazing work that is often overlooked but this experience was simply disappointing.

I had really been looking forward to eating at Catch 109 for quite a while and late Saturday night it came together.

We waited for a couple of seats to become available at the Oyster Bar and that seems to be where things went wrong. We were not greeted by the chef/waiter and I had to ask his name. He mumbled it ... but then didn't reciprocate. It was clear that he wasn't interested in interacting and our decision to sit at the Oyster bar was an inconvenience for him at the end of a long night. No problem. There's no expectation that you be social as long as the food is good.

We ordered a dozen raw Oysters, the Oysters Rockefeller, Asparagus and Brussel Spouts.

We watched as oysters were put on the grill and then he walked away. The Oysters on the grill sat for quite a while and I worried that they would be overcooked, but we hadn't ordered them so I wasn't too worried. Wrong...

Those were our "raw" oysters. At first I thought perhaps they were the Oyster Rockefeller (albeit without bacon and spinach) but then the Rockefeller was brought out and no... we realized the mistake. We waited several minutes for someone to come out so we could address the mistake but no one came back.

As disappointing as it was we decided to eat what we were given and call it a night.

All of the Oysters were overdone... shriveled up chewy remnants of what they should have been. One of the Rockefellers literally had no Oyster in it.

The Asparagus was sold out so we substituted for fries, which turned out to be the best thing that we ordered.

Here's the kicker the entire time we were waiting for someone to come back I could see a rack of raw Oysters in the cooler. It was frustrating but mistakes happen and I can chalk it up to along day. But then once we asked for our check the missing chef/waiter reappeared but now they had plenty of enthusiasm preparing their own dinner.

The oysters in the fridge were prepped for them and shrimp was taken out of the fridge and put into a to-go container. I worked in the restaurant industry for a long time and the behavior on display was hinky to say the least.

At best, they let us know that we didn't matter.

The one truly bright spot of the entire experience was the hostess... she was delightful and a true asset to...

A truly amazing experience. A fantastic restaurant located right next to the pier. The service was top notch from the moment we walked in, to the moment we walked out. The hostess was friendly, greeted us and offered us the bar as we waited for the rest of our party. Megan (hopefully correct spelling) at the bar was great, our drinks were very tasty, and her conversation was excellent, a very friendly person and she even gave us great ideas of what to eat. Our waitress (my apologies, I have forgotten her name) was also very friendly, very attentive and very efficient. The food, well, I can't speak highly enough about the food. The candied bacon was perfectly cooked, and had a great glaze to it without being over done. The tuna wontons had a fantastic flavor, and the spicy feta dip was a perfect mix of spicy and creamy. The charbroiled oysters were very delicious, I now wish I had done a full dozen rather than just the half dozen, they were that good. My stuffed Mahi dinner was simply amazing. The tuna perfectly cooked, the filling with the Cajun sauce was a perfect addition. The potatoes and vegetables cooked perfectly and very flavorful. Another dish our party had was the short ribs, which I have to say is probably the best short rib I've ever had at a restaurant! The sauce was very rich, and so flavorful, the grits a really nice addition, along with the sautéed mushrooms. Another dish was the seared yellow fin tuna, which I unfortunately didn't get a chance to try, because it was devoured so quickly! Overall, this was an absolutely amazing experience, and well worth the trip! Thank you to...

I will start with the fact that it was like sitting in a sauna... extremely uncomfortable, and said it was due to people opening the door to enter/exit! Don't all restaurants do this, and still maintain comfortable temperature?! The water they give to the table in a bottle was very salty..don't know how to explain this? Now for the food...we were a table of 5, with only one person who didn't have an issue, but I believe it's because she's not the type to express dissatisfaction. The 'lump' crab cakes are NOT lump, and they agreed that was true & they are 'working on it'...well, take it off the menu until you do! For $33 you get 3 quarter size backfin cakes with lots of filler. They offered another option, I chose the garlic shrimp, which was tasty & better. Another ordered salmon well done, which was not...took back & simply reheated plate, but did not cook salmon further. The crab bisque was served in a large bowl with very little soup...they brought another bowl, which then equalled one bowl. There was a small issue with oysters, which I don't eat & cannot speak to, but they brought out more to compensate. Our server, Taylor, was very professional and she, along with the manager, handled all issues with grace & a clear desire to assist. All issues point to the kitchen...we thought it was going to be comparable to the owner's other restaurants, but there's no comparison - unfortunately - maybe there's been a change in ownership, or you need new chefs/cooks & menu update...as well as AIR CONDITIONING! Our guests drove from Washington, NC & we were disappointed it wasn't a more...