You know what restaurant is underrated? The Catch in Anaheim. Oh, it's not lacking in attention, from the crowds that flood the place come Angels and Ducks time to the media obsession over their Brobdingnagian four-pound OMG burger. But lost in all the hubbub is that the Catch makes great food: mighty steaks, delicate seafood, and chef tweaks that range from the rarified (some awesome sashimi thing produced tableside involving roe, hamachi, and shallots) to the retro (their teriyaki dragon rolls are so 1998, but so damn delicious).
When it comes to boozy affairs, the Catch could understandably turn things over to its younger sister, TAPS up in Brea, and not bother with their cocktails. But the Catch has fine bartenders in their ranks, the kind that knows to use Camarena tequila in their margaritas instead of Cazadores, who prepare their own simple syrups, and are always trotting out new drinks. They have a wonderful Indian Summer right now, which finds an apt truce between jalapeño and cucumber–but then I espied on a newer cocktail menu their Hillbilly Spritzer.
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I don't care for spritzers, but anything with the word “hillbilly” will always catch my bluegrass-loving heart. Featuring Aperol, Grenadine, agave, muddled orange slices, then given a topper of Pellegrino Aranciata, this is one–Orange County cliché alert, but apt!–wonderful hootenanny, a tart, fizzy refresher for these brutal July days. But the kicker is the hooch: Wildcat White Whisky, a light, sweet artisan spirit from Washington that shames half of Tennessee in its quality and kick. Someone put this Hillbilly Spritzer in soda bottles, stat–gotta sneak some into Angels Stadium during the next homestand…
