The Full Story
Catablu Grille, in Depth
If you want the one dish people talk about at Catablu Grille, it is the Faroe Island salmon. That, the lobster bisque, and the filet mignon are the plates that come up again and again at this New American grille on the southwest side of Fort Wayne, and they tell you what the kitchen is actually about: gourmet American cooking done with care, not a themed novelty.
Worth clearing up first, because the old directory listing had it wrong: Catablu is not an Italian-seafood spot. It is a New American, self-described gourmet American grille. And it is not on Dupont Road. You will find it at 6372 W Jefferson Blvd in the Covington Plaza area, out on the Aboite side of town.
What the Kitchen Is Known For
The menu here changes with the seasons, so the specifics shift through the year, but the anchors hold. Faroe Island salmon is the dish regulars steer newcomers toward. The lobster bisque and the filet mignon are the other two names that keep surfacing. For dessert, the beignets are the order.
What sets the plate apart is how much of it is made on site. The sauces and the breads are done in house rather than trucked in, which is the difference between a kitchen that assembles and one that cooks. If you have a sweet tooth, the beignets fit alongside the rest of the city's dessert spots, though here they close out a full sit-down meal rather than stand alone.
The Room
Catablu is a sit-down restaurant, and the space is built to be looked at. A wine wall runs the height of the room with a library-style ladder for reaching the top bottles. Overhead, the lighting is set into wine barrels, and the ceiling is left open in an industrial style. A movie-quote panorama runs the walls as the room's signature piece of art. It reads as a place you go for an occasion, not a quick weeknight bite.
Who Runs It
The restaurant is owned by Mike and Maureen Catalogna, who operate it under their company, Real Restaurants, Inc. They moved Catablu to its current West Jefferson Boulevard location in 2009. Beyond the dining room, the operation also runs Blu Spoon Catering and an on-site private event space called La Vetta, so the same kitchen that plates your salmon can handle a wedding or a company dinner.
Who It's For
This is a date-night and special-occasion room, the kind of Fort Wayne kitchen you book when the meal is the point of the evening. If you are mapping out the city's sit-down dining, Catablu belongs on the list alongside other rooms worth knowing, like Copper Spoon. Start with the salmon and the bisque, save room for beignets, and let the wine wall do the rest. You can find it and the rest of the area's tables on the full Fort Wayne restaurant directory.