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Chefs Lee Gregory (top right) and Bobo Catoe Jr. will be co-owners of a second location of Odyssey Fish, opening in October in the former Billy Pie space on Patterson Avenue. The original is a stall in the Hatch Local food hall in Manchester. (Odyssey Fish photo by Eileen Mellon, portraits by Tyler Darden)
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Catoe serves as chef de cuisine at Alewife, the Church Hill sustainable seafood restaurant owned by Gregory. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
On a recent day off, Bobo Catoe Jr. drove 35 minutes from his home in Midlothian to Alewife to “check on things.” The chef de cuisine of the Church Hill sustainable seafood spot didn’t have any particular reason, he simply wanted to.
“I just wanted to go look at it and make sure thats it’s there,” says the Mississippi native. “I emotionally feel like I’ve had ownership of Alewife … and I never think I’ll feel differently about it.”
Sometimes Catoe pops in during off hours to say “hey” to his sous chef, Grayson Tharrington, or to experiment with fermentation projects. Bearing an almost parental attachment to the neighborhood eatery — dubbed one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in 2019 shortly after its debut, hooking seafood devotees with lesser-known cuts from snakehead to skate and mackerel — Catoe soon will step into a different role within the industry, that of owner, and even shave a bit of time off his commute.
A duo of Southern-bred chefs with an affinity for the water, Catoe and Alewife owner Lee Gregory plan to introduce Odyssey Fish, a 40-seat restaurant channeling coastal flavors. The pair aim to open by October in the former Billy Pie space at 6919 Patterson Ave.
Frozen cocktails, martini service, fresh ceviche and even the original Rambo film, “First Blood,” occupy the vision board for the forthcoming restaurant. The venture is described as a balance between Alewife and the pair’s restaurant inside Hatch Local food hall that debuted in March and bears the same name.
“I think it’s going to be a really cool place,” Catoe says. “More casual than Alewife, for sure, but closer to Alewife than it is to Hatch. It will still be high-end food. There is a TV in there, and Lee and I have joked about what we’ll put on it.”
The former Billy Pie space still has its pizza oven, but they won’t be serving pies. Drawing a comparison between the careful crafts of making pizza and rolling sushi, Catoe says he wants to stay in his lane, but diners can expect flatbread.
The foray marks a migration into West End waters. Luckily, Catoe, who has helmed Alewife since its inception and earned a StarChefs Rising Stars Award representing the D.C.-Chesapeake region this year, thrives when the pressure is on.
When Catoe, whose resume includes stints at Southbound, Heritage and acclaimed Southern restaurant Husk, was nominated for an Elby award in 2019 for Rising Chef of the Year, Gregory said, “There’s two different [types of] cooks: people that live for it or fall into it, and those that are just good at it — he’s both.”
The Johnson & Wales grad says current visions of the Odyssey Fish menu include Mediterranean nuances, including an entire section dedicated to crudo, oysters and clams, along with shareable entrees. Perhaps a version of Alewife’s enormous Siren Song appetizer spread? One can only hope.
“I don’t think we’ll ever have a hood,” Catoe of the open kitchen in the new space. “I want to see if I can do it without all the stuff I’ve always had. I know what I can and can’t do, [I’ve] just got to figure out what’s efficient in that space and will go from there.”
Brainstorming with Alewife’s beverage director and cocktail guru, Andon Whitehorn, Catoe says patrons can expect draft cocktails and beer on tap, as well as a 20-bottle wine list, with about half the offerings available by the glass. There is talk of a rotating spiked punch offered in single-, double- and four-person formats, as well as the aforementioned martini service.
Initially, the team plan to be open five days a week, with possible brunch service down the road. While Odyssey Fish marks Catoe’s first ownership role, and no doubt means time away from his second home in Church Hill, he’s ready.
“Me and Lee don’t have to worry about it,” Catoe says of the team in place at Alewife, “because it’s dudes we know and trust. I feel comfortable with the people that are there. I think [Odyssey Fish] is the place I’ll be working for a while.”
