Sean's Fish Fry Adventures #1: Fresh Catch Poke
For the 2025 Lent season, our friend Sean Wrafter is going to chronicle his fish fry adventures and discovers. His first stop was a unique offering from Downtown's Fresh Catch Poke.
The first Friday of Lent was hectic enough for me to break one of my cardinal rules about Fish Fry… no takeout. Take out fish fry can get soggy and gross, and it just doesn’t do the meal the justice that it may deserve.
That being said… my dog Linda and I could not have been any more pleased with my experience with the take out Nashville Hot Fish Fry from Fresh Catch Poke.
Fresh Catch Poke is in the A Loft building next door to Vice. They are open for lunch and dinner and offer fast casual dining and a full bar with cocktails.
I am usually against a gimmicky take on a classic but this meal was so repeatedly recommended that I had to try it. Panko coated, crispy and flakey, this take out fish avoided the fate of so many other take out meals by being packaged in wax-coated paper take out containers.
The breading was well seasoned and the Hot Cheeto crumbles added an interesting texture to the dish. I will say that the fish was so good that I would like to try the original without the Nashville Hot because I am sure it could stand on its own.
I was cashed out by the owner who was upbeat and enthusiastic and very excited about his fish fry. I mention this because I always appreciate finding people who are excited about what they do and I always take it as a good sign.
The sides, all house made and delicious, included a fantastic mac salad, a citrus heavy slaw, house made pickles and a mayo based potato salad. The tartar sauce was also obviously house made and delicious.
They don’t serve fries with the meal which initially turned me off, but the strength of the rest of the meal and the good sized portions made it really ok. At $25 I would absolutely recommend putting this on your list for Lent or the rest of the year. If you choose to eat in they have a serious party atmosphere with a DJ but they are very much a kid friendly place for dinner.
About the Author:
Sean Wrafter is the co-founder of Acme Cabinet Company, former owner of Wrafterbuilt, and a longtime supporter of all things food related in Buffalo.