… or it could easily be called “Medusa rising as Catbird”. Aimée McElroy, half of the old Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen team is back, Aimée has completely renovated the old Sunset Landing coffee shop into a very lovely new venue. She added a deck in the back overlooking Deal Lake. Catbird is larger than Medusa was and there is much more staff moving about. We were greeted by the door and told of their ordering procedure - you order at the front desk upon entry, given a table tag/flag and shown to your table. Your table is set, water delivered and glasses for our BYO beverage.
The food followed shortly - happily it’s the same wood-fired oven that had cured and mellowed at Medusa, and Aimée’s pizza is as special and delicious as ever. We dined on the deck, and it was spacious and uncrowded. The service was brisk and on point.
We arrived about 7:30pm on a Wednesday evening and got the last table on the deck. It appeared that we had hit them at a peak - things tapered off as we ate. It’s all street parking in a residential area, which can be mildly challenging.
If you were a Medusa fan, you need to try Catbird. And if you enjoy special food and unique pizza, you, too, need to give it a try. Not cheap, but you do get everything you pay for - the water views are just a bonus.
It’s happened to me before and I’ve let the powers that be know, but how the hell am I supposed to be snarky when the app gives me a message saying it’s not a complete sentence (EVEN WHEN IT IS)?!?
I’ve now been to Catbird twice and can assure you all that if you enjoyed Medusa, you need to go! the food is delicious and the service is warm and friendly.
My must-have item is the Charred Kale salad; they put the kale in the pizza oven and it softens it AND it get a great char, which adds good flavor. Rainbow carrots, cherry tomatoes, and parmesan finish things off. Easily shareable for 2-3 people.
I’ve now had 3 different pizzas; the meatball was excellent, as was the eggplant/pesto. I also loved the local mushroom trio but although I eat it, I do prefer red sauce over white when it comes to (any) pizza.
Last night we had dessert - mini chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches that were a perfect 2-3 bites each, and most importantly, the right temperature. The ice cream wasn’t too hard but it wasn’t squishing out the sides, and the cookies (made at Sweet Joe’s in Wanamassa) were soft and tasty. For someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, this is an ideal way for me to end a meal. They also had an apple crumble available.
The space is lovely - so welcoming and cozy as compared to its previous iteration - and depending on where you sit, there are great views of Deal Lake. The day I had lunch there, we were watching a trio of Great Blue Herons zooming back and forth and occasionally stopping to sit. I can’t wait to sit out on that deck in nice weather!
Lots of good to very good pizza options have hit the area in the past 6-12 mos. I’ve recently been to Pizzeria 'Lucci in Belmar and Just the Crust in Long Branch. Need to check out Catbird. Thanks for the review.
