By ROBERT JANJIGIAN

DAILY NEWS BUSINESS EDITOR

Updated: 7:10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23, 2011

Last summer, the partners behind the successful West Palm Beach French brasserie Pistache set course on opening a new dining spot in Palm Beach.

Thierry Beaud, Reid Boren and Julian Gremaud had decided on the restaurant’s concept, secured financial backing for the venture and then proceeded to search for the right location in town.

Six months later, just this past Monday, PB Catch, a seafood house and raw bar, opened for business at 251 Sunrise Ave.

The space is outfitted in a crisp style intended to evoke the interior of a luxury yacht, said Boren, with plenty of mahogany and seating upholstered in white leather.

“This is a serious seafood restaurant,” said Beaud, who describes the menu as “contemporary” and “fresh.”

Gremaud, who is PB Catch’s executive chef, has developed a full range of dishes that are “seasonal with fresh, clean flavors,” he said. “I intend to keep up the creativity level in the kitchen.”

For those who prefer less complex preparations, the restaurant offers the option of ordering any fish entree on the menu simply grilled.

“Though many restaurants in town serve fish, we saw the island as missing the kind of place where primarily local seafood is the star,” said Boren.

“This also came about when we thought about how much we’d like to go to a casual place where you can share a plate of oysters at the bar,” Beaud said.

“We’d like for people to think of PB Catch as a neighborhood place,” said Boren.

Palm Beach was lacking a place where the emphasis is on what Gremaud calls “Florida food,” said the chef, who will remain in charge of the kitchen at the 4-year-old Pistache as well as the new PB Catch.

Through Pistache, Gremaud came to discover the extensive array of locally caught fish available from area purveyors, as well as the superb-quality seafood that can be purchased by independent commercial fisherman. “The selection is amazing,” he said.

Although seafood dominates the PB Catch menu, the restaurant does offer poultry, beef and vegetarian dishes.

“In the past year, with the openings of Buccan, Cha Cha’s and now PB Catch, as well as all the other fine restaurants in town, the island is quickly becoming a true foodie destination,” said Laurel Baker, executive director of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce. “I’m sure PB Catch, with its fresh, innovative approach to fish, will be a hit with Palm Beachers, as the team behind Pistache has a stellar reputation, great flair and a loyal following.”

PB Catch is open Monday through Saturday, with the raw bar and lounge serving from 4 p.m.

The full dinner menu will be available from 5:30 to 11 p.m.

Appetizers range from $12 to $18. Entrees are $15 to $39.

There is a full bar and extensive wine list.

For reservations, call 655-5558.