Lake Country Fish Fry -- Week 1 -- Woody's, North Lake, WI

Ok, ok, so on a recent trip to the gym, my friend Ann and I decided that instead of taking people's advice, or reading reviews, we were going to find the best Fish Fry in Lake Country by ourselves. Blog about it and see where it goes from there. A little background on our first week. I'm not originally from the Lake Country area,

I'm from Fond du Lac, WI and in my mind, there is not a better area in the world for a fish fry than the greater Fondy Metroplex (LOL). I grew up with a family business down the street and was fortunate enough to have the best food about 10 steps-away. If you haven't been to Blanck's Supper Club in Johnsburg, WI, I suggest you try it. Not only is it home to some of the best steaks in the county, they also have a great fish fry and I'm still convinced nobody, can duplicate the German Potato Salad recipe my great-grandmother perfected nearly 60 years ago. My cousin Mike and his wife Kris (along with cousins Vicki and Ashley) have become the faces of that restaurant now and I am still proud to have had some part of it! Love to you all (my shameless plug and shout-out).

I was fortunate to "grow-up" dining on Friday evenings at places like Jim & Linda's, Schwartz's, Wendt's on the Lake, Ledgeview, Cedar Lodge, Roepke's, Trepaniers, Sunset Supper Club, etc. You get the gist. I was spoiled, we were a restaurant family and the closest I came to fast food in my youth was the weekly trip to Schreiner's on Monday nights when the restaurant (& my parents tavern) was closed. We didn't go out to eat for burgers and fries, we got steak, my parents threatened us with burgers/fries if we didn't behave! LOL.

While looking back, I realize how GREAT that was! I feel as though with nearly 38 years of food and beverage experience, it was time for me to actually make something of it -- no matter how ridiculous or insignificant! So, each and every Friday, Ann and I will meet at the gym (yes, the gym) -- workout for an hour and then indulge in the great Wisconsin Friday Night Tradition! We are going to eat the fish fry and still manage to lose weight! HA! OK, now, for the good stuff.

Friday, November 6, 2009 - Woody's in North Lake, WI. For those of you not familiar with the area, it's just outside Hartland to the North on Hwy 83. It's a small bar/restaurant, just a handful of tables grace the tiny dining area located in the front of the establishment. Our waitress, greeted us warmly right away and within a matter of minutes we had our first drink in hand and were glancing over the menu.

I decided to go the non-traditional route (as I will be doing for each week) and ordered a baked cod topped with mock crab meat, mushrooms and cheese. The entree came with a side of cole slaw, baby red potatoes and rye bread. The sides were typical, and to be honest, I am not a fan of cream cole-slaw, so I only ate a few bites. The cod, however, was delicious. It was recommended by the waitress (I cannot remember this nice person's name) and she was spot-on about how yummy this little number was. And...for ONLY $9.95

This week I will be posting for my good friend Ann -- but in later weeks, she will be chiming in on her rendition of the Friday events. She went with the deep fried Cod and french fry options. While, she said her dinner was very good -- it was not anything spectacular. Her meal was a very reasonable $7.95. We did have an option for Blue Gill, which was recommended by a customer, but we opted for the other entrees instead. There was no perch or pike option. I've realized from going to a few restaurants in this area, they consider a "traditional" fish fry deep fried cod. So, as our meals did not disappoint our taste buds, we were not overwhelmed by the Fish Fry at Woody's in North Lake.

I will, however, give a shout to the outstanding customer service we got -- and also, incredible burgers they serve 7 days a week. First week is in the books, Woody's was a pleasure and we enjoyed our dinners immensely and the company was superior! Have a great week!