I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the year. As much as I love the holiday season, I could do without the heart-attack like stress that comes with it. Day to day living is difficult enough, but add on crabby people at stores, people with no Christmas list, my overall lack of creativity at this time and a diminishing bank account to this and you'll find life tends to be a little overwhelming. I was able to finish my tasks on time and under budget this year, but not without a few bumps in the road.
Squeezing in the weekly fish fry also proved to be a tough task this week, with all the hustle and bustle of the season, but, thankfully we were able to sit down for a nice dinner on Friday evening at the Phoenix Restaurant/Bar in Hartland, WI. Upon walking into this restaurant I became increasingly hesitant about how this dinner would turn out. The bar smelled like a dirty ashtray and the very dim coloring with a splash of Christmas lights had me skeptical.
Thankfully we were able to get into the tiny dining room which was non-smoking (and did not have that stale smoke smell) and was a little more cheerful in decoration. Like many weeks prior, we sat down and perused the menu while enjoying a drink, which was brought to us by our top-notch server. Although that dining room was small, there were still about 12 tables (all of one was filled with diners) to be taken care of and this lovely young woman did it all with a smile firmly planted on her face. She did not show her stress and maneuvered through all the maze-like openings in this room with grace and poise. I should have known just then, this would be a phenomenal meal. Ann was equally impressed...
This past Friday we played “hookie” from our normal routine of working out and then going to Fish Fry. Instead we decided to retreat to the our “hole in the wall” right here in Hartland: The Phoenix. Now, I have known for some time that the food served at the Phoenix is top notch, surprisingly enough, as you wouldn’t expect such food to be served at this establishment. It has been years since I have had a fish fry at the Phoenix and I was very anxious to return for this one!!!!! When we arrived we put our name in and grabbed a beer at the bar. Beth and Z came minutes later and we were all seated in the joining room to the bar portion. Beth and I both ordered the Baked Haddock while Dave ordered the chicken and fish buffet and Z ordered the seafood buffet. As we watched Dave and Z eat their food…..(we did nibble off of their plates!!!) we waited, and I would say patiently, ESPECIALLY for us!!! The waitress comped our entire table a round of drinks it took so long………but, when it finally arrived, it was INCREDIBLE! By far this was the BEST fish fry we have had during our adventure of trying to find the best fish fry in southeastern Wisconsin. The Haddock just melted in your mouth and the home-made potato pancakes made you crave them more and more with every bite. This fish fry was SUPERB!!! Hats off to the chefs Carl and Robert! I give The Phoenix’s Friday night fish fry a 10 out of 10!!!!!
The Phoenix offers two different Friday buffets, one is a Fish/Chicken buffet (11.95) and a Seafood buffet ($15.95), the boys opted for that dinner choice, while Ann and I, as indicated above, decided to go with the baked Haddock ($15.95). I was delighted when I saw Haddock on the menu and jumped at the chance to have it, I really didn't care who had what at that point, as my mind was made up the minute I saw the choices. This haddock was outstanding. To give you an idea of how impressed I was, I called my father on the phone after eating this dish to let him know that it was better than the haddock recipe at Blanck's. Yes folks, it was THAT good.
The fish was baked to perfection and the subtle lemon pepper and dill seasonings were pure pleasure. The drawn butter, in my opinion was there for show, you didn't need it. Each fork full gave me a different taste of the flavors and just melted in my mouth, and that is a sign of an impeccability which is difficult to achieve. I asked the waitress if the cook would give up some more of the seasoning ingredients, much to my chegrin he did not...but, I really didn't expect him to either. We had a good laugh over it and continued to enjoy the rest of our dinner.
If there is any complaint it was the wait. There was a considerable amount of time (probably 45 minutes) between the time we ordered and when the food came to the table, but any concern we had was quickly abolished when the cool/calm waitress offered us a free drink for our troubles! It's a tradition in small Wisconsin restaurants which I LOVE. Buy the people a drink to keep them happy, and in most cases it does!
The wait will keep the Phoenix from getting that last star of perfection, but 9 out of 10 isn't bad either. I will definitely be back there as I heard the burgers are even better than the fish fry. I'd like to take this time to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my friends and family. This has been another great year and I'm thankful for all the wonderful gifts in my life, including the ability to test out the best fish fry restaurants in Waukesha county! We will be back to you after the first of the year. Until then, be safe, be Merry and give someone you love a hug!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Cornerstone Sports Pub & Eatery, Oconomowoc, WI
Happy Tuesday to all the fish fry followers...I think I overloaded on some of the holiday festivities over the weekend and paid for it dearly yesterday. This could potentially be a good sign, that my body is rejecting certain junk food, however, it could also make for a boring holidays if I can't overindulge once in a while! I'll take it as a good thing though, it'll make the healthier eating in 2010 an easier feat to accomplish.
Onto the "fry" -- this week we decided to go to the Cornerstone Sports Pub & Eatery, rather than Spinnakers. It was highly recommended by a blog follower, so we decided to have a girls dinner at the Cornerstone (24 S. Main St., Oconomowoc) after a thoroughly relaxing session of yoga at the Soleil Yoga Center. I have to admit, I was slightly apprehensive about this place, which is off the beaten path in Oconomowoc. We walked in to this bar and what I felt might be a good "burger" joint, didn't look the part of Fish Fry Haven. Well, I was wrong (which, is hard to admit if you really know me).
Ann and I sought out a high-top table and enjoyed a pre-meal cocktail while we looked over the menu. The waitress stopped by promptly to take our order, Ann decided to again, go the traditional route (battered cod, 9.95) while I, on the other hand, was painfully indecisive about what to get. When I asked the waitress for her recommendation she had pointed out the "Spanish Fish Fry" (9.95) -- and I went with her advice. The following is Ann's take on our dining experience.
First of let me express my amazement at the fish fry on Friday night. After driving around the block in O-town about 3 times we found the entrance to the Cornerstone. The setting is well, very bar like (because it is a bar!!!). We settled into a table along the wall and ordered a drink. The waitstaff was very nice and attentive. As we ordered I decided to stick with my usual, the beer battered cod. Our meals came out in a very reasonable amount of time. The first item I noticed on my plate was two little fritters sitting in a tub of what appeared to be butter sauce. I grabbed one up and ate it and OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMMMM. I sacrificed my second bite of heaven to allow Beth to have the other fritter. That really paved the way for what I knew was going to be a fantastic fish fry. Everything on my plate tasted wonderful. The breading on the fish was a little crunchy, but just right. What a fantastic meal. 9.5/10!!! CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK!!!!!
To add to Ann's comments, the fritter was DELISH! It was a pineapple fritter with maple syrup butter, a nice crunchy exterior and then the cake-like insides, mixed with the butter was a huge explosion of breakfast in one bite! A little disconnect from the "fish fry" flavor-wise, but a pleasant one! I'm going to take you back a little to the beginning of the meal, with my own rendition of the evening. We each ordered a cup of the New England Clam Chowder, which, was average. I highly doubt this soup was homemade, it probably came from a food distributor in a large plastic bag which is to be reheated. It's OK soup, but we're not searching for just "OK." here and when you have a fish fry, I expect all the pieces to the puzzle to be homemade. To Cornerstone's credit, though, the chowder was the only average component of the meal.
My Spanish Fish Fry was a fun interpretation of the traditional Wisconsin meal. It was a generous serving of cod which was lightly breaded and pan fried on both sides, then topped with salsa, white cheddar cheese and sour cream. The combination of the breading along with the superbly flaky cod and salsa/cheese/sour cream was a glorious balance of texture and flavor. I never would have imagined salsa with a breaded cod would be as successful as it was. On a sour note, I would have preferred a pepper jack cheese to add a little more heat to this dish, but I cannot complain about that one minute detail. I may just try to perfect this recipe at my own home!
The plate was complimented with a side of Spanish rice and playful triangles of cheese quesadillas. This creative dish had me very satisfied with my dinner choice, although it was way too much food, but leftovers are great and this dish reheated in the oven well. I would probably give the Cornerstone an 7.5 out of 10 total points. My main entree was superb, but I think there was a lot of room for improvement, mainly to the complimenting components to the dish itself. I think anyone finding this sports pub & eatery on a Friday night will be extremely happy with their choice! They key is finding it!!
We will be visiting the Phoenix in Hartland this Friday. It Ann's birthday weekend and it might be even more interesting than normal, with a potential guest appearance from my friend Alyssa, who will be making the unusual trip west of 124th Street. Have a good week all!
Onto the "fry" -- this week we decided to go to the Cornerstone Sports Pub & Eatery, rather than Spinnakers. It was highly recommended by a blog follower, so we decided to have a girls dinner at the Cornerstone (24 S. Main St., Oconomowoc) after a thoroughly relaxing session of yoga at the Soleil Yoga Center. I have to admit, I was slightly apprehensive about this place, which is off the beaten path in Oconomowoc. We walked in to this bar and what I felt might be a good "burger" joint, didn't look the part of Fish Fry Haven. Well, I was wrong (which, is hard to admit if you really know me).
Ann and I sought out a high-top table and enjoyed a pre-meal cocktail while we looked over the menu. The waitress stopped by promptly to take our order, Ann decided to again, go the traditional route (battered cod, 9.95) while I, on the other hand, was painfully indecisive about what to get. When I asked the waitress for her recommendation she had pointed out the "Spanish Fish Fry" (9.95) -- and I went with her advice. The following is Ann's take on our dining experience.
First of let me express my amazement at the fish fry on Friday night. After driving around the block in O-town about 3 times we found the entrance to the Cornerstone. The setting is well, very bar like (because it is a bar!!!). We settled into a table along the wall and ordered a drink. The waitstaff was very nice and attentive. As we ordered I decided to stick with my usual, the beer battered cod. Our meals came out in a very reasonable amount of time. The first item I noticed on my plate was two little fritters sitting in a tub of what appeared to be butter sauce. I grabbed one up and ate it and OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMMMM. I sacrificed my second bite of heaven to allow Beth to have the other fritter. That really paved the way for what I knew was going to be a fantastic fish fry. Everything on my plate tasted wonderful. The breading on the fish was a little crunchy, but just right. What a fantastic meal. 9.5/10!!! CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK!!!!!
To add to Ann's comments, the fritter was DELISH! It was a pineapple fritter with maple syrup butter, a nice crunchy exterior and then the cake-like insides, mixed with the butter was a huge explosion of breakfast in one bite! A little disconnect from the "fish fry" flavor-wise, but a pleasant one! I'm going to take you back a little to the beginning of the meal, with my own rendition of the evening. We each ordered a cup of the New England Clam Chowder, which, was average. I highly doubt this soup was homemade, it probably came from a food distributor in a large plastic bag which is to be reheated. It's OK soup, but we're not searching for just "OK." here and when you have a fish fry, I expect all the pieces to the puzzle to be homemade. To Cornerstone's credit, though, the chowder was the only average component of the meal.
My Spanish Fish Fry was a fun interpretation of the traditional Wisconsin meal. It was a generous serving of cod which was lightly breaded and pan fried on both sides, then topped with salsa, white cheddar cheese and sour cream. The combination of the breading along with the superbly flaky cod and salsa/cheese/sour cream was a glorious balance of texture and flavor. I never would have imagined salsa with a breaded cod would be as successful as it was. On a sour note, I would have preferred a pepper jack cheese to add a little more heat to this dish, but I cannot complain about that one minute detail. I may just try to perfect this recipe at my own home!
The plate was complimented with a side of Spanish rice and playful triangles of cheese quesadillas. This creative dish had me very satisfied with my dinner choice, although it was way too much food, but leftovers are great and this dish reheated in the oven well. I would probably give the Cornerstone an 7.5 out of 10 total points. My main entree was superb, but I think there was a lot of room for improvement, mainly to the complimenting components to the dish itself. I think anyone finding this sports pub & eatery on a Friday night will be extremely happy with their choice! They key is finding it!!
We will be visiting the Phoenix in Hartland this Friday. It Ann's birthday weekend and it might be even more interesting than normal, with a potential guest appearance from my friend Alyssa, who will be making the unusual trip west of 124th Street. Have a good week all!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Max Meier's Hartland Inn, Hartland, WI
First of all I'd like to take this time to remember Pearl Harbor Day...it happened way before I was born, but just like any other monumental historic event, I believe it is a day like President Roosevelt said "that will live in infamy" and we can never forget it. Too often we take for granted (and sometimes forget) that in order for us to live the happy free life we have, many others had to lose theirs in order to ensure it. Onto fish, I know nice transition, but I'm in a hurry today! I will let you read Ann's entry first as I have a few things to say in rebuttal.
This week brought me to my witching grounds, hometown Hartland and the Max Meier’s Inn. Max Meier’s has been the home to so many important events from my eighth grade graduation dinner to my Dad’s celebration of life luncheon. The atmosphere is cozy and the people are great ... living up to our promise we ordered the Fish Fry!! Our family style fish fry came with cole slaw, potato salad, and bread. We also ordered potato pancake. The potato pancakes were THICK and very tasty...I will admit, I have had the Max Meier Fish Fry before and thought it was just as tasty as it always is. The slaw was not a creamy slaw, a little different then what we have had in previous weeks, but still tasted GREAT!!! I give Max Meier’s a 9 out of 10, what can I say, I am rooting for the HOME TEAM!
This week we skipped the workout and headed to the Hartland Inn early, as we (Ann, Dave and myself) were all hungry! The Hartland Inn was quaint, warm and very friendly, the holiday decor was classy and old fashioned (just the way I love it) and you felt like you were at a friend's home while dining there. It was also like an Ann Grevenkamp homecoming as she literally knew about 60% of the clientele (Ok, maybe exaggerating, but you get the point) and I later found out her and her family spent the better part of the 1990s in the Max Meier dining room, which would probably explain her fondness for the restaurant.
We were greeted by the hostess, who kindly took our name and seated us within 15 minutes, it was great. Not too busy, but enough people in the place so you weren't scared to eat the cuisine! We started off this week with some yummy appetizers, bacon wrapped water chestnuts (6.00) and chicken ginger wontons (10.00), followed by our soup course. My shrimp/lobster bisque ($5.00) was unbelievably impressive. It was a different mixing of the ingredients than I was used to, with a frothy nutmeg cappuccino making the broth a little darker brown in color, but that was the only thing that was dark about this soup. Let me give one huge pat on the back to the chef who came up with that recipe, the flavors were robust and clean, it was rich, but still bright enough to not be overpowering. I loved it.
Ann opted for the beer cheese soup, which I tasted and liked, but moved over it very quickly to get back to my own bowl of heaven! All of this great food to start made me very excited for the main course, and I'm afraid I was a little disappointed with what followed.
I ordered the breaded cod (11.95), which was served family style, like Ann had mentioned, with creamy potato salad, oil-based cole slaw and rye bread. We also had french fries and a potato pancake. While the fish was not bad tasting, it did not compare to the meal we had last week at the Butler Inn. The cod was not flaky and the breading wasn't very flavorful. I felt myself adding a fair amount of salt and pepper, which we know is the kiss of death for a meal. I will give props to the very best potato pancake I've had yet so far...but that was the only highlight.
Dave had the Seared Sea Scallop Salad (15.00) which is Seared Sea Scallops on a Bed of Hearts of Romain, Belgium Endive, Spring Mix, Grape Tomatoes & Red Onion, then Drizzled with Mixed Berry Balsamic Dressing and Garnished with Goat Cheese Croutons, he wanted to be sure we included how much he enjoyed his non-traditional Friday meal routine I realize the Hartland Inn has a lot of sentimental history for Ann and her family, but I simply cannot put this restaurant in the same category (fish fry only) as the Butler Inn and I have no alliances in this game. As much as I was rooting for the home team, I think it fell short of delivering a game-winner (sorry for the sports pun).
I would rate this fish fry probably 7 out of a possible 10. I had an enjoyable experience and will probably go back someday, but not for a while, as we're going to be very, very busy in the next few months helping you find the BEST fish fry in Lake Country. Next week we will be visiting Spinnakers in Oconomowoc. Have a wonderful week.
This week brought me to my witching grounds, hometown Hartland and the Max Meier’s Inn. Max Meier’s has been the home to so many important events from my eighth grade graduation dinner to my Dad’s celebration of life luncheon. The atmosphere is cozy and the people are great ... living up to our promise we ordered the Fish Fry!! Our family style fish fry came with cole slaw, potato salad, and bread. We also ordered potato pancake. The potato pancakes were THICK and very tasty...I will admit, I have had the Max Meier Fish Fry before and thought it was just as tasty as it always is. The slaw was not a creamy slaw, a little different then what we have had in previous weeks, but still tasted GREAT!!! I give Max Meier’s a 9 out of 10, what can I say, I am rooting for the HOME TEAM!
This week we skipped the workout and headed to the Hartland Inn early, as we (Ann, Dave and myself) were all hungry! The Hartland Inn was quaint, warm and very friendly, the holiday decor was classy and old fashioned (just the way I love it) and you felt like you were at a friend's home while dining there. It was also like an Ann Grevenkamp homecoming as she literally knew about 60% of the clientele (Ok, maybe exaggerating, but you get the point) and I later found out her and her family spent the better part of the 1990s in the Max Meier dining room, which would probably explain her fondness for the restaurant.
We were greeted by the hostess, who kindly took our name and seated us within 15 minutes, it was great. Not too busy, but enough people in the place so you weren't scared to eat the cuisine! We started off this week with some yummy appetizers, bacon wrapped water chestnuts (6.00) and chicken ginger wontons (10.00), followed by our soup course. My shrimp/lobster bisque ($5.00) was unbelievably impressive. It was a different mixing of the ingredients than I was used to, with a frothy nutmeg cappuccino making the broth a little darker brown in color, but that was the only thing that was dark about this soup. Let me give one huge pat on the back to the chef who came up with that recipe, the flavors were robust and clean, it was rich, but still bright enough to not be overpowering. I loved it.
Ann opted for the beer cheese soup, which I tasted and liked, but moved over it very quickly to get back to my own bowl of heaven! All of this great food to start made me very excited for the main course, and I'm afraid I was a little disappointed with what followed.
I ordered the breaded cod (11.95), which was served family style, like Ann had mentioned, with creamy potato salad, oil-based cole slaw and rye bread. We also had french fries and a potato pancake. While the fish was not bad tasting, it did not compare to the meal we had last week at the Butler Inn. The cod was not flaky and the breading wasn't very flavorful. I felt myself adding a fair amount of salt and pepper, which we know is the kiss of death for a meal. I will give props to the very best potato pancake I've had yet so far...but that was the only highlight.
Dave had the Seared Sea Scallop Salad (15.00) which is Seared Sea Scallops on a Bed of Hearts of Romain, Belgium Endive, Spring Mix, Grape Tomatoes & Red Onion, then Drizzled with Mixed Berry Balsamic Dressing and Garnished with Goat Cheese Croutons, he wanted to be sure we included how much he enjoyed his non-traditional Friday meal routine I realize the Hartland Inn has a lot of sentimental history for Ann and her family, but I simply cannot put this restaurant in the same category (fish fry only) as the Butler Inn and I have no alliances in this game. As much as I was rooting for the home team, I think it fell short of delivering a game-winner (sorry for the sports pun).
I would rate this fish fry probably 7 out of a possible 10. I had an enjoyable experience and will probably go back someday, but not for a while, as we're going to be very, very busy in the next few months helping you find the BEST fish fry in Lake Country. Next week we will be visiting Spinnakers in Oconomowoc. Have a wonderful week.
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