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!
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