Welcome back to the Lake Country Fish Fry Reviews! After a fun-filled birthday week, which was exciting and packed with friends, it was time to get back to the task and pick out another restaurant in Lake Country for a fish fry. This week, Ann, Dave & Elliot decided we would "class it up" a little bit and head to the Union House in Genessee Depot, I was excited to visit this restaurant as the reviews by local patrons was everything from "the greatest steaks on the planet" to "best food in Lake Country" -- what they forgot to mention is, they do NOT have a Friday Fish Fry.
When we got to the Union House and were seated at our table, I found myself nervously searching through the menu for a "traditional" Wisconsin Fish Fry, there was nothing.
I'm going to start with Ann, and then go straight into my thoughts: Friday Night “fish fry” took a special turn to the elegant Friday night fish!!!! Beth, Dave, Elliott, and I went to The Union House in Genesee Depot because, well, because it is FANTASTIC FOOD. But, in the spirit of the blog I did order FISH and not steak……..I also started out with a cup of Clam Chowder soup which did not fail to be anything other then EXCEPTIONAL!!!!! I had the Redfish a type of wild Cod, I think??? It was fantastic and served in a rice with a phenomenal sauce...dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with real whip cream ☺ Dinner was exceptional, and keep in mind it is on the higher end price-wise!
Conversation was flowing at the table, but I heard none of it, as I was trying to frantically figure out how I was going to do a blog about this place. I saw the waitress and she started listing off a few specials, I began to ease into my seat, thinking that a fish fry HAD to be one of the specials on this night. Again, I was wrong. My heart sunk, my demeanor changed completely and I resigned to the best option I could figure at that moment, I decided on the lightly floured tilapia, in a lemon butter mushroom sauce, served over angel hair pasta, as a table we ordered crab cakes, oysters and a soup course in addition to our entrees. Although I was pleased with my decision, I felt so defeated for not holding up my end of this blog bargain, but I couldn't walk out the door when I had three other people with me, who had been talking about this destination for weeks.
The food was good (the company was great as usual), from the appetizers onto the few bites I took of Ann's dessert, the meal was well prepared, tastefully presented and most important, it tasted good. I wasn't overwhelmed by flavor, but I can't complain about the meal either. My tilapia was perfectly cooked, the sauce was an ideal compliment to the fish and the portion size was just perfect. However, this is a fish fry blog and unfortunately there was no fish fry to speak of.
My overall attitude about the food was good, but to be honest, I don't understand the "overpriced" meal idea. We were in no special location, it wasn't downtown Milwaukee, it was literally the middle of nowhere and I did not understand what "it" factor the Union House had to justify that type of pricing. The atmosphere was average, it was a typical supper club, dimly lit -- outdoorsy decor with wildlife prints and a log-cabin like interior. They had an incredible wine list, and paired entrees with wines in their menu, but I still didn't find the hook with the Union House. There was nothing overly unique about the ambiance, food or service to make me feel comfortable paying $78.25 for a meal and two drinks. Yes, I paid nearly $80 to blog about a non-fish fry.
I even tasted a bit of Elliot's New York Strip Steak, and it was good, however, I know that steak and the flavors it featured, can be purchased at any local supper club for 1/3 of the price. The one thing that caught me is they actually promoted a sauce with the steak (I'm not sure, but I think it was a horseradish, pepper type sauce). It wasn't a specialty entree with a sauce, it was simply a grilled steak, with a cup of dipping sauce.
Who dips their "perfectly cooked steak" into a sauce? I immediately thought of my grandfather and how he would be incredibly disappointed if I dipped steak into ANYTHING (including A-1). We were taught from an early age, if the steak is good it needs nothing but a fork and knife (sometimes not even the knife). At Blanck's we never offered people A-1 or any other sauce, if they asked for it, we obliged, but didn't openly promote it's availability.
When I pay that kind of money to eat dinner, I am going to dress up and head to the city. It's just my opinion.
The Union House was excellent, but it wasn't worth the price. Plain and simple. I'm not going to rate it because, there was no fish fry, and I hope all of you following the blog can forgive my naivete. I figured every restaurant had a fish fry on Friday, now I've learned to call ahead.
The next two weeks I will be dining on my own as Ann heads to Costa Rica -- I'll probably have some guests, I guess you'll all just have to wait and see.
Until then, have a wonderful week! Work hard, play hard and eat well!
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