Fish Fry ... to go

Greetings everyone, and thanks for checking out the weekly dose of fish fry banter.

This week I decided to "lay low," which means, I didn't feel like going out, knowing I had a big Saturday ahead of me.  So this week, I thought I'd give you my "take" on "take-out" fish frys.  

There is a newer establishment in Hartland called  J.C. Bogars, located at 352 Cottonwood Ave., I had heard some mixed things about the restaurant, but figured now was as good as anytime to make my own assessment of the fare at this quaint dining establishment.

I called from my cell phone about 15 minutes outside of Hartland, and the courteous server who answered the phone assured me the food would be done in 10 minutes. While my food wasn't exactly waiting for me, I still was able to get in and out very quickly.  Twice while I was waiting, I was greeted warmly by the two different servers, making sure I was taken care of and within five minutes of my arrival, I had my food in my hand and was ready to head home.

Because I was dining alone, I thought it only fair (again, this is for you Cabby) to order the traditional fish fry of deep-fried cod, with homemade potato chips.  The meal also came with a slice of rye bread and cole slaw, all for $9.95.

I had my ups and downs with this meal.  I'll start with the "down" as I always like to end on a positive.  There were huge problems with the cole slaw and I was so disappointed in that.  For once, I was excited to dive into an oil-based slaw, but it was so bitter in taste, I literally had to spit it out and throw it away immediately.  It had me very cautious as I moved into the main entree, but to my surprise, I did not experience any more "spit-out" moments with my meal.

The fish was a little heavy in its breading, but it was a delicious blend of bread crumbs and spices featuring dill.  I've never had dill in my fish breading until I moved into this area, but I'm becoming quite fond of this ingredient.  The fish itself was a little overdone, but I'll chalk that up to being "to-go." The rye bread was average (store-bought) and not worth putting a lot of comment into.

Also, because I was dining alone, I decided to actually try the tartar sauce (yes, Jodi).  I have to admit, this was the absolute BOMB of sauces.  I bet you have no idea of the secret ingredient making this sauce edible -- yep, you guessed it -- DILL!  Who would have thought that a dill-based tartar sauce would entice me to try it.  I mostly used it as a dip for my homemade potato chips, but I did put on some bites of fish, and it enhanced the flavors quite nicely.

All in all I would recommend a visit to J.C. Bogars -- I'm going to give this particular dining experience a 6 out of 10, but I'm looking forward to actually sitting in their dining room and enjoying a full dining experience.  Anyone who really knows food, realizes that getting take-out just can't measure up to actually going out to eat, but I had 35 miles to ride the next morning and I couldn't be tempted by the nice-looking bar!

Have a great weekend everyone, I'm not sure where the next fry is going to take me, but that's the beauty of this year, you just never know.

In the meantime, I suggest you give a really big hug and let someone important to you KNOW how important they are! '

My big shout out goes to my fabulous mom, who will turn the big 6-0 on Monday, October 4.  I can't wait to give her a big hug on Sunday right before she takes me to the Packers game.  Nice present, huh?

Forget the Fish Fry

Hello all, and welcome back. 

This week's report is going to be very short and sweet.  Why?  Because my dates for the fish fry had a little too much fun while I went on my bike ride after work.  We were going to meet at the Water Street Brewery to try their fish, but instead we ordered pizza and sat by a fire in their neighbor's yard.  I picked up a 12 pack and decided to join the fun!  Unfortunately there was no possible way I was going to catch up, but it was still a lot of fun. 

So, my suggestion is if you ever order Peppino's pizza, get the grilled chicken, cheese and alfredo pizza.  It was nothing short of delicious and while I've been trying to stay healthy, I figured after 20-some miles, I earned it. 

The crust was perfect, I'm not sure if the butter was in the sauce or mixed in the baking of the crust, but nonetheless, it was awesome.  I think everything is better with bacon and butter, this time was no different.  Speaking of bacon, I bet that would be a great addition to this pizza!  :-)

So, I'm heading to MJ Stevens today to meet friends for dinner, they have  Wednesday fish fry, so you never know, maybe I'll set you up with a useful blog this week afterall. 

I do know I'll be heading to the Falls on Friday to dine at The Schwab, so stay tuned!

In the meantime enjoy the rest of your week and HUGS to all!

I'm baaaaackkkkk

So, have you missed me?

Well, you're in luck, I'm back, so is the blog and hopefully you'll enjoy following my adventures as I try and seek out the greatest fish fry available.  This fall/winter I'm hoping to have a bigger and better variety of restaurants for you to choose from in greater Southeast Wisconsin.  It's only fair to all of us that I spread my wings and see what this great state has to offer in the realm of Fish Fry.

During the summer I took a break, blogged about some other restaurants, but in my heart I was missing out on the traditional Friday Wisconsin Fare.  I don't think I could possibly abandon a blog that seems to have touched a few people outside my immediate circle of friends. I've received a few e-mails from strangers asking my opinion on where to go and my blog reviewing the Cornerstone Pub and Grill happens to be ON their website.  How cool is that?  I think it is, and really, that's all that matters!

Let's review shall we?

This past weekend I had the opportunity to hang out with my great friend, and former bandmate Scott, (who happens to live in Tennessee).  After countless times of trying to get together, we finally were able to make plans and stick to them.  I met up with him, his friends Rachelle, Mike and their son Michael. We headed to (of all places) the local bowling center, Prairie Lanes, 430 Clarmar Drive, Sun Prairie, WI, (608) 837-2586, www.prairielanes.com. 

Imagine my skepticism when I heard we were headed the bowl, while I've had some of the best fish frys at bowling centers (Ledgeview Lanes, Fond du Lac, WI) I've also had some really crappy food in those establishments.

I left Prairie Lanes anything but disappointed, bottom line, the fish fry was pretty good and the company was extraordinaire. The bowl features an all-you-can eat fish fry for $9.95, with that you get all the deep fried cod your heart desires, along with an unlimited amount of trips to a soup and salad bar.  Mike ordered this, while Scott, Rachelle and I decided to go a little lighter.  We had the baked cod ($10.95) which also included the S/S bar.  Yes, Cabby, I ate baked cod and I will continue to try and mix in healthier dinners into this fish fry blog, after all I am training for a sprint tri, but I will always give a taste to the fried crap, I owe it to you! :-)

The soup and salad bar is average, while it's a nice option in a meal, it was certainly limited in its presentation and amenities, you had your typical iceberg lettuce, traditional salad dressings and limited options for toppings.  They featured three soup flavors, I opted for a 1/2 cup of the california vegetable medly, it was good, hot and left me thinking they could have done a little better, I had a bit of the creamy cole slaw, which also was, well, average.

However, the tune changed when the main entrees arrived.  My baked cod was very light, flaky and well-prepared, the seasonings were lacking a bit, but that's nothing a little drawn butter can't take care of, and I did just that!  I believe Scott and Rachelle echoed my sentiments as between the three of us, I think we may nearly finished our plates.  My meal was accompanied by a fair sized portion of butter-infested red potatoes and a sour dough roll.

I was offered a tasting portion of Mike's fried cod, and much to my delight it was battered perfectly (beer batter) a nice light crust on the outside and scrumptiously cooked fish on the inside, it was a nice entree and for $9.95 and all you can eat, it's a huge bargain.  Mike did try the potato pancakes (as they were described on the menu) but they reminded me of the Burger King hash browns you get for breakfast, they're better off consumed while either really drunk, or really hungover, not at dinner.

Last, I will have to admit, as much as I liked our server, she was a little slow, however, it was closer to the end of the night when we sat down, so who only knows where her tables were scattered throughout that place.  I didn't go hungry, OR thirsty, so I'm not going to complain much on this front.

All in all I would rate Prairie Lanes a 7 out of 10, parts of this meal were excellent while a few others fell short of my expectations as a diner.  I'd totally recommend this place to anyone in the Sun Prairie/Madison area and I'd go back there again, especially if it was the same table of five!  It was so great meeting Rachelle & Mike, and words cannot express how wonderful it was to catch up with my dear friend Scott.

Oh yeah, Rachelle is from Rachelle and the Red Hot Rattlers, I was able to check out the gang on Saturday at their show in Sun Praire the next evening.  If you like country music (or even if you don't) and you like to be entertained by fabulous musicians and amazing vocals, I highly suggest you check them out, either on facebook or their website www.redhotrattlers.com.  I was impressed, and it was even better to see two people I used to jam with on stage.  I miss you guys (Dave & Scott) and I'm so glad you found a new "home."

I hope you all enjoyed this entry into the 2010-11 "fish fry season" -- I can't wait to rattle off another one of these...


In the meantime, don't forget to hug the ones you love!


Peace.