Schwabenhof, Menomonee Falls, WI

German Potato Salad: Yes, I know, it's only a side dish, but to me, it's much more.  It's Friday mornings spent at my grandparents supper club in the late 70s.  My parents both worked daytime prep hours at the restaurant, and my sister and I often accompanied my folks when they started their day at Blanck's.

My great-grandmother, Marcella was the master behind the german potato salad.  I would sit and "help" her as she peeled and cut potatoes for hours, if you consider help cutting one potato, while she plowed effortlessly through 10.  I also "helped" by taste testing pieces of bacon on the stove nearby (smelling so delicious, by the way).  I was filled with so much anticipation and could not wait to get that first little sampling as soon as she finished adding the sugary vinegar final touch. It's such a vivid memory, that has stuck with me my entire life. 

Why do I lead with the nostalgia?  Well, because this past Friday evening we dined at the Schwabenhof, a huge German supper club on the outskirts of Menomonee Falls.  When we sat down and ordered our fish fry, I kindly asked the waitress if the potato pancakes were homemade, and she replied "no, but our German potato salad is" -- so that's the route I took. The route back to a childhood filled with memories of a family packed into a kitchen at a supper club cooking, cutting, baking and seasoning food to be served each evening.  Looking back, it's a memory I'm lucky to have.  

Fortunately the memory still lives vividly and the potato salad at the Schwabenhof, while very good, was nowhere near the caliber of my great-grandmother Marcella.  But I would still recommend you order it!

The fish fry at the Schwabenhof is an All-You-Can-Eat Fried Cod for 10.95, you also can have the AYCE Fried Chicken or a combo of Fish and Chicken for the same price of 10.95.  With each of those entrees you get a choice of sides (fries, pancakes, baked potato, potato salad), cole slaw and rye bread. 

The fish was cooked perfectly, and the breading was flaky, but a little bland.  I'm not sure why you would need to eat the AYCE, because the first helping they give you is more than enough.  I enjoyed the fish, and while it wasn't my favorite, the Schwabenhof is a place I would definitely visit again.  The cole slaw was creamy and flavorful and even the little bit of tartar I had was good (reminder, not a huge tartar fan).  

The Schwabenhof will get a solid 8 out of 10 on this visit.  Our service was fast and friendly, the old fashions were strong and the food was great.  

I realize its' been a while since I posted a blog and I hope to get some more up in 2012.  

I wish you all the happiest of holidays, and all the best for the New Year.  May the memories you make during this season stick with you for a lifetime. 

Finn's Bar & Grill, Wales

So, what a week to pick up the fish fry blog.

To know anything about me is to know that I'm a huge sports fan, you could probably say fanatic, but ultimately I grew up watching all kinds of sports, and while football is my favorite, I am also partial to baseball.  And what a treat it has been this season with the Brewers.

On Friday evening I started at the Kettle Moraine High School Homecoming parade, as is tradition with a lot of the adults, I made the trek to Finn's Bar and Grill to watch the last half of the Brewer game and indulge in a fish fry. The last time we ate there I gave it a 7 out of 10 and I wanted to see if things were any better.  I made a plea in that blog to not settle for mediocrity... the following is a excerpt from that blog.

I've encountered this at a few different restaurants and the latest was Finn's Bar & Grill, 220 West Summit Ave., Wales, WI.  I've had people ask me to go there, claiming it was one of the best in the area.  While Ann and I enjoyed ourselves, I would say the fried cod was average in taste, very well cooked and breaded to absolute perfection, but nothing to excite my taste buds.  My guess is it tasted much, much better after a clear coat of tartar.

Our potato pancakes were not homemade (admitted by our server), but they were the highlight of my meal. They had to have been some of the best "box" pancakes I've ever tasted and the coleslaw was also a nice compliment to our entree.  To top it all off, our server was pleasant and our meals were brought out in a timely fashion, all while the dining room was full of warm bodies.  Finns was out of baked cod when Ann and I arrived, so unfortunately, I can only comment on the fried cod. They also have a combo platter with various deep-fried fishy goodies (perch, cod, shrimp) to entice you. The prices are reasonable at Finns and regardless of my earlier rant, I do want to visit again.


I will give Finns a solid 7 out of 10.  Not bad, not great.


Well...after Nyjer Morgan hit that "tickler" up the middle, I managed to jump up and down, hug strangers and periodically check my pulse in the moments after, to be sure everything was ok, I also figured it was a good time to finally order dinner.  


Kendra and I each had the fried cod with the potato pancakes.  I will say this, the box cakes are still really good and I still can't believe they're from the freezer.  They were exactly the same as they were last year and I was happy about that.  The slaw and potato salad were also nice compliments to the meal.  This time, the fish was cooked well, but was breaded heavily and I had to take a lot of the breading off because it got to be overwhelming.  Our food was hot, our service was excellent and the crowd of Brewer-friendly faces made the average dinner a little bit better.  


The score stays the same folks.  7 out of 10.  I would recommend it to friends, but would be quick to direct them to another place if they're looking to be "wowed."


Well, folks.  I'm hoping to be blogging a little more frequently in the upcoming months.  I'm very much looking for any suggestions of new places in the Waukesha County/Lake Country area.  I hope you understand my long-term absences -- I'm a one-person operation, and sometimes I can't eat fish EVERY week.  I mean..can you?

Go Brewers! Go Packers and On Wisconsin!

Hug your loved ones people and maybe even hug someone you don't even know!

Country Springs Hotel - Copper's Pub & Grill

Wow, this summer has flown by.  I can't believe that I'm typing this on the last full week of July and it's been nearly two months since I've gone out for a fish fry.

I'm sorry I haven't been more consistent, but I'm an army of one and it's pretty tough to try and sneak in a great fish dinner on the summer weekends.  However, this past weekend I was treated to a nice evening of friends, beer and fish with some good friends from Waukesha.  As we mulled over our endless choices of restaurants for a Fish Fry, we decided on Copper's Pub & Grill located inside the Country Springs Hotel.

Copper's not only offers a a full menu of dinner and lunch items, but they boast over 100 different beers from all over the country/world.  I must say looking choosing a beer out of 100 options is pretty tough, but I managed to pick a wheat beer (I forgot the name) that was pretty tasty and blended perfectly with a fish fry!

When we got to Copper's we decided to eat at the bar.  The server was very quick to tend to our beverage orders and we perused the menu for our options.  I decided on the Broiled Cod with parsley potatoes and sauteed vegetables ($11.50), while the rest of my party opted for the AYCE Fried Cod, fries and potato pancakes ($11.50).

Shortly after we put in our food order a server quickly brought out our entrees along with sides of cole slaw and potato salad.  I was a little leery at the swift nature our food arrived, to me that only means that the kitchen has pre-made a lot of fish.  My broiled cod came with a sauce drizzled over the three small squares of fish,  the sauce, to me was the combination of a bland alfredo and something else I could not put my finger on, and it wasn't that great.  I ate about a square of my over cooked fish, devloured my potatoes and veggies (which were excellent) and decided to dive into the abundance of fried cod in front of me.

The fried cod was a much better option, although I believe that they have plates all ready to go on command, it was still hot, cooked well and breaded nicely.  The breading was not too heavy, and although the pieces were small (typical of AYCE) the fish itself was not over cooked and tasted good.  I even indulged in a potato pancake which was average.

Knowing how important these things are to blog readers, I even tasted the tartar sauce, which by my standards was good, but my friends enjoyed it tremendously.  The cole slaw of the creamy descent and the american potato salad were both delicious and above average.

On my scale of 1-10, I would rate Copper's a solid 7.  I think it's because my broiled cod kinda sucked.  So I recommend that if you do go there order the fried ACYE fish. It's pretty good, and have a whole bunch of different beers, I think that was the most intriguing thing about the visit.

Until next time, and I'm sure it will be sooner rather than later, enjoy the rest of your summer, be thankful for all the good life has to offer and give LOTS of hugs.  Have a great weekend.

Park Avenue Pizza, Pewaukee, WI

And so another blog begins...it's been a while! 

These entries are getting further and further apart as we approach Summer (if Spring would ever get here). I'm training for a sprint triathlon in July and my fish fry dining is going to be decreased, not eliminated, but we'll be eating out a little less.  However, please check out the Facebook updates, as I usually try and get the blog readers involved and ask for opinions on the next fish fry dining destination.

This past Friday we decided to FINALLY go to Park Avenue Pizza, 121 Park Avenue, Pewaukee, WI. My friend Amy Jung from the Lakeview Lanes days has urged me week after week to visit this restaurant and I am so glad I did.  I'm actually disappointed it took me nearly a year to take her advice, but I was leery -- I mean, it's a pizza and spaghetti joint, and I assumed (wrongly) a fish fry would be average at best.

The quaint dining atmosphere is welcoming, the restaurant is deceivingly large, from the look on the outside of the building you would think you were walking into a small, intimate Italian restaurant, not the case at all.  There were plenty of tables and a lot of people, but it was still quiet and friendly (if that makes any sense at all).

We began our meal with some haystack onion straws, as we were all very, very hungry.  While munching on our appetizer we discussed the day's events and perused over the fish fry menu.  While Park Ave has other options, I decided to go with their signature fry, the deep fried haddock (yes!! haddock) for $11.95 with potato pancakes. Ann had the baked haddock with the cakes as well. 

After waiting for about 20 minutes (not terrible) the dinners arrived.  A very healthy portion of perfectly cooked haddock was sitting in front of me, it was absolutely delicious...the batter was light, crunchy and the fish inside was hot, flaky and gorgeous.  (yes, gorgeous, I love haddock).  And to top it off, no tartar necessary, but if you choose to try it, it was good -- I do like me some dill in the tartar.  My potato pancakes were a little thick and not as tasty, but still good, the only complaint was the less than average cole slaw, which I did not eat at all after tasting.  Ann's baked haddock was also very good and well cooked, while the seasonings were good (dill, paprika), it needed a little something else, and I was very surprised the baked fish was not served with melted butter.

So, overall the Park Avenue Pizza dining experience was a great one.  I can't wait to go back and try one of their "specialties" -- and I highly recommend you dine there some Friday night and see for yourself how good this fish fry is.  8.5 out of 10 for this place,  the average sides brought down the points.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Hopefully we will see some break in the cool temperatures and be able to head outside and enjoy my favorite time of the year.

And as always, do not forget to hug someone!

Dylon's Steakhouse, Pewaukee

Happy Tuesday.  I am extremely busy these last couple of weeks and my schedule only gets more hectic in the upcoming months.  I am going to try to get to at least one fish fry a month as we warm up here in Wisconsin.  But please visit my facebook page for more frequent updates of restaurants as I visit them.

I've definitely been out of the blog loop lately, so I wanted to quickly get one posted.  This week you are going to be treated to a blog I should have posted a few weeks ago, but you're better late than never, right?  Welcome to the  Dylon's Steakhouse on Pewaukee Lake, review.

Dylon's is the old Golden Anchor, and I had been there before, but not under the new ownership, but  I still love that place, it's a very quaint restaurant, and if you get into the "sun room" it has an incredible view of beautiful Pewaukee Lake.  Unfortunately on that rainy Friday, I was pressed for time, I had to order the "takeout" fish fry, but I don't live far from Dylon's, there was no time for the fish to get soggy or cold.  I ordered the Beer
Perch for $17,  Baked Cod for $12,  1/2 Perch, 1/2 Beer Battered Cod for $15, French Fried Walleye Pike for $18 and Baked Walleye for $18.

The beer batter was delicious, I absolutely loved it -- it's so rare to get a perfectly cooked beer batter, because it does get damp quick.  This was not the case with Dylon's fish fry, the cod itself was hot, flaky and very tasty.  The potato pancake was pretty average, but the side of cole slaw was incredible.  The nice servers, while very attentive to me when I showed up, forgot to add in the rye bread, but I am going to assume here (I know, I know) that it was your typical store-bought bread, but if anyone who has dined there, can say otherwise, please do so.

Overall, even though the price was just a twinge more, I think you're paying for the overall "supper club" experience, and well, I ate the food at my dining room table.  But I was just as pleased and I would recommend Dylon's to anyone looking for a good fish fry in the area.

I think Dylon's is definitely worth a 7 out of 10.  I look forward to going back there and trying the other options looking out at the lake, rather than a Brewers game on television the next time I eat their fare.

I hope you are all trying to enjoy this interesting and dreary spring.  I pray summer is right around the corner for golf, running, biking, outdoor dining and blended drinks.  That's what is really important, right?

Don't forget to give out large doses of hugs to loved ones, especially now, while the sun is still in hibernation. 

Culvers, Hartland, WI

So, did I sink to a new low? 

Some think I did, that I completely gave into the whole societal thought that "I don't have enough time, drive thru is my only option."  I played each and every scenario in my head, how I could get to a Lake Country Restaurant I haven't visited before, grab a quick to-go order, have it still be relatively fresh when I got home and do a decent review.   There was nothing close enough, nothing I hadn't reviewed, I had no choice.  I gave in, I went to Culvers, 701 Industrial Court, Hartland, WI.  Much to my surprise, the fish fry at Culver's is better than some of the restaurants I've dined at while writing this blog.  Sorry to those who think I sold out, but honestly, I'm glad I did. 

I had never had a fish fry from Culver's before and there were a lot of people saying I would enjoy the meal. I shrugged it off. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Culver's, however, it's not the place I'm going to head when wanting to experience "fine dining" -- it is, after all, fast food. 

The line for the drive-thru was longer than normal at 8pm on a Friday night.  I waited probably 5 minutes to get my turn at the order screen.  I decided on the 2pc Beer Battered Cod for $8.99, there was also a 3pc option, for $10.99.  If you don't specify, you get french fries and cole slaw,  I chose to get the mashed potatoes instead of the fries, but did indulge in the slaw. 

This is going to be a quick review, as there is nothing to review aside from the food itself, I had no ambiance (my car was a little dirty), I had no waitress (although the car-side service was quick), and I had no cocktails (good thing, I was driving). 

Fish was a little heavy in breading, with that said though, it was cooked perfectly.  I took a little of the breading off, and the flavor of the fish was very good, it totally fit into my "say no to tartar" campaign. But for all of you who enjoy tartar, their "Culvers" brand tartar was all right.  My cole slaw was creamy and a little heavy on the mayo, but again, I enjoyed it.  There was also a store-bought bakery roll, which was irrelevant. 

All in all I am going to give this meal a  7.5 out of 10 stars.  It was a to-go fish fry, that traveled well and also tasted phenomenal.  Culver's has figured it out, fast-food that isn't the disgusting processed stuff we're used to. The ingredients are good, they're REAL and the most important thing (to me) is they are aware of food allergies and are sensitive to that, the franchise is often involved in the communities they're located in and their philosophy is truly one I can buy into and so is the fish!

Hope you all enjoyed my lame-ass blog this week.  I'm going to try to get to a nice place this week, time will tell what we end up deciding upon.

In the meantime, pray for all the people who continue to suffer in Japan.  I cannot imagine what the folks in that country are going through. As always, be sure to give out the hugs in abundance!

Hideaway Pub, Franklin, WI

This is not exactly about a Lake Country place, but Beth was nice enough to let me vent here as a guest blogger. Besides, she didn't want an empty space this week.

Last Friday, the Cabby family went to the Hideaway Pub on 76th Street in Franklin.  We were told phrases like: "this is the place," or "fabulous food," naturally, we decided to try it.

I made reservations for a group of 15 people, ten days ahead and called three days before to confirm the reservation.  Upon arrival, there were cars parked along the highway due to the overflowing parking lot.  Apparently, there were a great deal of walk-in diners.

The hostess kept the walk-in biz walking in, while our group (which included my 82 year-old dad and his wife) stood in the doorway hall cramped in with the party of eight that also had 6:30 reservations. A hostess cam out about 6:40 only to "x" out the grouper specials on a dry erase board.

We finally sat down at 7:30 and waited 10 minutes to order drinks (the stressed waitress forgot my dad's) and after orering, 2 people found out the baked fish they ordered was not available (sorry dad).

FIFTY minutes (yes, 50) after we sat down, we got food.  The beer battered cod coating was firmly around the nice sized pieces, but it had no seasoning nor did the cod (note from Beth: again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the tartar factor...).  Excellently flaky BLAND fish.  Two good sized potato pancakes tasted a bit like potato, but had so much flour in them, they stuck to each other like calories to my backside.  The offerings of syrup or applesauce couldn't even make them edible.  And, on a side note: the clam chowder was pasty.

I completely understand an unexpected rush of people, but not taking care of reservations (when you TAKE reservations) in a timely manner was totally unacceptable. A gesture of a discount or even a cocktail would have been nice, but the apology for the delay was half-assed at best...


So, my guess is Cabby won't be going back there anytime soon.  I would like to thank him for his input and helping me out while I deal with my crazy schedule.  Enjoy your weekend everyone.  And I promise, I'll be back next week.  I may even get a chance to do a review this weekend, but I can't guarantee it. Have a great weekend everyone, and please -- keep up with the hugs! 

Ron's Cozy Corner, Okauchee (Oconomowoc), Wi

Welcome Back, it's been a crazy couple of weeks, and if you can bear with my overwhelming schedule and occasional fish fry missed weeks, I appreciate your patience, and welcome you to check out past blogs and reviews if you're ever looking for a restaurant to visit.


This week we decided on Ron's Cozy Corner, W359N5920 Brown St., Ste 110, Oconomowoc.  I've had several people recommend Ron's, and felt it was time to descend upon this Lake Country favorite. I dined with my friends Kendra and Tim, Kendra was nice enough to give her own thoughts about our experience, so I've decided to include them.  I'll add to hers at the end of the column. 

Kendra's take:

When Beth mentioned fish fry at Ron’s Cozy Corner on the first Friday of Lent, I was like…ummm…..really?? All I could envision was masses of cranky people crowded together in a small town tavern-like setting just waiting waiting waiting for a table to finally open up. But I decided that I would go and see what kind of mayhem may be in store for us. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised (once we actually found the restaurant, which was somewhat difficult)! Ron’s was not at all what I expected – the food was great, the atmosphere welcoming, and the wait acceptable.

First – the atmosphere. Nothing at all like the small town bar/restaurant experience I expected. Ron’s new location was warm and welcoming and the decor actually reminded me a little bit of a nice Mexican restaurant.

Second – the wait. We arrived a little after 7pm and the wait was an acceptable 30 minutes. There were open seats at the bar, the bartender was very friendly and, according to Beth, made a great bloody mary.

Third – the food. I ordered the perch ($11.95) and was very happy with my selection. The fish batter was seasoned just right, and the fish itself crispy on the outside and flakey and light on the inside. I used very little tartar sauce, which, as I’ve said in previous posts, is an indication that I’m really enjoying my dinner. The potato pancakes appeared to be homemade, and were delicious as well.

Ron’s Cozy Corner had everything I look for in a fish fry experience – amazing company, efficient service, and great food. The only complaint I would have about the evening was the difficulty in actually finding the new location. Overall, I give Ron’s a 9 out of 10!

Thanks to Kendra, as always for helping me out with the blog from time to time, it helps to get someone else's opinion, and I'm finding I do have a lot in common with the diners I go out with, and hopefully that translates to my common interests with the blog readers!

I only want to add a few details.  Ron's serves the traditional fish fry family style.  For $9.95 you get deep fried haddock (yes, haddock, not cod) and french fries, for an additional $2.00 you have the option of potato pancakes.  You have an option for more fish, but I believe you can only order two extra pieces, in my opinion, you don't need the extras, they serve more than enough the first round.

The waitress brings creamy cole slaw, rye bread and German potato salad out prior to the meal, and all components were average. I felt as though the German potato salad was a little bland, the bread was out of a bag and I'm not sure the cole slaw was homemade.

I ordered the haddock -- HOORAY -- I'm incredibly pleased that for the first time in weeks, the fish was perfect.  No tartar needed.  So far, Ron's is the first restaurant to pass the "Say No to Tartar" campaign, as they mixed a perfect blend of seasonings in their batter.  The fish was cooked perfectly, as Kendra said, we had the best combination of crunchy batter, that was not overwhelming, and a delicious piece of haddock.  Kudo's to Ron's.  

On a side note, the bloody mary's were phenomenal!

Overall I will give Ron's a solid 8 out of 10.  I think the sides were underwhelming and it keeps me from getting them too close to perfection.  I highly recommend you visit Ron's Cozy Corner.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, I will not be blogging on Friday as I will be out of town this weekend.  I might have to stop at my dad's for a fish fry, but I'm not going to review that.  It's a little biased!

One last thing, in lieu of the recent events in Japan please keep in mind that it is truly important for us to be thankful for all the little things we have.  Life is an amazing gift and we never know when it can be taken away from us. Maybe in all this turmoil, we can learn to appreciate each other, not just the people that are alike, but different as well.

Give a hug!

Happy St. Patty'sDay!

Five O'Clock Club, Pewaukee, WI

So, in case you're annoyed with me, or possibly sick of me entirely, you might want to stop reading this blog, because I'm still on my "anti-tartar" campaign. I feel like I'm lobbying for restaurants to step up the game a little bit and season the batter.

This week is no different as our group headed to the Five O'Clock Club in Pewaukee.  I will say, I was pretty excited for this trip as I've been to the 5-O before, and my entrees each and every time were extremely delicious.  However, until last Friday, I had yet to order their famous fish fry, and I don't think I'll order it again.

As we drove into the parking lot around 8pm on Friday, the place was packed.  Packed as in, people were creating their own parking spaces packed (I was not one of them, I got lucky) -- even later in the evening our wait was over 45 minutes, but it was to be expected for one of the best fish frys around (according to many, many people I've talked to over the last two years).  We found a cozy spot in the corner of the bar area and our conversation led to a quick passing of the quarter of an hour.

We were seated, and withing minutes the overrun waitress greeted us with our own portion of coleslaw, tartar sauce (of course) for the table and rye bread.  She set that in front of our faces even prior to us ordering our entrees, but none of us complained, it was late and we were hungry.

I decided on the small fried cod with french fries, $8.50, while my counterparts the table ordered the perch/cod combo, $14.95 (also with fries).  The 5-O does not have any other potato option besides fries, unless you want to pay extra, and that was a huge disappointment, as I'm a big fan of the potato pancake.  We overlooked the starchy glitch and continued to dig into what I considered some of the best cole slaw in Lake Country, it was oil-based, but not too greasy and seasoned to absolute perfection,  an even better follow-up was the homemade seafood chowder, again this was a great homemade soup with big chunks of seafood and potatoes and just the right mixture of veggies in a creamy broth.  I figured this was just like the composition of a symphony, light bright beginning, a lingering, yet pleasant middle and then the climactic ending. 

We missed out on the climactic ending.

The fish was cooked perfectly, the breading was gorgeous in color and flawless in it's crumb texture, but one very big thing was missing, the flavor.  Up to this point we were treated with a great introduction of appetizing components leading up to our very mediocre main entree.  It's that simple, I was again disappointed in the seasoning.

And for all your tartar lovers out there, my experts said it was too sweet.

So, there you have it. I'm sorry if you feel as though you're reading the same blog over and over the last month or so, but honestly that's what I've been eating over and over the last month -- it's the fish fry equivalent to Ground Hog's Day. 

I will rate the Five O'Clock Club a 7 out of 10.  It is strictly because the soup and coleslaw were excellent, but those things should never outshine the main character. 

Here's to another week in the books.  Next week I hope to fix my bland problem...cross your fingers.  And hug the ones you love too!

Finn's Bar & Grill and The Phoenix

Well, what a ride it's been the last few weeks.  The Packers win the NFC Championship, I have a birthday, the Packers win the Super Bowl and now I recover.  It never ceases to amaze me the wonderful roller coaster ride you go on as a sports fan, but the ultimate reward capped off a great season on Sunday and I'm still riding high!

Now, onto the business at hand.  First of all, this might get a little lengthy as I'm going to make a plea to all the fish fry establishments in the Lake Country area (and all places for that matter).  Please, please, please do not settle for mediocrity.  Over the course of the last month or so, I've travelled to various places to enjoy a fish fry, and while my meals weren't terrible, none of them have been over the top either.  I haven't thoroughly enjoyed my meal since, well, since the last time I was at the Phoenix in Hartland.

Just because you cook a mean fish, you're breading has that super crunch and the fish is done well, doesn't mean the task is finished.  You see, I do NOT like tartar sauce (most tartar sauces) and if a fish fry is great, you don't need to dip an already greasy piece of food into more grease.

I think a lot of places bank on you dousing your fish fry in tartar sauce and lemon. To me, it covers up any shortcomings the batter/breading might have. To me, it's complacency. To me, it's lazy.

I compare this thought to cooking a great steak, my grandfather and my dad always told me that if a cut of meat is done right and seasoned to perfection, you do not need any steak sauce.  The same can be said for the bad marriage between tartar and fried fish.

I've encountered this at a few different restaurants and the latest was Finn's Bar & Grill, 220 West Summit Ave., Wales, WI.  I've had people ask me to go there, claiming it was one of the best in the area.  While Ann and I enjoyed ourselves, I would say the fried cod was average in taste, very well cooked and breaded to absolute perfection, but nothing to excite my taste buds.  My guess is it tasted much, much better after a clear coat of tartar.

Our potato pancakes were not homemade (admitted by our server), but they were the highlight of my meal. They had to have been some of the best "box" pancakes I've ever tasted and the coleslaw was also a nice compliment to our entree.  To top it all off, our server was pleasant and our meals were brought out in a timely fashion, all while the dining room was full of warm bodies.  Finns was out of baked cod when Ann and I arrived, so unfortunately, I can only comment on the fried cod. They also have a combo platter with various deep-fried fishy goodies (perch, cod, shrimp) to entice you. The prices are reasonable at Finns and regardless of my earlier rant, I do want to visit again.

I will give Finns a solid 7 out of 10.  Not bad, not great.

The best Fish Fry in Lake Country over the course of the last year and a half is still The Phoenix in Hartland.  I went back last week, to get rejuvenated. Like a junkie I needed my Phoenix fix. And, for the third time now, my meal was simply amazing (be ready to wait at least an hour for your meal, no matter what time you arrive, swiftness is not their forte). The server recognized us (only my third time being there), the baked haddock, fried cod, potato pancakes were scrumptious and I left full, happy and ready to find another establishment that can compare to my favorite hole in the wall fish fry. I have yet to find the rare combination of atmosphere (very unique, and not entirely classy), service and comfort food the Phoenix offers. It's hard to describe in words, you have to go and see what I'm talking about.

Bring it on Lake Country, I want to taste the best entree you have to offer, I challenge you to beat the Phoenix for the number one spot in my blog.

Thanks for reading the rant, I realize it's probably not your average fish fry blog, but I'm not your average person.  Have a wonderful rest of your week. Soak up every moment of this Super Bowl victory and go out and enjoy a fish fry on Friday.  Let me know if you think I'm on the mark, or off my rocker!

Don't forget to visit our facebook page Lake Country Wisconsin Fish Frys -- and give any suggestion, comment or critique.

As always, make sure you hug someone special, it's Valentine's, hug two people if it makes you happy!

North Lake Inn, North Lake

Hello everyone and welcome to my birthday week!  I've missed blogging and I'm happy to report to you my greatest thought and insight on the great fish fry tradition.  However, this week, we ran into yet, another bust.

On Friday, Ann, Shannon and I ventured to the North Lake Inn, W315N7707 State Road 83 in quaint North Lake, Wisconsin.  We tried to make the trip a few weeks ago, but were stunned at the amount of people and decided elsewhere,  that particular night I was in no mood to wait in line for dinner, but I put my mind in the right place for this latest adventure and decided that no matter how many people or how long the trip might take, I was going to eat at the North Lake Inn.

Much to my surprise, there were barely any people at the NLI on Friday night, but my guess is the sub-zero temperatures and time of the evening (8pm) had a little to do with it.  I've been to this restaurant before for some absolutely fantastic pizza and as we were sat, I caught a glimpse of some other italian delights at other tables.  The lasagna dish looked incredibly delicious, but I had to keep my mind on the goal: the blog. the fry.

As we sat in the tiny dining room we were not greeted warmly at first.  Our server/busser had to be summoned (by us) and I despise having to call a server to a table (especially when it is not busy).  We quickly ordered the cheese filled tortilla crusted thingys (I don't have access to a menu, and cannot remember for the life of me what they were called), they were served with salsa and sour cream and were absolutely delicious.  

We waited a bit as our friend Shannon was running a little late, as she was ten minutes out of town, she asked we order for her (big mistake).  This night, we did not stick to variety (and I apologize) all three of us ordered the herb crusted baked cod.  The entree sounded too good to pass up ($11.95), we each ordered the potato pancakes to accompany the fish and as always, had the coleslaw and bread.  

The Inn also has Perch, Deep Fried Cod and Walleye, and I deeply apologize for not having tasted one of them, but as you read this blog, you will realize I might not have been missing much.

I'm not lying when I say that within two minutes our entrees were ready to be served.  I'm all about fast service, but this was a little out of control, as Shannon wasn't even at the restaurant yet.  Ann and I started in on our dishes, and awaited Shannon's arrival.  You knew it would be disaster once that food was put back under the dreaded "heat light" -- fish does not sit well...trust me. 

Well, in hindsight, I wish that our waitress had kept ALL our dinners under that heat light.  I still cannot understand how food that came out so fast, could have been cold.  Yes, my fish was cold, my potato pancake was rock hard (it was a giant potato chip smothered in grease).  I was so disappointed as I was looking forward to this trip. The highlight of the evening was the fantastic company, creamy coleslaw and one damn good piece of garlic bread.  

One thing to the NLI, if that fish had been properly heated and the potato pancake less "dead" the entree would have been successful and this review would have been longer and more positive.  Cold fish sucks, bottom line and I was lost after that first bite. 

I'm going to give the North Lake Inn a 5 out of 10.  Our service got much better after the disastrous start and my old fashioned was pretty damn good.  I'll be back to the NLI, but for pizza....

Have a great rest of your week everyone.  As 39.1 looms on my horizon, I'd like to say thanks to you all for reading, thanks for following on facebook and for giving me a little attention while I do something I really enjoy.  Much love to you all.

Ox & Cat's Sports Bar and Grill, Monches, WI

Happy New Year and welcome to the first blog of 2011.  I cannot believe that we are already embarking on a new year, filled with new resolutions, new goals and for some, new hope.  Ultimately, I've been pretty good at staying away from the hype regarding resolutions, but I do resolve to continue eating fish nearly every Friday, and giving you my opinion.  I mean, that is why you're reading this.

This past Friday I made my first trip to the Ox & Cat's Sports Bar and Grill, W302N9510 County Rd E, Hartland, WI  (The address is technically Hartland, but it's located in Monches, an unincorporated town north of Hartland).  I had been told this fish fry was one of the better in Lake Country, so I was eager to give it a try.  Turns out, my anticipation gave way to disappointment.

Our waitress swiftly tended to our table of 8, took our drink orders and in no time had them sitting in front of us, impressive indeed.  Soon after she was back to take our order.  I decided on the deep fried cod ($9.00), my friend Shannon ordered the baked cod ($10.00) and we decided to mix and match.  She ordered the sweet potato fries and I just had side of chili, knowing I was near my fill of carbs for the day!  The Ox & Cat's also has Perch and I believe Walleye (I am not sure on that one, sorry for the oversight).

As we waited for our food and conversation was flowing I looked around the old wood-floor dining room and noticed it was very much like an indoor picnic.  Informal table settings, menus, plasticware and napkins lodged in an old six-pack container on the table, folded chairs and long tables everywhere.  The place was actually packed and what was more impressive is that the dining room was run by a one-woman show...and she handled it perfectly.

The food came in a very reasonable amount of time and from the moment the fish was set in front of me, I knew it was going to be a less than pleasurable experience.  The cod was overly breaded and the fish inside was overcooked.  I'm not sure if they hand-bread at the Ox & Cat's, but the case could be made that they do not and the fish is pre-packaged and frozen.  The breading was absolutely overwhelming, very similar to the heavy breading you find on a frozen fish patty at McDonald's, it overpowered any flavor the fish might have had, I actually had to use my tartar sauce on the fish pieces (you know that's bad if I'm doing that).

My chili, was homemade, a little cool, but still very good...props on that.  Shannon's baked fish was much better than my deep fried entree.  The seasonings were simple, but flavorful and the portion size was just right. The highlight was those sweet potato fries, I had a couple and was very glad they were not on my plate as I could have easily downed them all.

Overall, I'm going to give the Ox & Cat's a 7, and that's because the service was amazing, I'm still in awe how that waitress was able to command the dining room without breaking a sweat.  The food was just OK, but after perusing through the menu, I will definitely try the perch next time, they also have (according to the patrons I was with) great sandwiches and pizza.

Until next time, have a wonderful week.  I'm not sure if I'll by fish frying it this week or not as I have dinner theater plans, but definitely will be back on track the following week.  I love it too much to stop.  Also, if you have any suggestions or would like me to stop at your establishment, just leave a comment or post on Facebook.  Don't forget to check Lakecountrynightout.com for the upcoming events or places to go in Lake Country.

And, as always, especially this time of year...tell someone you care about, just how much they mean to you. In wake of the tragedy in Arizona, it's time we all lighten the load.