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.