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.