Fist of all an apology. I've neglected the blog as of late, I realize that and I apologize. By reading the numbers alone, I can see clearly that people in the area are interested in my thoughts, opinions and most of all the addresses and websites of local fish fry joints! Thank you to everyone who has visited my little blog and I hope you've found the information helpful and continue to do so. I may not write as much as I used to, but we definitely have a great base of restaurants to choose from. I've gone back to several of them a second and third time and unless you read differently, nothing has changed.
This week I decided to try something different, I went to Waukesha. I rarely get the opportunity to dine in that fair city, mostly because I can't find my way from one end of town to the other. Without a GPS I'm simply useless in downtown Waukesha. Thankfully, I wasn't driving so being directionally challenged was not an issue. We found Eric's Porter-Haus (229 Wisconsin Ave., Waukesha, WI) without any problem and I have to say, I was quite impressed with this little destination.
The exterior of Eric's reminded me of a plantation-like estate with it's enormous white columns and statuesque presence. I had no idea the history of the place and I was intrigued from the moment I walked in the door. It is an old house (built in 1848), and it's easy to visualize yourself in someone's house as you parade through the various small dining rooms and quaint bar area.
Our party of five arrived was greeted warmly and we found some seating at the bar area and were tended to by Eric himself. Within 30 minutes we were seated (my guess is the crowd is an early one, a little older) at our table that was nestled in a corner of one the lower level rooms. We ordered the family style fish fry, which is Baked Cod, Fried Cod, Baked Chicken, Potato Pancakes, French Fries, German Potato Salad. It's served with Cole Slaw and warm Rye Bread (absolutely mouth watering fresh bread with a delightful sea salt crust). The all-you-can-eat family style fry was $11.00 per person and more than enough food for five women.
I tried both the baked and fried cod, potato pancakes and a couple of fries. The baked cod was pretty good, it was a little on the cool side, so I must admit I used the drawn butter generously. I could tell the seasoning was a little lacking, but again, that happens so many times when making baked cod in bulk. The fried cod was delicious, the breading was light and perfectly distributed, not heavy at all. Fish was cooked perfectly and I truly enjoyed that part of the entree. Unfortunately our potato pancakes were cold and I never really got past that when trying them. They were flat and underwhelming. I did not try the chicken, however, a member of our party did try it and enjoyed.
To top everything off we all shared a beautiful homemade schaum torte. Delicious!
Overall I am going to give Eric's Porter-Haus an 8.5. I think if I ever go back there I will order a fish fry plate, rather than do the "party" ordering, I cannot wait to go back though, to taste the steaks.
I hope you all are enjoying a beautiful spring season and looking forward to warmer weather and more fish frys!
In the meantime, don't forget to cherish the moments you have with the people you love -- and dine with them ... often!
