Wells Street Tavern, Delafield, WI

I'm starting to really look forward to Friday nights each and every week.  What started as a little "fun project" has taken a life of it's own, not only do we have over 70 followers on Facebook, there's been a little bit more interaction on the blog of itself.  It's so nice to know that something I truly enjoy has brought my friends together as well.

This week week Kendra and Alyssa joined Ann and myself for the weekly pilgrimage to the local eattery -- the Wells Street Tavern.  The girls are guest-blogging again and you're sure to enjoy all the opinions, we all had different entrees, but I think overall we had the same experience food-wise.  Nothing outstanding, but nothing awful.  I'll start with Ann, as she probably had the best weekend of all of us -- being a Purdue Alum, she has to be feeling pretty good about Mr. Brees and his Saints.

Ann Grevenkamp: GO SAINTS!!!!!!

Friday night fish fry was attended by 6 ( plus my brother who showed up later but did not eat fish!)  I ordered the beer battered cod, keeping my fingers crossed that this week was going to be better then last.....Beth and I did a rigorous two-hour Yoga Jam before fish and I was looking for some comfort food to sooth my aching bones!!!  I decided to spice it up a little by ordering the sour cream and chive fries with my cod.  I was very happy when my food arrived, and I had a chance to sample off of everyones plate, that I ordered the sour cream and chive fries. They were BY FAR the best side to order with the fish.  My fish was very light, especially for being beer battered, I really enjoyed the slaw and the fries...I think I could have eaten just fries!!!!  I give my meal a 8.5/10.  Very delightful. I cleaned my plate!!!!! 


Kendra Ferguson: Once again, Friday night fish fry was an amazing evening with outstanding people. The destination for this week’s outing was Reveres Wells Street Tavern in Delafield, which is in my part of town. I’ll admit that I’m partial to this tavern, as it is one of my favorite watering-holes in downtown Delafield. That being said, the establishment has changed ownership recently, and has lost some of the authentic Irish tavern feel in the transition. Although the service continues to be very quick and personable and the crowd fun and boisterous, the place has definitely lost a bit of its charm.

As a somewhat a regular patron of Reveres, I had not previously had the pleasure of partaking in its fish fry dinner. I decided to go for a healthier option than last week, and ordered the baked cod rather than fried. The fish was flakey and light, but a bit lacking in flavor which made me use more tartar sauce than I typically would like. Luckily the tartar sauce was very good. Rather than family style, each dinner came with rather skimpy individual servings of applesauce and coleslaw. Having a negative experience with potato pancakes the previous week, I decided to order the sour cream and chive fries instead, which turned out to be a very good choice. They were crispy and flavorful and definitely the highlight of my dinner! Overall, the amazing fries made up for the lack of flavor of my fish, so I give Reveres a 7.5 out of 10.

Alyssa Klopatek:  My Wells Street experience was a series of highs and lows. First: the good. It’s a huge building with a modern interior and it wasn’t packed with oldsters. The fish fry menu was short but sweet, and pricing was consistent with others in the area. This week I ordered beer-battered bluegill ($12.95) with potato pancakes.

OK, now for the lows. This was not a traditional fish fry that served bowls of coleslaw and rye bread for the table – we had to wait for those to appear alongside each of our main dishes. The coleslaw was dry. I only got one (admittedly robust) potato pancake, and it had a certain spice that I couldn’t pin down – something pie-like – nutmeg? Eating the mystery pancake with the cinnamon apple sauce was like taking a bite of hash brown sweet apple pie, which I did not enjoy.

Now, I know bluegill are small fish, and you might encounter a few tiny, bendy bones when chewing. However, the first piece of bluegill I bit into had a lot of stiff, sharp bones. I had to spit it out into my hand like a 3-year-old, grossing out everyone at my table. I complained to the waitress and she was apologetic but did not offer to bring me any new pieces of fish, to exchange out my meal or to knock money off my bill. Hey, I almost punctured my trachea on your fish – you might want to smooth that over with a bit more grace. Aside from the one piece with bones, the rest were safe to eat, although rather bland. Tartar sauce helped. I chewed carefully, on alert for more murder-bones.

Wells Street is a large restaurant/pub and the noise level inside was more conducive to rowdy fun than last week at Nashotah Clubhouse. Additionally, many of the patrons were younger people, and as the night wore on and our after-dinner drinks continued, Wells Street became more of a 23-year-old bar hangout than a restaurant (which is okay with me – HEY, BOYS!). I give Wells Street a 6 out of 10.

Beth Blanck: Well, because there has been some "controversy" among a few followers that I have yet to truly review a traditional fish fry.  I decided to have the fried cod this week.  It was $10.95, which was consistent price-wise among all the other fish frys we have encountered and like the prices, the fish itself was like a lot of the meals I have encountered.  Not bad, not good.

The breading was light and the fish was flaky and cooked to perfection, however, where we lacked was in flavor, while everything seemed to be done right, there was just something "missing" from the dinner itself.  The fish was average, but my potato pancake was awful...it was thick and overdone on the edges and the flavor was just "off" -- even after smothering with ketchup, I still found myself reaching over to Kendra's plate to steal a few of her chive fries, and that's not supposed to happen.

Our server was gracious and our drinks were fabulous, but like I stated before, our meal was...eh, not anything to get excited over.  I give the Wells Street Tavern a 6 out of 10 this week.

I've been a little disappointed in our fish frys since the Phoenix, so much so, we've decided to take a week break to celebrate my 38th birthday.  Ann and I will be back with the blog on February 8th (after the Super Bowl) with the latest and greatest update on our Fish Fry Excursion.  I may just jot a few notes next week, but you never know!

Also on a closing note, I want to thank Trish Washburn and her staff at the Soleil Yoga Center in Oconomowoc.  Our yoga jam on Friday night was invigorating, enlightening, mind-opening and just plain fun. It was a challenging workout of the mind, spirit and body.  If you live in the Lake Country Area, I would ask you check out the center at yogatrish.com -- you will NOT be disappointed. 

Have a great week everyone, enjoy life, smile, laugh and eat well!  :-)

Nashotah Clubhouse, Nashotah, WI

WARNING: THIS BLOG IS LONG, BUT WELL WORTH IT!

Hello Fish Fry followers, I hope this Monday finds you at the beginning of a wonderful week. I hope you enjoy our special blog today. We had a few guests for this dinner on Friday night and all I can say is it was one of the most enjoyable fish frys so far and it was purely because of the company. The latest blog is a recap of our evening at the Nashotah Clubhouse, N44W32998 Watertown Plank Rd, Nashotah, WI.

My good friends Alyssa Klopatek, Kendra Ferguson, Anne & Josh Bartlett and Mike Zillmer joined Ann, Dave and I for dinner. Alyssa, Anne and Kendra even submitted their thoughts for the blog, which I will be posting. I love it and it keeps my rambling to a minimum. I will conclude the blog, but let you start right away with AK's words of fish fry wisdom.

ALYSSA'S THOUGHTS: I don’t get mad when I can’t find a parking spot at a restaurant. It’s a good sign when the place is packed! Even at 7:30 at night, every table in the small dining room at the Nashotah Clubhouse was filled. Many of the patrons were elderly and looked at our rowdy party of eight through narrowed eyes – we “young people” were likely to disturb their quiet fishy conversations. And we did.

The service was quick and casual – our waitress promptly delivered drinks and coleslaw, cold American potato salad and warm German potato salad. The coleslaw was good – like an upscale, fresher version of KFC’s half vinegar, half creamy concoction. I enjoyed the American potato salad because it wasn’t yellow and mustardy. The German stuff didn’t have enough bacon and was heavy on the vinegar and sugar, and no one at our table liked it.

The drinks kept flowing and our entrees arrived quickly. The waitress told us our potato pancakes were fresh, not frozen, and I believe her. They were well seasoned and hot, but I think they were deep fried rather than pan fried, and had a darker, crispier crust than I think proper potato pancakes should have. My fried perch ($12.95) had a lighter crust than some of the other fish dishes at our table, but it was soggy. The crust detached from the fish and broke into layers on my plate. The bland tartar sauce I squirted out of the plastic bottle shared by our table didn’t do much to improve the perch.

On the upside, I tried a fried frog leg for the first time (thanks, Ann!) and Beth’s piece of fried walleye was delicious and much better than my perch – it was crispy and flavorful, fresh and not heavily “fishy” tasting. I wish I would have ordered the walleye.

After the meal was over and our party’s loud, giggly conversation had thoroughly irritated every grandma and grandpa seated around us, I wasn’t sad to see my half-eaten perch plate be carried off. I’m don’t think I’ll return to the Nashotah Clubhouse for fish fry. Not only is it in the middle of nowhere, but the food is mediocre. I do give props to the waitress for putting up with our many drink demands and rambunctious demeanor, and the surreal mural of Bill Murray as “What About Bob?” in the ladies room almost made me forgive the restaurant’s soggy fish transgressions. But not quite. I give the Nashotah Clubhouse a solid 6 out of 10.

ANNE BARTLETT'S FROGLEG LEAP: Growing up in Wisconsin I have noticed several things about this state that its residents are fanatical about....those things being drinking, Packers Football, shooting things, and of course Friday Fish Fry.  Having never really liked fish.....unless it was raw and on top of rice....I never understood the whole fish fry thing.

So when I saw frog legs on the menu at the Nashotah Clubhouse....I was kind of excited.  Before I "leap" into the main course, I need to add my opinion to the pre-meal snacks.  I have an obsession with potato salad so I was extra giddy to find out I was getting two potato salads and coleslaw.  Usually I would skip the german potato salad, but I took one for the team and gave it a try.  Considering it was German potato salad, which is not one of my favorites, it was actually ok.  The conventional potato salad was very, very tastey. 

Now, on to the main event.  I had my choice of potato pancakes or french fries to accompany my frog legs.  I went with the potato pancakes that were mediocure at best.  The frog legs were coated with a light batter that did not seem to compliment meat as well as it could have.  That fact is truly sad because the frog meat was actually very good once the batter was peeled off.  I truly believe that this meal could have been saved if there was a sauce served on or accompanying the frog legs.  I would give the food portion of my dining experience a solid 6 out of 10 but the overall night a 10+....everything is made better by cocktails and great friends.

P.S.  For those of you who are wondering what frog legs taste like, it is a little like chicken.  This doesn't mean you should substitute frogs for chicken, because the frog meat does have an added gamey flavor and an added chewiness to the meat.

KENDRA'S BLOG: First off, I’d like to thank Beth and Ann for including me in their Friday night fish fry excursion and for considering my opinion important enough to share with the world. That being said, it has been some time since I’ve partaken in the traditional fish fry, so my ability to judge overall quality may be a bit limited. Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll give you my opinion!

While unimpressed with the overall setting at the Nashotah Clubhouse, which is very bar-like, I was well aware that many similar establishments serve amazing fish fry dinners. Upon entering you have to navigate through the bar to the no-frills dining area in the back. Once seated, we received immediate, friendly service, which I believe is key to a positive dining experience. Our waitress was professional and attentive to the needs of our large (and somewhat boisterous) group. We were served drinks quickly, and our dinner was served in short order.

I decided to try the bluegill fish fry dinner ($12.95), and was not disappointed. The breading was crisp and flavorful, and the fish was flakey and delicious. I was not as satisfied with the potato pancakes that accompanied the fish, as they were greasy and not as crunchy as I would have liked. Overall, I found my dinner to be decent, the service above average and the ambience a bit lacking, so I give the Nashotah Clubhouse a 7.5 out of 10.

ANN GREVENKAMP'S TAKE:  Friday Night's fish fry was filled with great people!!!! We had 6 guests attend our weekly event at the Clubhouse in Nashotah.  We were seated in a timely manner in the back and were a little concerned that we would be raising a ruckus (I knew the couple behind us; friends with their daughter) and they found us rather amusing!!!!! 

I ordered the baked cod, as I really enjoy cod and figured I would try to go healthy since I pre-partied at my house....and probably consumed enough calories for the entire weekend.  The meal was supposed to be all you can eat so the potato salad and coleslaw came out first.  I did really enjoy both the potato salad and coleslaw although I did not eat the German potato salad.  

When my fish came out I was a little shocked.  It was very YELLOW, like a pinapple.  I took a bite and couldn't eat it.....it just had no flavor, was soggy, and probably had been sitting for hours.  The potato pancakes I ordered along with the meal were very good so thanfully I had them to eat.  

I was able to try both Alyssa and Beth's fish and must say that I liked theirs.....mine just was not good. I can't believe it, but for the first time ever I would give the fish a 3/10 and the good times and great friends a 10/10 ....sorry Clubhouse, but hopefully I will be back and my baked cod can satisfy!!!!

We didn't take any photos of Ann's fish, because frankly, it was unappetizing... 

BETH'S OPINION: I opted for the fried walleye entree ($15.95) and I can say with certainty that I was awarded the best meal of the evening.  The breading was light and crunchy and the fish was cooked to a white flaky perfection.  The seasoning on the batter was a little bland, but it's nothing that a little salt and pepper can't take care of.  I was equally as impressed with my potato pancake.

I'm not going to add a whole lot to this blog, if you need to know how I feel about the rest of the meal, please see Alyssa's post as I agree with her 100% -- I'm very glad I chose the option I did because the rest of the table was not as lucky as I when it came to their dinners.  I am going to rate Nashotah clubhouse a 7 out of 10, because even though my dinner was good, the rest of the table got shorted on flavor.

This fish fry blog is so much fun and what makes it even more rewarding is when friends join in on the experience.  The meal itself was not our top choice, but being with friends and having a few laughs can negate a soggy piece of fish!  I hope you all take the chance to enjoy a great meal with close friends or family in the next few weeks, whether you decide to go out or stay in.   Sitting around a dinner table with endless conversation, surrounded by occasional giggling is priceless and I love every minute of it!

I wish you all an enjoyable week and look forward to the next restaurant in Waukesha County.

Spinnakers, Oconomowoc, WI

Happy Monday Blog Followers!

Before I get into the nitty gritty of our trip to Spinnakers on Friday, I'd like to take a moment of silence for the end of the football season as I know it. The Pack played a great game (well the offense did) and they made it exciting, who would have known that after being down 31-10 they'd make a game of it. The game was similar to an emotional roller-coaster ride, but that's really how life is and I love the parallels between sports and everyday living. So many times we can relate real-life situations to actual sports moments and for me, it's a great comparison and a good way to learn. With that said, I look forward to more great sports moments and of course, life moments!

On a completely separate note, I'd like to quickly say that this week marked a "first" for the blog. On Friday afternoon I received an e-mail asking my opinion about where to go for a Fish Fry near Delafield! Although this person did not take my suggestion (LOL) he did report back to me about a place we need to visit for a great fish fry. I found it kind of exciting, actually, just ask my co-workers and friends that I told the story to over and over! I think it's awesome my little "fun project" has a bit of a following outside of my circle of friends. Thanks Clark, I look forward to visiting Nashotah soon!

Ok, enough of the rambling -- onto the fish fry. This week Ann and I ventured to Spinnakers, 128 West Wisconsin Avenue, Oconomowoc after our weekly visit to the Soleil Yoga Studio. I was excited to visit this restaurant as I had heard many wonderful things about it, however, the place did not live up to its reputation.

As soon as we walked in I noticed the over the top nautical decorations for this restaurant, although I love the theme as much as the next person, I felt a little like I was "walking the plank" -- it was just a bit too much for me. We met our friend Elliot at the bar and decided to wait out the "crowd" while having a drink. After about 30 minutes or so, we decided to take one of the high-top tables open in the bar area to have our dinners. I believe this is where everything went incredibly wrong.

We sat at this table for a good 20 minutes before we were even acknowledged by a server. I'm not sure if this is because we were not in the "traditional dining room" or if there was confusion between people in the wait staff. The table behind us was also stuck waiting. There is nothing much worse than sitting, hungry, waiting for someone to take your order, you seem to get crabbier with each waiting second and the dining experience takes a nose-dive without good service.

When the waitress finally showed up to take the order we all decided on different entree items on the Friday menu. Ann had the baked cod ($11.95), Elliot the deep fried cod ($10.95)and I asked for and was able to order a 1/2 and 1/2 option. Half deep fried and Half baked ($13.95). I will let Ann chime in with her thoughts...

Friday night we had the pleasure of a new guest to our Friday night adventure as Elliott Nowak joined us as we went to Spinnakers in Oconomowoc for our first fish fry of the New Year! After enjoying a drink at the bar we were seated at a table in the bar area. It did take a while for a waitress to come and tend to us. I started out my meal with a salad. Sourdough bread was also brought to our table and it was very tasty. I ordered the baked cod with potato pancakes. I was a little leary of what the fish was going to taste like, just because our last fish fry had set the bar extremely high. Our food came out in a reasonable amount of time and I must say it was really good. I thought the fish tasted light, even though it was in a butter sauce. The potato pancakes had a great flavor to them. I didn’t even use the applesauce that came with them. All in all, I really enjoyed my fish fry. I would give it 9.5/10.0 and would go again. The service once we got our meal was a little slow, so I would say that if you are going to eat at Spinnakers make sure you are not in a hurry!!!!

My fish was pretty good. Both options were tasty and well seasoned. The deep fried cod had an interesting light breading to it, it wasn't overdone and had excellent flavors. I was once-again greeted with the ingredient of "dill" in a fish fry and it was a pleasant surprise in the breading. The baked fish, to me was just all right, nothing fancy and nothing terrible, it was subtle flavoring baked in a small dish with butter, but make no mistake about it, this time you needed the butter with the baked fish. The seasoning did not allow the fish to stand alone, it needed a little help for optimal digestion.

Included with this meal was a side of delicious cole-slaw and a generous helping of German Potato Salad, which, to my disappointment, was a little "done" -- it was late I understand, but the potato salad was a little burnt. We did have a decent size loaf of sourdough bread, which accompanied soup and salad to precede the meal and that was the ideal definition of comfort food. Warm bread, soup and salad, it really doesn't get much better.

I will rate Spinnakers Fish Fry a 7 out of 10, mostly because of the lack of service. The food itself was good, just not great. However, on a positive note, I will be visiting Spinnakers again to check out their regular menu. There were many items of interest on their menu, including a reasonably priced surf and turf, which I'd like to give a try.

People, I can't stress enough how important it is for me to have a complete dining experience with great food and pleasant service. Had the waitstaff been more attentive, this whole review might have taken a different direction. Even the most mediocre of food can be made better with just a little extra attention to the details, in this case, basic customer service.

Thanks for reading this rather lengthy blog today. I hope you all have a great week and look forward to the next stop on our fun little tour! Enjoy!

Resolution

Hello all! Let me be one of the last people to wish you a Happy and Healthy 2010! While there is no fish fry to report on, I thought I'd at least let you know that Ann and I haven't forgot our Fish Fry responsibility.

We will be bringing back the blog in full-force beginning next week after our visit to Spinnaker's in Oconomowoc. This is going to be an interesting few months as we both have decided to keep the blog going while we attempt to take off a considerable amount of weight. It's gonna be tough, but I'm bound and determined to prove it CAN be done.

For the first time ever, I'm beginning to believe that weight loss is more than just changing your outward appearance. Nobody of any worth in life cares what you look like, let's face it, but they care about what you think of yourself. That's why my roller-coaster battle with weight and food has engulfed my entire life, because up until recently I've never figured that out. I guess wisdom is the only thing I can be happy about gaining as I get older! LOL

This weight loss journey is a complete internal transformation and the embracing of balance, a challenge that I'm finally ready to take on.  Slow and steady wins the race will be my motto and I fully intend to finally win! However, as a bonus to all the blog readers, this newly-found balance includes being able to enjoy some things which aren't so healthy like a Friday evening Fish Fry. It's fun, I enjoy it and I'm gonna do it dammit! :-) I will look forward to moderately cheating once a week at the local establishment to help my life balance! LOL! I hope you all enjoy your week and weekends!

The Phoenix, Hartland, WI

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the year. As much as I love the holiday season, I could do without the heart-attack like stress that comes with it. Day to day living is difficult enough, but add on crabby people at stores, people with no Christmas list, my overall lack of creativity at this time and a diminishing bank account to this and you'll find life tends to be a little overwhelming. I was able to finish my tasks on time and under budget this year, but not without a few bumps in the road.

Squeezing in the weekly fish fry also proved to be a tough task this week, with all the hustle and bustle of the season, but, thankfully we were able to sit down for a nice dinner on Friday evening at the Phoenix Restaurant/Bar in Hartland, WI. Upon walking into this restaurant I became increasingly hesitant about how this dinner would turn out. The bar smelled like a dirty ashtray and the very dim coloring with a splash of Christmas lights had me skeptical.

Thankfully we were able to get into the tiny dining room which was non-smoking (and did not have that stale smoke smell) and was a little more cheerful in decoration. Like many weeks prior, we sat down and perused the menu while enjoying a drink, which was brought to us by our top-notch server. Although that dining room was small, there were still about 12 tables (all of one was filled with diners) to be taken care of and this lovely young woman did it all with a smile firmly planted on her face. She did not show her stress and maneuvered through all the maze-like openings in this room with grace and poise. I should have known just then, this would be a phenomenal meal. Ann was equally impressed...

This past Friday we played “hookie” from our normal routine of working out and then going to Fish Fry. Instead we decided to retreat to the our “hole in the wall” right here in Hartland: The Phoenix. Now, I have known for some time that the food served at the Phoenix is top notch, surprisingly enough, as you wouldn’t expect such food to be served at this establishment. It has been years since I have had a fish fry at the Phoenix and I was very anxious to return for this one!!!!! When we arrived we put our name in and grabbed a beer at the bar. Beth and Z came minutes later and we were all seated in the joining room to the bar portion. Beth and I both ordered the Baked Haddock while Dave ordered the chicken and fish buffet and Z ordered the seafood buffet. As we watched Dave and Z eat their food…..(we did nibble off of their plates!!!) we waited, and I would say patiently, ESPECIALLY for us!!! The waitress comped our entire table a round of drinks it took so long………but, when it finally arrived, it was INCREDIBLE! By far this was the BEST fish fry we have had during our adventure of trying to find the best fish fry in southeastern Wisconsin. The Haddock just melted in your mouth and the home-made potato pancakes made you crave them more and more with every bite. This fish fry was SUPERB!!! Hats off to the chefs Carl and Robert! I give The Phoenix’s Friday night fish fry a 10 out of 10!!!!!

The Phoenix offers two different Friday buffets, one is a Fish/Chicken buffet (11.95) and a Seafood buffet ($15.95), the boys opted for that dinner choice, while Ann and I, as indicated above, decided to go with the baked Haddock ($15.95). I was delighted when I saw Haddock on the menu and jumped at the chance to have it, I really didn't care who had what at that point, as my mind was made up the minute I saw the choices. This haddock was outstanding. To give you an idea of how impressed I was, I called my father on the phone after eating this dish to let him know that it was better than the haddock recipe at Blanck's. Yes folks, it was THAT good.

The fish was baked to perfection and the subtle lemon pepper and dill seasonings were pure pleasure. The drawn butter, in my opinion was there for show, you didn't need it. Each fork full gave me a different taste of the flavors and just melted in my mouth, and that is a sign of an impeccability which is difficult to achieve. I asked the waitress if the cook would give up some more of the seasoning ingredients, much to my chegrin he did not...but, I really didn't expect him to either. We had a good laugh over it and continued to enjoy the rest of our dinner.

If there is any complaint it was the wait. There was a considerable amount of time (probably 45 minutes) between the time we ordered and when the food came to the table, but any concern we had was quickly abolished when the cool/calm waitress offered us a free drink for our troubles! It's a tradition in small Wisconsin restaurants which I LOVE. Buy the people a drink to keep them happy, and in most cases it does!

The wait will keep the Phoenix from getting that last star of perfection, but 9 out of 10 isn't bad either. I will definitely be back there as I heard the burgers are even better than the fish fry. I'd like to take this time to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my friends and family. This has been another great year and I'm thankful for all the wonderful gifts in my life, including the ability to test out the best fish fry restaurants in Waukesha county! We will be back to you after the first of the year. Until then, be safe, be Merry and give someone you love a hug!

Cornerstone Sports Pub & Eatery, Oconomowoc, WI

Happy Tuesday to all the fish fry followers...I think I overloaded on some of the holiday festivities over the weekend and paid for it dearly yesterday. This could potentially be a good sign, that my body is rejecting certain junk food, however, it could also make for a boring holidays if I can't overindulge once in a while! I'll take it as a good thing though, it'll make the healthier eating in 2010 an easier feat to accomplish.

Onto the "fry" -- this week we decided to go to the Cornerstone Sports Pub & Eatery, rather than Spinnakers. It was highly recommended by a blog follower, so we decided to have a girls dinner at the Cornerstone (24 S. Main St., Oconomowoc) after a thoroughly relaxing session of yoga at the Soleil Yoga Center. I have to admit, I was slightly apprehensive about this place, which is off the beaten path in Oconomowoc. We walked in to this bar and what I felt might be a good "burger" joint, didn't look the part of Fish Fry Haven. Well, I was wrong (which, is hard to admit if you really know me).

Ann and I sought out a high-top table and enjoyed a pre-meal cocktail while we looked over the menu. The waitress stopped by promptly to take our order, Ann decided to again, go the traditional route (battered cod, 9.95) while I, on the other hand, was painfully indecisive about what to get. When I asked the waitress for her recommendation she had pointed out the "Spanish Fish Fry" (9.95) -- and I went with her advice. The following is Ann's take on our dining experience.  

First of let me express my amazement at the fish fry on Friday night. After driving around the block in O-town about 3 times we found the entrance to the Cornerstone. The setting is well, very bar like (because it is a bar!!!). We settled into a table along the wall and ordered a drink. The waitstaff was very nice and attentive. As we ordered I decided to stick with my usual, the beer battered cod. Our meals came out in a very reasonable amount of time. The first item I noticed on my plate was two little fritters sitting in a tub of what appeared to be butter sauce. I grabbed one up and ate it and OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMMMM. I sacrificed my second bite of heaven to allow Beth to have the other fritter. That really paved the way for what I knew was going to be a fantastic fish fry. Everything on my plate tasted wonderful. The breading on the fish was a little crunchy, but just right. What a fantastic meal. 9.5/10!!! CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK!!!!!

To add to Ann's comments, the fritter was DELISH! It was a pineapple fritter with maple syrup butter, a nice crunchy exterior and then the cake-like insides, mixed with the butter was a huge explosion of breakfast in one bite! A little disconnect from the "fish fry" flavor-wise, but a pleasant one! I'm going to take you back a little to the beginning of the meal, with my own rendition of the evening. We each ordered a cup of the New England Clam Chowder, which, was average. I highly doubt this soup was homemade, it probably came from a food distributor in a large plastic bag which is to be reheated. It's OK soup, but we're not searching for just "OK." here and when you have a fish fry, I expect all the pieces to the puzzle to be homemade. To Cornerstone's credit, though, the chowder was the only average component of the meal.

My Spanish Fish Fry was a fun interpretation of the traditional Wisconsin meal. It was a generous serving of cod which was lightly breaded and pan fried on both sides, then topped with salsa, white cheddar cheese and sour cream. The combination of the breading along with the superbly flaky cod and salsa/cheese/sour cream was a glorious balance of texture and flavor. I never would have imagined salsa with a breaded cod would be as successful as it was. On a sour note, I would have preferred a pepper jack cheese to add a little more heat to this dish, but I cannot complain about that one minute detail. I may just try to perfect this recipe at my own home!

The plate was complimented with a side of Spanish rice and playful triangles of cheese quesadillas. This creative dish had me very satisfied with my dinner choice, although it was way too much food, but leftovers are great and this dish reheated in the oven well. I would probably give the Cornerstone an 7.5 out of 10 total points. My main entree was superb, but I think there was a lot of room for improvement, mainly to the complimenting components to the dish itself. I think anyone finding this sports pub & eatery on a Friday night will be extremely happy with their choice! They key is finding it!!

We will be visiting the Phoenix in Hartland this Friday. It Ann's birthday weekend and it might be even more interesting than normal, with a potential guest appearance from my friend Alyssa, who will be making the unusual trip west of 124th Street. Have a good week all!

Max Meier's Hartland Inn, Hartland, WI

First of all I'd like to take this time to remember Pearl Harbor Day...it happened way before I was born, but just like any other monumental historic event, I believe it is a day like President Roosevelt said "that will live in infamy" and we can never forget it. Too often we take for granted (and sometimes forget) that in order for us to live the happy free life we have, many others had to lose theirs in order to ensure it. Onto fish, I know nice transition, but I'm in a hurry today! I will let you read Ann's entry first as I have a few things to say in rebuttal.  

This week brought me to my witching grounds, hometown Hartland and the Max Meier’s Inn. Max Meier’s has been the home to so many important events from my eighth grade graduation dinner to my Dad’s celebration of life luncheon. The atmosphere is cozy and the people are great ... living up to our promise we ordered the Fish Fry!! Our family style fish fry came with cole slaw, potato salad, and bread. We also ordered potato pancake. The potato pancakes were THICK and very tasty...I will admit, I have had the Max Meier Fish Fry before and thought it was just as tasty as it always is. The slaw was not a creamy slaw, a little different then what we have had in previous weeks, but still tasted GREAT!!! I give Max Meier’s a 9 out of 10, what can I say, I am rooting for the HOME TEAM! 

This week we skipped the workout and headed to the Hartland Inn early, as we (Ann, Dave and myself) were all hungry! The Hartland Inn was quaint, warm and very friendly, the holiday decor was classy and old fashioned (just the way I love it) and you felt like you were at a friend's home while dining there. It was also like an Ann Grevenkamp homecoming as she literally knew about 60% of the clientele (Ok, maybe exaggerating, but you get the point) and I later found out her and her family spent the better part of the 1990s in the Max Meier dining room, which would probably explain her fondness for the restaurant.

We were greeted by the hostess, who kindly took our name and seated us within 15 minutes, it was great. Not too busy, but enough people in the place so you weren't scared to eat the cuisine! We started off this week with some yummy appetizers, bacon wrapped water chestnuts (6.00) and chicken ginger wontons (10.00), followed by our soup course. My shrimp/lobster bisque ($5.00) was unbelievably impressive. It was a different mixing of the ingredients than I was used to, with a frothy nutmeg cappuccino making the broth a little darker brown in color, but that was the only thing that was dark about this soup. Let me give one huge pat on the back to the chef who came up with that recipe, the flavors were robust and clean, it was rich, but still bright enough to not be overpowering. I loved it.

Ann opted for the beer cheese soup, which I tasted and liked, but moved over it very quickly to get back to my own bowl of heaven! All of this great food to start made me very excited for the main course, and I'm afraid I was a little disappointed with what followed.

I ordered the breaded cod (11.95), which was served family style, like Ann had mentioned, with creamy potato salad, oil-based cole slaw and rye bread. We also had french fries and a potato pancake. While the fish was not bad tasting, it did not compare to the meal we had last week at the Butler Inn. The cod was not flaky and the breading wasn't very flavorful. I felt myself adding a fair amount of salt and pepper, which we know is the kiss of death for a meal. I will give props to the very best potato pancake I've had yet so far...but that was the only highlight.

Dave had the Seared Sea Scallop Salad (15.00) which is Seared Sea Scallops on a Bed of Hearts of Romain, Belgium Endive, Spring Mix, Grape Tomatoes & Red Onion, then Drizzled with Mixed Berry Balsamic Dressing and Garnished with Goat Cheese Croutons, he wanted to be sure we included how much he enjoyed his non-traditional Friday meal routine I realize the Hartland Inn has a lot of sentimental history for Ann and her family, but I simply cannot put this restaurant in the same category (fish fry only) as the Butler Inn and I have no alliances in this game. As much as I was rooting for the home team, I think it fell short of delivering a game-winner (sorry for the sports pun).

I would rate this fish fry probably 7 out of a possible 10. I had an enjoyable experience and will probably go back someday, but not for a while, as we're going to be very, very busy in the next few months helping you find the BEST fish fry in Lake Country. Next week we will be visiting Spinnakers in Oconomowoc. Have a wonderful week.