Uncle Johnny's - Colgate, WI

It's been over a month since I've written a blog and I'm finding this more difficult by the week.  I have great intentions and sometimes life gets in the way.  I hope you enjoy the installments and are patient with the fact that life happens.

As we embark on another Lenten season, though, I'm hoping to get a few more in as all the good Catholics of this world need some options!

Last week I decided to join some friends at a Colgate, WI favorite, Uncle Johnny's 4600 County Road Q. For those of you not familiar it's just west of the roundabout at Hwys 164 and Q.  I'm not sure it's technically "Lake Country" but it's proximity to Lake 5 gives me reason to believe I'm ok with this destination choice.

Uncle Johnny's is your typical "local" watering hole and I'm sure they are much more accustomed to seeing familiar faces, but they treated us "strangers" very well and we quickly made friends with our waitress.  The place wasn't terribly busy, but it was a little later (8:30) Uncle Johnny's stops serving fish at 9:00 p.m. – I know a lot of Wisconsinites like to eat early, but I'm not one of them and I was feeling slightly rushed.  

The place has your typical fish fry menu and the bonus for all you cod lovers is they have an All-You-Can-Eat for the deep fried fish lovers.  I was not disappointed at all in the quality of entree I was treated to that evening, the fish was done perfectly.  The beer-batter was light and full of flavor, no tartar necessary folks – an added bonus in my book.  The waitress told me the potato pancakes were homemade and I disagree with her (too perfect in their shape, and tasted very average).  I was also treated to some homemade mashed potatoes and they were amazing.  

Coleslaw was cream-based and a little heavy for my liking and rounding up the sides was a store bought piece of rye bread. 

Uncle Johnny's also has a baked cod option as well as a tasty Cajun baked cod (which I also had a small portion to taste).  The Cajun is a little spicy, but overall I liked the pop of heat with the fish and would definitely order this upon a repeat visit. 

The prices for the dinners were typical (between $9-$11 for entrees) and the drink specials were even more pleasing!  

Overall I'd like to give Uncle Johnny's an 8 out of 10.  Fish was fantastic, but the accompanying notes to the dish were average at best.  But we don't go out to eat for side dishes, now do we? 

I hope you all are enjoying this extremely mild winter and pray this leads into an early spring and we're not shoveling our driveways in May.  

Remember to hug the ones you love! You never know when you won't be able to hug them again. 

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!