Famous fish fry!

One thing that seems to define Milwaukee, if not the State of Wisconsin, it the Friday Fish Fry. Note how it should be capitalized. A good fish fry is vital during Lent. A good review can mean a ton of business for the restaurants. So it is not surprising that the local food critic doles out heaping of which places to visit for the best fish fry in the Milwaukee area. And yes, it is only capiltalized when the fish fry is on Friday.

One thing about fish fries is to not buy the hype. At first glace it would appear that every bar and restaurant not only have a fish fry but a "famous" fish fry. They have the signs proclaiming "Try out famous Friday Fish Fry!!!" No, they are not all famous, and sadly some of them suck. Bad.

Finding a good fish fry at a good price can be a challenge. I recall one of my favorites used to be Cliffords. Not sure if the place is still open or serving fish but it was always good and a nice atmosphere. You sat at a long table with other people. It was all you could eat so they just kept bringing out the fish, the french fries, and cole slaw. You stuffed your piehole until you could take no more. Ah, good times.

On the flip side it the fish fry that is terrible. There are a couple things that make it bad. Limp fish that has been sitting around. Cold fries or worse yet, cold potato pancakes. Bad fish fries are usually coupled with terrible service. It is all you can eat but when you ask for more they bring out a piece of fish. They also make you ask for fries instead of inquiring themselves. And don't get me started on warm beer.

Fish is being served for lunch today. It falls in the bad category for each of the reasons stated above. Except for the beer. If they served beer here for lunch this fish fry would suddenly become FAMOUS!