Fish Type: Cod (AYCE) Price: $13.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this fish fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent French Fry Score: Excellent Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Excellent |  |
We arrived at the Grove at 6pm and found that he and Katie were already there. They had put our group of 13 on the list and been told that the wait was in excess of an hour which I fully expected since a lot of people seem to love this Fish Fry. We grabbed some drinks and mingled with our friends as they slowly trickled into the stable turned restaurant. A couple beers and an hour and fifteen minutes later our group was called and like the livestock that once occupied this same space we shuffled single file to our table and awaited our feeding. Our waitress was on us immediately, dropped some menus, relayed the specials and went to grab us another drink.
While there is lake perch on special the star of this show is the beer battered cod. The cod runs about $13 and comes with and option to be upgraded to AYCE for another buck fifty if you decide you are that hungry. We put in our Fish Fry orders and sat back to enjoy the sourdough bread and coleslaw she brought immediately thereafter. The bread wasn’t warm but was tasty and had a hint of cinnamon which made it quite unique. The slaw was very so-so, but did put me in the right mood for the fish which came about 10 minutes later.
The cod is served as three good sized fillets and were hot, but not scalding. The fish had a great flavor but was a little greasier than I would have liked. The fish itself was clearly high quality and was actually pretty flaky considering how much grease was present. As I grabbed each piece I could feel the warm grease run down my fingers making them glisten in the dimly lit barn. I think most of the grease could be attributed to the beer batter which was a little too thick but still, very tasty and rich. Due to the fact it was a little heavy I thought better of ordering the AYCE and was glad that they give you the option to wait and see how hungry you really are.
There are basically two potato options, one being skin-on French fries and the other being a hash brown style bake they call parmesan potatoes. I am a huge fry fan but can honestly say that the parmesan potatoes were better, although the portion seemed a little tiny and would definitely have left me wanting more. Overall they were both excellent. The tartar sauce was less excellent and a little odd really. It seemed to be more of a ranch base than a mayo base. It had some dill present, and was kind of runny. It did taste good but was very nontraditional and didn’t really enhance the taste of the cod.
What really helped to make this Fish Fry great was the awesome service we received even with a large party. Our waitress was quick and friendly and simply did a great job. The food was very good and obviously of the highest quality which helps to explain why so many people seem to like Quivey’s so much. Overall it is easy to recommend this Fish Fry based on the quality of the food, great atmosphere and great service.
Once all the fish was gone we all headed back into the bar to have a farewell drink with our friend Brown and listen to piano renditions of some classic rock tunes as played by my old UW professor Richard (Slick Dick) Shaten. As we relaxed to the sound of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” I couldn’t help but think that Brown would be doing just that next Friday night, wishing he was here at Quivey’s enjoying a Fish Fry.
www.quiveysgrove.com
6261 Nesbitt Road
Madison, WI 53719
(608) 273-4900
