Review
While some places can get by only doing the Big 3 well, it takes a special kind of place to get all 5 of these elements in perfect balance. That said, there is also a 6th, unspoken element that resides in the ambiance and the service provided. It is these non-tangible elements that further separate those places that only have great food from those with that also offer a great experience. Skip Zach's Avenue Bar has the 6th sense.
We rolled into The Avenue at 7:30 after a failed attempt to hit up the Jovian Taphaus (permanently closed), and were pleasantly surprised by the short 15 minute wait. Usually if you show up at the 'Nue around this time you can expect to wait at least an hour, but for some reason, this Friday, we had no trouble (hell, we even got stools at the bar while we waited - total score). We barely had time to get a sip or two off our beers before the waitress called our party, and escorted us to one of the big circular tables in the corner of the dining room. We were sittin' pretty.
Anyone who has been to the Avenue knows the drill, but for those of you who don't here is a recap. The prize pig is the beer battered cod, while less delectable perch and walleye options round out its court. All of the fish choices are available on the everyday menu, so if you don't want to brave the Friday crowds, you don't have to. They also offer a "Door County Fish Boil" but that just ain't for me; I'm here for the fried fish. As per usual I opted for the $12 2-piece cod and chose Clam Chowder as my side over an equally tempting house salad.
The Clam Chowder came before the meal, along with basket of pre-packed dinner rolls. The Chowder was pretty creamy and tasted really good. It had plenty of clam, which was a nice departure from some of the Clam-less Chowders I have had recently. The rolls were fresh and moist, but little more than a placeholder to tide us over. The bread and soup did well enough, and within 20 of ordering our fish was upon us.
As I grabbed my first of two cod pieces it was immediately apparent that something was amiss. The cod used to be cut into large cube shaped pieces, and while these chunks hinted at cube-ness they were much more amorphous. When tasted, a similar unfamiliarity was noted. The cod we have enjoyed previously at The Avenue was rich, creamy, and almost transcendent. This time around the cod was still good, but not otherworldly. The beer batter was acceptable, but was lacking some of the complexity we have come to expect. The batter was a little dark and crispy which leads me to believe it was slightly over fried. Overall, it was still very good as the fish was light and flaky, although not perfectly preened. Is The Avenue cutting corners by not trimming their fish like they used to? I'm not sure, but it seems likely.
The fries were also a little subpar when put up against the precedent The Avenue has set. They were basically just straight up skin-on potatoes, cut in house, and fried. While they were very "supper clubby," they weren't really anything spectacular.
Matching the fries was the tartar sauce which was good, but not outstanding like we have come to expect. The small portion was not even enough to outlast the two pieces of fish. Our friend Paco asked for an additional serving, but by the time it arrived he was just about through with his meal. Speaking of which, the service this trip was kind of odd in general. Our waitress was clearly and old pro, but for some reason everything was just a step slow. This scenario played out repeatedly: you would ask for something (like a tartar refill), she would gallop of to get it and you would assume she would be right back. A few minutes later, when you were really craving it, and assuming she had forgotten it, but just before you were ready to get annoyed that she wasn't back with it, she would show up with the item in hand, seemingly out of nowhere. It was really weird, but by and large, she did a good job and didn't forget a thing except for the quick turnaround.
Usually when a place gives you a soup/salad option the coleslaw falls by the wayside, but The Avenue gives you a hearty dose of their raw tasting slaw too. While I can't say the ultra-cabbage-y goo suited my palate it was nice that it was included.
This trip to the Avenue turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag, however, it is damn near impossible not to recommend, even if a few elements were slightly off. The fish was good, but not quite the "Best of Madison" as we have come to expect. The fries and tartar were underwhelming, but adequate, as were the rolls and slaw. When you put the whole thing into perspective, it really does add up to be greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, nothing really blew me away, but when you take into account that all five pieces of the puzzle are in place, it is clear that even a down trip at the Avenue constitutes a classic Wisconsin Fish Fry, and that is really what it is all about - good food, good friends, and good times.
The Fish Fry at the Avenue during the noon hour is a 2-piece affair and costs an appropriate $9.25. "Swanson" (our waitress) came by as soon as we sat down, wasted no time getting us some drinks, and had our order into the kitchen in the blink of an eye. She was a true pro and had what seemed to be half of the dining room on lockdown. Appropriately, the food arrived in a jiffy as if it were willed for by her punctuality.
Your nine and a quarter gets you two big cubes of cod, and the rest of the Fish Fry standards. The fish is thick-cut and has a very creamy flavor. This is one instance where a substantial batter that can actually stand up to a thick cut is necessary. It totally works, thanks to the expert frying, which results in a melding of flavors that is difficult to achieve and rarely replicated.
The Avenue French fries are the standard supper club skin-on jobs, which are tasty, but have that shell that salt simply will not stick to. The Avenue tartar is also the supper club standard, but in this case is done perfectly. It is thick and creamy, with a perfect zip that gets you right in back of the taste buds. It is a blessed blend and the fish simply loves swimming in.
Before the fish you receive a round of those tiny split-top, football-shaped bread buns which are a step-up from the ordinary old dinner roll.
While most everything about this Fish Fry is stellar, the coleslaw doesn't quite meet expectations. The homemade blend is a little raw, and has big, irregular cabbage chunks that make it difficult to scoop. It's also a little on the runny side and just doesn't taste that good.
You've gotta love a Fish Fry at the Avenue, and when it's free you've gotta love it even more. This was another great visit, and it's clear that the Food Fight group has restored the things we love about this place. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and can hardly wait to come back and get another swipe on the card.
About a year ago the Food Fight folks stepped in and ended the madness. Since that time they have returned to the Avenue's Supper Club roots and re-established what made them so great. They've even added a fish-n-chips special at lunch which the guys at work and I took full advantage of.
We arrived at the East Wash eatery pretty early and had our choice of tables. Since there were six of us we took the big circular one in the corner of the bar which I have never, ever seen available. The waitress/bartender came right over, relayed the specials, and hopped off to grab us some drinks. She had a great table-side manner, and provided some superb service. Since we were one of the first parties of the day the fish came lickety-split, and hot as can be thanks in no small part to her.
The fish-n-chips is a 2-piece affair, but winds up being more than enough for lunch. The plate is highlighted by two fat chunks of cod in the Avenue's beer batter. The golden batter is very rich and creamy, and nothing less than delicious. The fantastic flavor of the batter compliments the cod well. The fish itself was a bit of a mixed bag, and while the pieces were large, they were more mushy than flaky. I assume the texture can be attributed to the girth/fry-time dynamic, and while it was decadent it wasn't pristine.
An adequate portion of Supper Club-style fries accompanied the fish, and featured the classic shell-like exterior that virtually repels salt. Regardless of the saline stopper, the thick julienne-cut tubers were tasty, and went bite-for-bite with the fish.
The Ave. has always dominated the tartar game and the Food Fighters are continuing the excellence. Our wonderful waitress even brought extra when she noticed that they first round was a little light. The thick, zippy brew helped the fish in all the right ways and left us all smiling.
Some homemade coleslaw came before the fish and was a little soupy, but a real zinger. The vinegar-based slaw would have paired perfectly with a nice slice of rye, but as you might expect, no bread came with the fish-n-chips. Oh well.
As if the great Fish Fry wasn't enough, The Avenue comped us a mini birthday cake for our co-worker Adam who was celebrating the Big 3-0. It was a gracious gesture and capped off this visit with a bang. Overall, we highly recommend the re-invigorated Avenue Bar Fish Fry and will have to come back during dinner time to see if they are still drawing them in like the used to... I'd bet they are.
One drink led to two, which led to three or four. By the time our table was ready an hour and a half had passed and people were starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. We were literally the last group of people to get seated and the dining room was practically empty by the time we entered. Needless to say our group was a little perturbed and a lot of the folks had lost their appetites due to the amount of booze consumed beforehand. Regardless, we were here for Fish Fry and we put our orders in. Since I had a very greasy Fish Fry of Cod earlier in the day I needed something different and decided to give the Lake Perch a whirl.
The Lake Perch at the Avenue costs about $17 for 6 decent sized filets. The Fish was cooked well and had a light breading on it that was good, but not great. The flavor was good but it was not scalding hot when it came out. For $17 I actually expected a little bit more; the cod is only $10 and actually much better. The straight cut French fries which were also good but were also not hot and would have been better straight from the fryer. The tartar sauce at the Avenue is always good although I needed to request an extra cup since the first one was not near enough. The big three items of the Fish Fry at the Avenue were good this time around but suffered from not being served immediately after coming out of the fryer.
Before the fish came the Avenue serves a salad/coleslaw/cottage cheese option, all of which are good and some nice little loaves of bread which unfortunately were also not served hot. The best part about the meal was our waitress. Even though it was very late and we had a large group she was punctual and got everyone’s orders correct. She even managed to get several more rounds of drinks for people from the bar and stay on top of the Fish at the same time.
Overall this was a bit of let down. The Avenue definitely still serves some of the best fish in Madison but when you have a large party you had better arrive before 5pm if you want to get seated quickly. If you have a small party of four or less and make a reservation this is a great place to get Fish on Friday, if not, you had better be ready to wait.
On this particular occasion we had called ahead and actually got seated within about 15 minutes of our reservation time, usually I would expect to wait at least 30 minutes or more. This place is usually hoppin’ on Friday nights. This Friday was no exception especially since it was Good Friday. I think every single person in our party ordered the ‘Award Winning Fish Fry’ and could not have been more happy with it.
The fried cod is nothing less the outstanding. It is served as two large chunks which are very thick, almost cube-shaped. You would think this would make the fish more difficult to cook but somehow they do a fantastic job. The cod is light and flaky with little to no grease and fantastic flavor. They also have Lake Perch, Walleye and Bluegill available, but how could you ever order it when the cod is this good?
The French fries were very good as was the tartar sauce, just as you would expect at a classic fish fry. The bread is also delicious, little individual loaf-looking rolls that when buttered, tasted like heaven. A nice touch added by the Avenue is a coleslaw/salad/cottage cheese/soup option. I opted for the clam chowder, which was good. It looked like everyone was more than pleased with their various choices as I glanced around the table.
The Avenue certainly has an old school atmosphere. There are knick-knacks all over, and tons of stuff hanging on the walls from old telephone to antique farming equipment. This is truly a classic Wisconsin Supper Club right in downtown Madison serving amazing fish every Friday night. If you have not been to the Avenue for Friday Night Fish Fry, do yourself a favor and get over there.
I will say this for the Avenue, since the Food Fight group has taken over things have tightened up. The place is cleaner and better organized, and the food has somewhat returned to its former glory. As far as the actual fish goes, it's still no Toby's or Dexter's, but the Fry is at least back to respectability. Of course, they do their Award Winning Fish Fry every day of the week, so when we showed up on Labor Day I knew I'd still be able to get a slice of the "greatness".
Since it was a holiday the fabled East Wash eatery wasn't very busy and our large party got one of the big circular tables in the dining room with no problem. Our waiter was a little scattered, but eventually he came over to get out orders. Instead of the Icelandic Cod, or the Walleye Pike I went for the $18.95 Lake Perch with a side of hash browns and coleslaw. Our table also split an order of cheese curds, which were peculiarly cube-shaped, but still squishy and delicious.
Before the entrΓ©es, some little white loaves of bread arrived. The rolls were fine, but nothing special, although they did set the table for the fish which was to come. When it finally arrived the fish was steaming hot and looked really pretty on the plate. There were six generous perch fillets, along with a huge side of hash browns, a big old cup of slaw, and a small Solo of tartar. The cracker-meal crusted perch was thin and crispy, but surprisingly rigid. The fillets were uniform in size and texture, but were kind of dry which led to the firm feel. Even though the cracker coating had minimal flavor the perch was somehow still masked by it, which was somewhat mindboggling. By and large it was fine fish, but for $19 I'm not sure I'd get it again. That's steep, and for that price I expect that greatness.
Whereas the fish was just marginally above average, the hash browns excelled in all aspects. The mountain of shredded spuds were perfectly fried, slathered with a couple slices of melted American cheese, and topped with more caramelized onion than is probably healthy. They were a true tour de force, and easily the highlight of meal. Holy yum.
The slaw on the side was also impressive, as the bountiful bowlful was really creamy, a little horseradish-y, and totally delicious. The tartar followed suit to some extent as the semi-thick sauce was sassy, but not super sassy. It did have enough oomph to override the fish which was (unfortunately) necessary.
I've always been a fan of the Avenue, but apparently nowhere near as much as some other people are. While I think this is a good Fish Fry, I wouldn't rank it my top 10, more or less as the "Best of Madison". Overall, we recommend the lake perch at the Avenue, but at $19 it is definitely on the cusp.