Review
I didn't want to deal with any sort of rigmarole this Friday, and since my last visit to Pooley's went swimmingly, I decided to just hop on that ship again. On my first trip Pool-side I wasn't sure what to expect so I sunk into the 2-piece cod instead of indulging in the full-fledged 3 banger. This time I jumped in feet first and took the $9.50 3-piece plunge with no reservations since I knew how exactly how deep the water was going to be.
The sports memorabilia warehouse that serves as Pooley's was quiet during the Friday lunch hour, and just like last time my food arrived in the blink of an eye. The cod and fries were steaming hot and looked just right situated next to the big cups of coleslaw and tartar sauce in the classic wax-paper lined red plastic basket. The fish was so hot that I actually had to wait a moment before I could handle it comfortably, but once I did, it was just how I remembered it. It features a crumbly and heavily-seasoned breading that gives the cod with a real jolt. The fish itself was flaky, albeit slightly greasy. However, the errant oil didn't saturate the breading resulting in tasty fish that made quite a splash.
A mammoth portion of French fries filled the bottom of the basket, and formed a luxurious bed for the cod to loaf around on. Like the fish, the fat, crinkle-cut fries were seriously spicy and practically drowning in seasoning (in this case what appeared to be Old Bay).
A heaping dish of tartar constituted the deep end of the basket and gave the cod a noticeable leg-up. The homemade sauce was creamy, and relatively thick, but had a ranch undertone that I just couldn't shake. Its mayo-mate, the tartar, was fresh and colorful, but like the fries had an Old Bay blast that threatened to drag it under. Thankfully the fresh cabbage component, and creamy goodness of the mayo were enough to keep things afloat.
Drifting along the basket's surface was a fresh pumpernickel-rye roll. The dark brown bun was a little firm on its flat bottom, but remained buoyant. It paired nicely with the slaw and took a little of the Old Bay edge off.
It's always risky to dive into unfamiliar waters, and when I came to Pooley's for fish a couple weeks ago I played it safe for that reason. After a second visit I can say with certainty that things are all clear at the east side establishment. Overall, I highly recommend the Fish Fry at Pooley's, and will no doubt be back to swim in these waters again soon.
As recently as November 2013 Pooley's kitchen was under the supervision of Diggity's - a hotdog specialty shop that had a commendable Fish Fry. Since then a newcomer has commandeered the ship, in the form of Kipp's Kitchen. Kipp's brought a whole new menu to Pooley's, along with a whole new crop of Friday Fish specials including: Cod (beer soaked), Catfish (also beer soaked), Walleye (baked or fried), Tilapia (baked or fried), and a "House Specialty" Smelt (1/2 lb or full lb). Since I was hungry, and you don't find it everywhere, I manned up and went for the full pound of smelt which comes with a side of "Sidewinder fries".
Since I beat the lunch rush by 15 minutes my order hit the kitchen without delay and the fish came out quickly. The smelt was certainly abundant, but didn't look like a full pound to me. There were probably 15 or so of the petite fish which varied slightly in size. They featured a substantial breading that really covered up the fishy flavor of the smelt, but still tasted good. It was almost exactly like the smelt at 5100 in McFarland, which is passable, but not quite as enticing as some of the other smelt in the area.
The sidewinder fries that slithered alongside the smelt were an interesting lot to say the least. They were almost cottage fry-style, and were very tasty although non-uniform. There were thick chunks sprinkled in with thin chunks, dotted with a few over-fried nubs. By and large they were tasty and brought a welcomed balance to the basket.
A thick and chunky tartar rode shotgun and clung to the smelt with herculean force. It had just the right consistency, and a nice pop, but was a little heavy on the dill pickle for my taste.
A rye roll was the bread of choice, and was very dense but also very chewy. While I normally appreciate rye, this number was a little over the top and the last bite was so crusty that it couldn't even be eaten. It was a real gnawer.
Last on the list was some house-made slaw that was creamy throughout but overwhelmed by a green pepper essence.
While people either seem to love or hate Pooley's I don't find it to be such and all or nothing affair. The cod at Diggity's was good, and the smelt at Kipp's is just fine too. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry, and will probably be back to try the walleye, cod, or catfish one of these days. This is a pool that's big enough for everyone.
I've known about Pooley's/Diggity's Fish Fry for a long time, but had a bad meal there ages ago and assumed the fish would just be more of the same. I put it off, and put it off, until I pretty much forgot about it altogether. Then one day, out of the blue, I got a "push" from one of the staff members, saying that we didn't know what we were missing. What we were missing turned out to be a really good little Fish Fry.
I arrived at noon, and the humungous bar was deserted, save for a couple older gentlemen wolfing down lunch. I grabbed an open stool, ordered a beer and some fish, and within 5 minutes had them both - a nice start on a slow lunch hour. The fish at P's/D's comes as a 2-piece for $7.50 or a 3-piece for another couple bucks. Since it was lunch and I was still skeptical, I only went for the 2-piece, but regretted my tentativeness after the first bite. The fish was really great, and featured a light and flaky breading which was a little thick, but not obtrusive. The crispy coating was crumbly and well-seasoned, and played nicely with what appeared to be high quality cod. It was very yummy, and after mowing down the two I could only wish I had that third one.
Lots of crinkle-cut fries came along for the ride and were loaded with season salt and what appeared to be parsley flakes. While the standard spuds are usually nothing special, these were expertly fried, and generously portioned. As far as freezer-to-fryer crinkles go, they had to be some of the best I can remember ever having, and believe me, I've had my share.
A thick and tasty tartar drove the fish home, and featured a strong mayo base, but just enough relish and dill to jazz it up. The homemade coleslaw was also pretty jazzy, but maybe a bit too much so. It was loaded up with Old Bay (or some such seasoning) and the strong spice dominated the flavor. While it wasn't bad it wasn't primo either.
Last, but not least, was a nice little pumpernickel/rye roll which did exactly what it was supposed to do - serving as a nice change of pace between bites of fish and fries.
What can I say? Sometimes we get pushed into situations we don't want to be in, and other times we find something great that we would never have known about otherwise. Overall, this is an easy Fish Fry to recommend, and probably highly so. Thanks for the push, Pooley's!
I showed up this Friday hoping to try Pooley's new bluegill, but found out it's only available at dinner time so I was forced to settle for the cod (which isn't all that bad if you have to settle for something). I had a plate of steaming hot fish in front of me within minutes of ordering and got right down to business.
The cod comes as a 2 or 3-piece and I, of course, got the big one. Each of the three pieces featured Pooley's special breading which is incredibly flaky, heavily-seasoned, and really quite scrumptious. While the fish itself isn't pristine (a little greasy here and there), it is still flaky and works really well with the crumbly breading. It's the total package as far as fried fish goes, save for the fact that the breading is so crumbly and the fish so flaky that it has a tendency to fall apart in the tartar. No big deal though, that's why God invented forks.
Speaking of the tartar, it's alright, but not thick enough for my tastes. It also has a little too much real dill in it, and while it's not off-putting it doesn't do much for the already spicy fish. That said, I still used almost all of it.
I also ate most of the French fries even though there were a ton of them. The flock of fat crinkle-cut fries took over the far side of my wax paper lined basket and were quite satisfying. They were saturated with seasoned salt and peppered with parsley flakes, which wound up being a little overkill, but still much better than no seasoning at all.
Bolstering the lineup was a whole slice of pumpernickel-rye bread which was lightly toasted and heavily delicious. It was just right and complemented Pooley's homemade coleslaw perfectly. While the slaw wasn't super creamy, and there was some slaw-water to deal with, it was fresh, and sweet with a perfect zippiness.
While I wasn't able to get my bluegill fix this Friday, I still had a great Fish Fry at Pooley's and that's all that really matters. Overall, I recommend this Fish Fry and appreciate that Pooley's puts in the effort to do it right (which is more than I can say about a lot of places). If you're looking for a good Fish Fry on the east side of Madison feel free to jump in this pool, the water's fine.
There are a lot of similarities between the two sports bars, but the one that matters most to me is their fish. Let's compare on contrast the two.
Both places serve cod on Fridays. Wilson's cod is flaky, lightly breaded, well-seasoned, and holds together extremely well. Pooley's cod is equally flaky, and perhaps even more seasoned, but has a much crumblier breading that falls apart (usually in the tartar). Slight advantage to Wilson's.
Both places serve French fries standard with their Fish Fry. Wilson's fries are Sysco-style, Julienne-cut, and have never blown me away. Pooley's fries are equally Sysco-y, but of the crinkle-cut variety and served in a much heartier portion than Wilson's. Advantage to Pooley's.
Obviously, both places serve tartar with their fish. Wilson's tartar is the nectar of the gods. It's thick and creamy, with the perfect pop. Pooley's tartar also has some pop, but is much thinner. It's also homemade and has much more dill and real chunks of pickle in it. While it's good enough, the advantage goes to Wilson's.
Both places give you bread with your fish (which all places should do, but many don't). Wilson's roll is the standard soft, squishy, dinner roll that is usually fresh and welcoming. Pooley's always has some sort of pumpernickel-rye bread (either roll or an actual slice) that is more traditional and really adds something to a Fish Fry that is lacking otherwise. Advantage to Pooley's on this one, although it is close.
Both places serve coleslaw with their fish, and there is a clear winner here. Wilson's slaw has always been underwhelming, with very little zest, and a strange chalky flavor. Pooley's slaw is made in house, is always fresh, and has a good balance of flavors. While it's not as creamy as Wilson's slaw it is still better. Advantage: Pooley's.
While Pooley's takes three of the five categories, Wilson's takes the two that matter the most: the fish and the tartar, and gets our nod as the better Fish Fry. That's not to say Pooley's is far behind as both are borderline highly recommendable Fish Frys. Overall, we recommend Pooley's and like I said, I think I'll be going there a lot in the near future.
Quick $9.50 3-piece for lunch.
Fish took longer to come out this time, but there were a few more groups than my previous visits, so that is to be expected.
Food was hot, but not scalding. I could tell it sat for a second b/c I heard he bell ding twice before it showed up. Everything was still good, but a step back from the previous visits.
Cod was fine, but not as spicy, and breading was thicker. Also a couple of translucent-looking flakes of fish under there.
Fries lacked the seasoning we've become accustomed to, but were plentiful.
Tartar was loaded with big pickle chunks and tasted fine, but wasn't smooth.
Roll was same pump-rye, but a little crustier on the bottom than expected.
Slaw was really colorful, but lacked zest - didn't eat it all.
Perhaps we overvalued Pooley's after two surprisingly good visits? Overall, it's still recommendable, but not highly. Think I'll probably come back and try the all new bluegill although I hope it's not as thickly battered as the cod...