Review
There are a lot of options for Fish Fry at Fitzgerald’s. They have a buffet of fish choices available which includes cod, haddock, chicken, steak and all the other normal buffet choices. But this is Friday night and I’m not here for the buffet or the salad bar, I came for Fish Fry served steaming hot, direct from the kitchen. Fish on the buffet line is never as hot and fresh from the fryer which is how a good Fish Fry should be. I always choose the AYCE Haddock with French Fries and am always pleased. I have heard of people opting for the buffet and being under whelmed.
The Haddock is lightly battered, flaky and very good overall. It is served all you can eat which is great due to the fact the fish is so good. The French Fries are strait cut potatoes with the skins left on, which is sweet. They were cooked perfectly. The tartar sauce was plentiful and tasted great. It was thick and creamy with a good percentage of relish. The coleslaw was actually very good. Almost everyone agreed that may be the best they had ever eaten. Possibly the best feature was the little loaves of bread that you get to slice yourself. The service itself was actually pretty good and the place was not packed as it often is on Friday nights. We actually got seated in about 15 minutes, which is perfectly acceptable.
Fitzgerald’s is one of the best places to get Fish Fry on Friday night in Madison; they even had a drive-thru for Fish Fry lovers on the go. Truly remarkable. Just make sure you get the AYCE Haddock rather than the buffet if you want the full Fish Fry experience.
We showed up around 8pm, put our name on the list and grabbed a couple drinks from the bar. About 20 minutes later our light-up coaster thing went off and we headed into the LCD’d dining room (if you are confused by the LCD part just go to the restaurant and you will see what I mean). The waitress came within a few minutes and got ready for the fish orders. Fitzgerald’s serves a full menu on Friday but the main choice is between the AYCE (from the kitchen) or the buffet. Since buffets are hit and miss I recommend the AYCE fresh and hot from the kitchen and that is what everyone in our party went with.
Prior to the fish you are treated to a nice loaf of bread, complete with little cutting board and knife to slice it yourself, as well as a massive bowl of slaw which is actually really good. We tried not to fill up too much since we knew the AYCE Haddock was on its way, but it is tough when these items are so good. The first round of fish hit the table and was gone instantly; we put in the second order when she was still present and began enjoying our spread.
The haddock was superb as it always is. The fish and batter were both light and flaky, just as they should be. We enjoyed all three rounds of fish although would have liked the turn around to be slightly quicker (I did have a few minutes without a piece of fried fish present on my plate which is heartbreaking at an AYCE). Regardless, the fish is definitely top quality and when coupled with the nearly perfect tartar makes for a euphoric taste worthy of Olympus.
The French fries are straight cut home style fries which do a good job adding to the fish without drawing too much attention to themselves. On Friday nights the haddock is the star of the show at Fitzgerald’s and that is the way it should be.
Fitzgerald’s is a classic Supper Club with the classic Friday night crowds. You should expect to have a short wait and enjoy a couple drinks at the bar knowing that they are pumping people in and out as fast as they can. The service is usually very good since they are hyper-focused on getting the fish out while it is nice and hot. Overall this was simply another great Fish Fry at Fitzgerald’s and a happy birthday for the Gabester.
From what I recall, we arrived at Fitzgerald's and were pretty surprised at how few people were out for Fish Fry this Friday. Perhaps they knew a party was brewing and wanted to avoid the ruckus? For whatever reason, the place was damn-near deserted which gave me an uneasy feeling. Regardless, we were here for AYCE Fish Fry and were ready to pay the piper. We were seated at a big table all by our lonesomes, well away from any and all other diners. At this point the first of what would be several shots arrived for the "lucky guy." No matter, I thought, I'll just put it down and that will be that (yeah right). I easily stomached this first blow as it nestled lovingly in my gut atop the three or four "Beamers" that were taken previously at home. At this point we also all put in our orders. Everyone went with the AYCE from the kitchen, even though the waiter was pushing the buffet. Ha-ha waiter Joe, we knew better. We have played this game before.
Once the waiter had gone we all sat back and began the normal bachelor party BSing. At this point, another shot arrived - thanks guys - and everything stepped up a notch. The first order of business was the slaw and bread which were dropped along with my shot. The little loafs of self-slice bread were great, and the standard supper club slaw was right on the money. The fish came some time later and was hot, but not scalding when it arrived. It and the fries were served in heaping piles, family-style, and the boys wasted no time tearing the presentation apart.
The haddock fillets were very tasty. The light and flaky fish was well complimented by the delicate batter which I somehow remember precisely. I tried as best I could, and got down two pieces almost instantly. Since we knew the portion presented on this first round would be nowhere near enough, we immediately re-upped, and sent them back for more fish and fries (and apparently more shots).
As I enjoyed a few of the perfectly fried crinkle-cut fries, another drink found its way to the table. This dastardly conglomeration was known as "The Three Wisemen," and if you know anything about it, it is not the kind of thing you want to drink during dinner. At this point I wasn't ready to be completely blitzed and did what we could to avoid taking it, but being the fool I am, was easily talked into it. After stomaching much of it, and taking a short break, I tried to return to the fish, and managed to get one more piece (or close to it) down. These pieces were from the second round were much hotter and "fresher" than their predecessor, according to Jer. I'll have to take his word on that.
From this point on there is not really much more I can say. I seem to recall leaving a piece or two of fish uneaten on my plate, but can't really be sure. By the time we got up to leave I was feeling no pain, but knew I had eaten my share of tasty fish (and managed to keep it down, despite my friend's best efforts).
Overall, I am pretty surprised at how much I actually remember from this Fish Fry, although I certainly don't have all the details down. The fish, fries and tartar were all very good, and the service was very punctual, especially considering the size of our group and the intermittent shots that the waiter was also responsible for delivering. In addition, the slaw and bread were "supper club standard," and easily above average. I still feel very confident highly recommending this Fish Fry and am kind of curious as to why they were not busier. I'll chalk it up to the fact it was past 8 o'clock and the bulk of their patrons had likely already been there and done that, 'cause it certainly ain't for a lack of quality fish!
MFF wants to thank Fitzgerald's for helping make his bachelor party a night to remember, and his friends for getting him drunk enough to forget. We all had a fantastic time, and will be back anytime we are looking for a great AYCE Fish Fry. The next order of business - the wedding, and of course, more Fish Frys!