Review
Once we got all squared away things ran like clockwork. Our waiter, Bennett, stopped by immediately, grabbed our orders (since we'd had plenty of time to figure out what we wanted prior to sitting down), and came back in flash with a nice warm basket of pre-cut French bread slices. Warm bread is always a huge bonus and these fluffers played perfectly with the simply superb clam chowder (added for an up-charge). This chowdah had it all, and thick and creamy base with plenty of potato and just enough clam bits to floating near the bottom to let you know they're there. It set the stage perfectly for the main event which came shortly thereafter.
FTs has quite a few fish to choose from including lake perch and bluegill, but I stuck to my guns and ordered the "Friday Fish Fry" which is a 3-piece haddock. While I knew from previous experience the bluegill was great the haddock might have been even better. The 3-pieces were just the right size, and just the right fry. They were home to a golden breading that had a noticeable amount of seasoning and stayed light and grease-free. The fat and flaky planks of meat peeled apart effortlessly when desired, but held together under the weight of the breading. This stuff practically floated on air and my only qualm was that there wasn't an AYCE options, because I guarantee you I would have put down a minimum of seven pieces. This is the good stuff.
While the haddock easily held its own it was even more appealing when slathered with the Tales' homemade tartar sauce. This stuff was simply superb with a tangy sweetness any other sauce would envy. It really made the haddock something more and clung to it with reckless abandon. I could eat this stuff solo with a spoon...not even joking.
Fish Tales has lots of potato options to choose from and the potato pancakes were a wise move. While saying it plural was a misnomer, the one big cake necessitated its own side plate and came with a 4 oz cup of apple sauce perched right on its savory belly. Syrup was also an option, but also an additional up-charge, and I felt good with apple sauce side. The pancake itself had a great flavor with just enough onion essence and all other elements in balance. While it was a gigantic disc I could easily have eaten at least one more. Perhaps you are sensing a theme here...
Last on the list was some homemade slaw which was creamy and tasty but took a third row seat to the fish, cakes, and sauce. I'm sorry I can't remember more about it, but when the Big 3 is this good it's easy to overlook even the best of slaws.
All in all this has to be one of the best Fish Frys we've had in a long long time, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention our boy Bennett one more time. His service was simply spectacular and delivered in a cool and casual demeanor despite the Friday crush he was dealing with. Well done, young man, well done. Overall, we highly highly recommend this Fish Fry and think you'd be wise to make your own reservation at Fish Tales as soon as possible.
We've feasted at Fitz's, and ate our fill at Anchor's Away in the past, hearing tales all along of additional tasty fish on the southern shore. Since it was Good Friday I knew a place like Fish Tales would be busy, but figured arriving late would put us in a good spot regardless of the crowds. It turned out the spot it left us in was with an hour wait, but we were expecting that and rolled with the punches. The bar was packed with what seemed to be regulars, and we were lucky to procure one stool amongst them (more or less three). By the time our name was called around 8:40, we were a few beers deep, and more than ready to eat.
Even though Fish Tales is pretty supper clubby we were hoping to get to eat relatively quickly since it was already late when we sat down. Unfortunately, we had a young(er) waitress and it took awhile for her to come over and take our orders, and even longer to bring the bread/soup after she did. Luckily, the soup and bread were fantastic and put her lackadaisicalness out of our mind for the time being.
The soup was homemade clam chowder which I substituted for their coleslaw for an additional two bucks. It was well worth the extra expense as the creamy chowder was probably some of the best I've had (at least recently). The bread was also outstanding as the soft round loaf was nice and warm, looked homemade, and boasted a near-perfect crust. The only drawback was that it disappeared instantly amongst our trio and the waitress never brought the extra loaf we requested (not once, but twice). Oh well...
Around 9pm the fish arrived and appeared just slightly larger than average at first glance. However, the hearty haddock was incredibly dense, and while it was soft and flaky, it was a total bear to eat. The meaty loins housed a semi-thick, golden batter which was good, but almost lost on the hefty fish. After the big bowl of soup and bevy of bread I consumed beforehand there was simply no way I could finish all three of these monsters. While the fish bordered on excellence it was just too beastly to eat in one sitting, and one of my three behemoths and one of Gabe's were relegated to a to-go box, contritely removed from the establishment, and eaten for lunch the following day.
For my side I picked the potato pancakes which were good, but more like hash browns than a true potato pancake. They didn't have a distinctive onion taste, but were very fluffy and well prepared. The tartar was also good, as the thick mayo blend was hearty enough to stand up to the bullish haddock. A pinch of relish gave it a needed kick and the supplied to-go cup made it easy to snatch up the excess when time came for boxing.
Besides the solid haddock, a $17 lake perch appeared on the menu, as did a $25 plate of fried lobster. I really wanted to try the fried lobster, but couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. I also shot another blank by not arriving early enough for the lake perch which was long gone by the time we ordered. The haddock did admirably in their stead, but a plate of perch would have given us yet another fish tale to tell.
Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry even if we had a longer than average wait, a so-so server, and couldn't get our paws on the perch. The haddock was still very good, as were the "potato pancakes" and the tartar. The fantastic bread and competent chowder helped to put everything over the top and make for a memorable meal. Fish Tales is certainly worth the short drive north, and sits admirably as the third jewel in the crown of Fish Frys surrounding the Merrimac Ferry on the southern shore of lovely Lake Wisconsin.
We arrived at Fish Tales just before 6:00 figuring we were on the cusp, but hey, it takes a while to get all the way up there so we just rolled with it. Upon entering it was clear they were already busy, but they have a large outdoor patio and when quoted an hour it seemed doable. Unfortunately, Tales takes (and actually holds) reservations and our wait quickly stretched from 60 minutes to 75, to 90, and eventually ended near the two hour mark. Luckily, our little guy was a trooper and we made it, but just barely. Now, I understand waits are inevitable sometimes and we should have made a reservation (not sure if I knew this or just forgot about it) but a better estimate would certainly have swayed us in a different direction. Our take away is this: if you're a hostess and you have reservations on the list with lots of walk-ins, don't give them "it'll be about an hour" routine if you have even the slightest inkling it will be way longer than that. Sure, you might lose their business for the night (no one wants to wait for more than an hour), but chances are you will keep it for years to come and next time they'll probably make a reservation. For us, yeah, you kept our business tonight (because what choice did we have after already waiting an hour), but potentially lost it for life. Moral of the story: just be honest and it will work out best for everyone in the long run. We weren't the only ones this happened to either. The dude who got seated just after us was pissed, like yelling expletives pissed (and he wasn't even dealing with a tired two tear old)...
With that unpleasantness out of the way let's talk turkey (fish), which was excellent (as you might expect considering the crowd). When we finally did get seated at almost 8pm our waitress was empathetic and got everything in ASAP. Some bread comes to every table whether fish is ordered or not, and mine was accompanied by some of FT's exemplary clam chowder. The soup was thick and peppery, with a high proportion of sandy clam bits to go with the squishy taters. The round loaf of bread also served us well and was instantly devoured as we were starving at this point - soft, crusty, spot-hitting, but eaten somewhat begrudgingly after such an arduous journey.
The bluegill comes in a 18 beans, which isn't cheap, but is reasonable considering all you get with it. The portion was princely as at least 10 fat fillets filed the plate. Each was a tiny morsel of heaven with the subtle fishy flavor it should have and a light breading with just a hint of seasoning. The fish and breading struck a harmonious balance with their great textures, and ushered in a wave of satisfaction that made us slightly less PO'd.
As a supper club kind of place Fish Tales has lots of options for sides and we went hash browns with cheese ($0.50 extra) and onion (another $0.50 extra). This rendition was definitely tasty, but in the end I'm not sure about the buck upcharge. Sure a piece of cheese is nice the onion was piled high but I'm on the fence as to the actual value.
A classic tartar canoodled with the fish with a sweet taste and thick consistency. It was easy to love and the HUGE cup was more than adequate for the abundant bluegill. It was the icing on the proverbial cake and further soothed our jaded soul.
Damn it. I wanted to be mad after the excruciating wait, and I wanted the fish to be mediocre so I'd have a reason to stay that way, but I simply couldn't and it simply wasn't. The grub was superb, it was worth the drive, and it makes me want to come back, but I don't know if we can. The wait was just too daunting and unless we have reservation we can't deal with that. Our advice: MAKE A RESERVATION!!! ...and basically don't go if you don't have one. This is the worst for us since overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry, but likely won't be back until our little guy can stomach the sit.