Review
I pay attention. I ask around. I know about all the places there are to know about. How could one of the best Fish Fry deals in Dane County eluded me? It just wasn't possible (or so I thought). Then I got a tip - I investigated - I stumbled upon a juicy little secret - clearly something the folks in Stoughton are trying to keep under wraps. Something they want to keep all to themselves...
The Koffee Kup is Stoughton's Anne Frank, quietly tucked away in the shadow of City Hall, buried in a narrow slit of a building that the locals know well, but out-of-towners whiz right by. Within these walls you will find neighborly camaraderie, bottomless cups of coffee, and what we came for - the Friday Fish Du Jour. I arrived right at noon, took one of the few open stools at the counter, and had my order in within five minutes.
The KK gives a choice between cod, lake perch, and walleye, of which I settled on the $8 lake perch with a side of hash browns (cheese & onion - $0.80 extra). I had the fish in front of me no more than five minutes later, which, of course, meant it had no time to sit and get greasy. Five average-sized perch made the pilgrimage and were flaky and moist - very perchy. The small fillets housed a light, golden-yellow breading which reminded us of the kind used at Dexter's. In fact, had I been blindfolded you could have easily fooled me into thinking they were one in the same. Like Dexter's delicious rendition, these guppies could have used a hint more salt to bolster the smooth fish, but, all things considered, were excellent.
Now, the KK is basically a hometown diner - the kind of place that takes breakfast very seriously. As such, you'd expect that they would know what they are doing around a side of hash browns (and you'd be right). My spud selection was a sage one, featuring a large pile of shreds covered with two slabs of American Cheese and a lavish amount of onion. They were fried to absolute perfection, with the flavors that resulted being more than the sum of some of the parts which went in. Truly superb.
Though the fish needed nary a drop, an entire bottle of tartar was provided with it. The tartar was tasty, composed solely of mayo and a proper amount of relish. The mix was semi-sweet and didn't have a ton of zip, but worked in concert with perch to produce a lovely harmony.
A pillow-soft dinner roll proved to us that the Koffee Kup takes their lunchhour Fish Fry seriously, with this point being further emphasized by their homemade coleslaw. A base of fresh cabbage was punctuated with ample carrot, and blended with a unique sauce to produce a slaw that was not off-putting, but not quite as zesty as we like.
At this point, I think it's safe to say that our suspicions are confirmed. Yes, you heard it here, folks: The Koffee Kup in Stoughton has a great Fish Fry, and you owe it to yourself to check it out. Locals, you can consider your little secret exposed - your cover busted - your Fish Fry outted. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and can hardly wait to come back and try the rest of the options.
Fish Fry is wonderful for this exact reason. While the best are usually found in our state's supper clubs, even the local diner has the ability to stand out as long as they put in a little effort. The effort in this case comes in the form of hand-batter fish, house-cut fries, homemade tartar sauce and coleslaw, and some sort of bread (preferably rye). The Koffee Kup in downtown Stoughton in one place that unexpectedly gives it it's all.
The Kup has a few different options on Friday, a couple of which you might not anticipate. While you might assume there would be cod (and you'd be right), you might not plan on there being more (better) options. Beyond the $8.50 cod, there is an identically priced lake perch as well as a $10 "WALL-I" (which is what I availed myself of this time around).
The fish came fast and was the full meal deal. It consisted of a single, long walleye fillet with a breading that looked like it belonged to some fried chicken. The fish itself was meaty and had a really pleasant flavor that overshadowed the breading (which could have used some more salt). It sure was a lot of meat for ten measly bucks.
Since the KK is a family restaurant/diner kind of place you expect the potato options to be top notch, and Stoughton spot certainly delivers. There are plenty of options to choose from, but for me the hash browns with cheese and onion sounded too good to pass up. While the C&O were $0.90 extra, they were worth every cent as they made the shredded spuds extra enticing. They sported crispy edges, supple centers, plenty of onion, and two slices of American cheese. What's more, they barely carried any grease with them which lets you know the cooks really have their act together.
When there's a big piece of fish on the plate a big helping of tartar is your best friend, and the Koffee Kup doesn't disappoint. They simply provide a whole squeeze bottle of thick and creamy sauce and let you have at it. It's just what the doctor ordered and gives the fish a swift kick in tail.
A little warm roll rode on top of the hash browns and was more than just your regular yeasty dinner roll. The homemade slaw was also above average and had a plenty of zip, although it was a little watery at the end.
A little effort and knowhow goes a long way when you're taking Friday Fish Fry and sometimes those things show up in the most astonishing places. While the Koffee Kup isn't the prototypical pike place, they'll definitely surprise you with what they can do. Overall, we highly recommend the WALL-I at the Koffee Kup, and are really coming to expect great things in Stoughton.
We've reviewed the Koffee Kup on numerous occasions, but every time has been lunch-related. We've raved about the quality and affordability, but probably had our blinders on somewhat and gave them a little more credit than they were due simply because we were glad they actually have fish for lunch since not all places do. This time we put them to the dinnertime test, and while it was still a nice little Fish Fry it didn't shine quite so bright.
The Kup has cod, lake perch, and walleye on Friday and this time we tried the $8.50 lake perch. Contrary to our previous forays into the freshwater variety this version featured three inordinately large fillets which caused doubt as to whether or not this was the true Yellow Perch we expected. The flavor of the fish added to this uncertainty as it was very bland and not aided by a light breading which lacked seasoning. Ultimately it begged for the tartar which, thankfully, delivered.
The tartar comes in a big squeeze bottle so there is no danger of running out which allows generous slathering of the thick, creamy concoction. The zip it provided was necessary with the mellow fish making it more than palatable.
As a place that specializes in breakfast you'd expect hash brown mastery here, and the KK definitely delivers. Their version of the staple is well-fried, appropriately sized, and features the ideal proportion of onion and American cheese. They are melty, gooey spud mastery.
A dense, spherical roll rolls along with the fish as begs for butter. Some homemade slaw also keeps pace and puts out a slightly better-than-average taste - not totally bland, but not a ton of pop either.
While all these things add up to a super little lunch, they don't really seem all that great for supper, even if it's still only $8.50. It's every bit of inoffensive just not extraordinary. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and love it for lunch, but just kinda like it or dinner.