Review
The Tap Room at Hawks Landing is one of the few places to figure the formula out and actually apply it each and every Friday. We showed up really early, and within 5 minutes of ordering had steaming hot plates of food in front of us. Since I had the perch on our last visit I decided to try the walleye to see if it was anywhere near as good. As I expected, it was.
The single fillet was on the large side, although far from the largest I've seen. It was well-fried, and incredibly flaky, so much so that I was forced to use a fork at times. Shame on me. The fish wore a thin breading that was fall-apart flaky, but held my attention with plenty of seasoning. The fish melded perfectly with its coating, and although it was fairly substantial it was gone in an instant.
While I'm not sure if the shoestring fries were cut in-house or not, I do know that they were crispy and delicious. They come with skin intact, are liberally salted, and plentiful. While the fries were fantastic, the tartar sauce fell flat, and while I'm sure it was homemade, it really didn't keep my interest. The sauce was on the thin side and little too dilly for my tastes. It also had an odd shrimp-y flavor, and while I like a good scampi I don't want it anywhere near my Fish Fry.
Rye bread is the lynchpin to any traditional Fish Fry and the FULL SLICE the Tap Room provides is a breath of fresh air. It's simply a great addition, and the main element that most places miss. Some coleslaw provides the final input to the equation, and while I like that it's homemade, the bleu cheese that is lavishly applied to it makes it somewhat undesirable. It is unique, but damn, it is strange, and the only thing you end up tasting is the cheese and not the fresh slaw underneath it.
Of course there was also a big old lemon wedge provided, and of course I wanted nothing to do with it.
There are a few simple things that make for a great Fish Fry and if places can stick with them they are usually in the clear. It's the places that try to get too crafty, or deviate from this script that often fail on Fridays, and believe me there are plenty of them out there... Luckily, the TR@HL isn't one of them. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and will definitely be back.
The Tap Room is easily the best Fish Fry to hit the Landing thus far. The revamped Friday menu features Wild-caught Alaskan Cod, Walleye (prepared three different ways), and Lake Erie Yellow Lake Perch (love the specificity). While they all sounded superb, and the fried walleye gave me pause, I instinctively went for the perch, and was very pleased with my decision. Fore!
Our waitress was ultra-attentive and had our food ready in no time. It was very impressive considering how many people were there (it was much busier than The Roost or Klubhouse ever was), and clued us in to the how well things were flowing in the kitchen. From the fish, to the fries, to the dolled-up coleslaw, everything looked very nice. The four perch fillets cascaded over a mound of shoestring fries and appeared to be wild-caught as two fillets were large and two were smallish - it wasn't just huge homogeneous fillets as you'd expect from the farm-raised varieties. All four were coated in beautiful breading that was thin, but still had a satisfying crunch. The bigger pieces were a tad fishier, while the little guppies were smooth and mild. The diversity covered the entire flavor spectrum, although the breading could have used a hint more seasoning. While some seasoning was visible, it seemingly fooled the eye, but the taste buds never lie. While the fish was well on its way it didn't quite "get all the way there".
The pile of potatoes underneath the fish were a McDonald's lover's dream. The shoestring-style spuds were practically clones of the famous golden fries, although these ones came with the skin on. While I did have a couple limp ones on the bottom they were great for the most part and a borderline-excellent potato option.
After hitting 2/2 greens with the fish and fries I was a little dismayed when the tartar landed in the rough. The TR rendition was thin and a little heavy on the dill, and didn't make the fish better or worse, but did give it some lubrication. While it wasn't a hazard to be avoided, it wasn't a smooth out, and didn't add any length to the drive.
A lot of places make it to the green in one, but never birdie that Par 3. The Tap Room brings their short game with the Fish Fry and put in that putt with a full slice of rye bread. The rye was soft and fresh, although served with non-spreadable cold butter. Oh well, it still went down.
Coleslaw is basically the chipping game of the Fish Fry. While it seems really straight-forward it is actually anything but, and can be the downfall of your round. There is a subtly to the slaw that takes time to figure out, and if you try to get too fancy it can screw up your whole game. The Tap's rendition was of the homemade variety and had a good flavor, but certainly wasn't the zestiest out there. In addition, it had bleu cheese crumbled on top which wasn't bad per se, but was just kind of odd. While the moldy member made it unique, I'm not sure it was in a good way.
It was nice to finally get a round in that we could be proud of in at Hawks Landing. The Tap Room is just what this place needed and just the kind of place that will keep us coming back. Overall, we highly recommend the lake perch at the Tap Room, and think it's probably the best fish we've ever had a golf-related establishment. Even Shooter McGavin would be proud.
Full disclosure: We know the new restaurant manager, Patrick, personally although it didn't appear we received any special treatment because of the affiliation.