Review
The (relatively) new Next Door Brewing Company on Atwood recently dove feet first into the Fish Fry pool offering cod ($12.50) and lake perch ($14.50), both beer battered of course. Since freshwater fish is best when lightly breaded we stayed away from the lake perch, instead opting for the cod where beer batter makes a lot of sense.
The place was none too busy at 6:00 so our food came quickly. It actually looked really nice although the fish appeared to be greasy. In actuality it wasn't greasy at all but rather comes with an unrequested drizzling of malt vinegar. The vinegar didn't ruin the fish by any means, but it was certainly unexpected. The 2-piece was a little undersized especially at $12.50. The cod itself was flaky and moist, but for being a brew pub the batter was surprisingly uninspired although not overly thick. While there wasn't anything wrong with the fish in general there was nothing to set it apart either.
Highlighting the meal were Next Door's house-cut fries. There were lots to pick through and each hit the right note. The Julienned potatoes were well-fried with the skin-on leading to plenty of pleasurable crunching.
Some thin but tasty tartar was more of a sour cream/ranch hybrid than a true mayo/relish mix, but it got the job done to some extent. It made the fish better and that's half of the battle right there.
The slaw mixture was house-made and unique as the come. While it wasn't real creamy it wasn't vinegar laden either. Despite its indefinability it had a good balance and was inoffensive. It's one of those that we'd definitely eat more of it but wouldn't seek out.
There was no bread served with this Fish Fry. Bummer
Next Door Brewing Company is our kind of place. In fact, we used to work in the building right next door to Next Door back when it was the Appliance Service Center and certainly would have patronized the brew pub frequently had it been there at the time. The cod itself was kind of hit and miss and while it was perfectly acceptable we don't see ourselves rushing back in for it. Overall, we don't recommend this Fish Fry, although it is right on the cusp.
Damn. I want to like this Fish Fry, I really do. It is so close to being great, but it just doesn’t get there and it makes me kinda sad.
Today we stopped at Next Door for lunch and the specials were a $9 cod or a $12 lake perch, which seems like a square deal, but man, the portions are TINY. First off, there is no bread so let’s just get that out of the way. Next, both the cod and the perch are served as a 2-piecce (yes, a 2-piece perch, you heard that right). Both share same APA beer batter as well and come with a maple glaze, which is something no one else does (and probably for good reason). MFF Jr. hated it the glaze, but I thought the sticky substance was acceptable and made the fish unique (at the very least). Both fish seemed to be of decent quality with the flakiness you expect, but there was just so little of them it was hard to get a good read on it even at a petite price.
The best part of this Fry were probably the house-cut fries which were plentiful when compared to the fish and pretty much spot-on all around...skin-on, supple, stupendous. If only the fish could live up to them. If only…
A ramekin of tartar with a twin ketchup sat confidently atop the plate as if to say, we’re here and we are perfectly ready to serve you. The sauce was on the thin side, and more ranch-y than mayo-y, but still improved the fish. Its subtle sweetness offset the glaze to some extent and although it was thin, it stuck to the slippery fish well.
Keeping with a recent trend, the slaw was stupendous. I’m not sure if I’ve just warmed to it over the years or what, but it seems that I’ve had a ton of great ones recently. This mix was pungent, and although simple, it tasted fresh with a smattering of lettuce to coincide with the crunchy cabbage.
It’s hard to judge any place based on a single visit and I wanted to think our first trip to Next Door was just fluky, but after a second time I feel like I’ve got a pretty good bead on it. I’ve been teased by their alluring atmosphere and promise of “neighborhood favorite” perch, at the end of the day the portion is just way too small. Overall, we still don’t recommend this Fish Fry, and although there are a lot of element we like about it, they’re not the most important ones.
NDBC has $9 cod, $12 perch, and $17 walleye available all day on Friday, and since all of them come beer battered I stuck to the basic cod (since that's basically the best fish when beer battered). The 2-piece I received was middling at best. The beer batter had zip for flavor and while the cod was long and thin it was maybe a couple ounces per piece.After I saw it, it made sense while it was only $9 - there just wasn't much to it.
While the fish fell flat the frites blew up. The house-cut spuds had the perfect fry job and really stood out among the crowd. The cup of tartar on the side took the fish up a tad but was odd to say the least. It was thick (which is a plus), but had tiny chunks throughout, almost like a Parmesan peppercorn. Of course, there was no bread, and I died a little inside.
The slaw was clearly made in-house and had notable black pepper overtones that dominated the flavor profile. While it wasn't bad in the least, it wasn't necessarily something I'd seek out again.
At this point I'm not sure what I can do... I want to like Next Door, and the food on their normal menu has been good enough, but I think I need to cut ties with their Fish Fry. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, and I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. Overall, we don't recommend this Fish Fry and are going to have to force ourselves to stay away.