Hilltop

And that makes it three excellent supper club Fish Frys three weeks in a row. Tonight's affair took place at the @thehilltopcp and checked all the right boxes. Beer battered cod - delicious batter and flaky fish. Fries - plentiful and well-seasoned. Tartar - thick and zesty. Slaw - ridiculously creamy and crazy yummy. Bread - soft and fresh, and superb when slathered with the house cinnamon butter. While $20 for a "full portion" isn't cheap, considering the quality of the fish and the times we live in, I'd say it was justified when all is said and done.

On a hill in between Cross Plains and Pine Bluff sits a building. A restaurant as it were. It's not on the way to anywhere in particular and it's not all that easy to find if you don't know the area. It's a bit of an odd location to be sure, but one that makes it a destination. The appropriately named Hilltop (formerly Hilltop Inn) is this place, and it's a destination worth finding.

On Friday the Hilltop has lake perch, cod, and a half potion of cod for $17, $14, or $11 respectively. Before the fish finds its way to the table some doughy dinner rolls do. These buggers are clearly made on the premises and served with some cinnamon butter that melts the instant it hits the warm buns. They are super starchy and deviously inviting making it extremely difficult to stop after devouring just one.

Six real deal yellow perch fillets make up the fish contingent of the Fry and come cloaked in beer battered (which is generally a no-no in my opinion). Thankfully, this BB is pretty light and still lets the delicate flavors of the fish come through. Since the batter has a good flavor of its own, a harmonious balance is struck, resulting in some of the best beer battered freshwater fish I can remember eating.

A bit of batter also lends the fries a welcome crunch, and although they appeared as though they'd be limp, they were anything but. While not cut in-house they were a very respectable for frozen rendition.

Some homemade tartar canoodles with the promiscuous perch adding a saucy zip to its already creamy character. The homemade slaw also had plenty of pep, and while coarsely cut, finishes smooth.

The new Hilltop has found their footing quickly and are already serving up a very commendable Fish Fry. What's more, our waitress, Julie, was on point throughout the meal and kept us all happy (especially our little guy). It was a bang up job by her and a bang up job by the Hilltop in general. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and see it as a destination we will be seeking out frequently.

For a city the size of Madison there really aren't a lot of supper clubs around. In fact there are really only about five in Madison proper and a couple of those are more like fancy steakhouses than supper clubs. If you want the true supper club vibe you basically have Toby's and the Esquire to choose from, and beyond that you need to get out to the surrounding communities. The Maple Tree in McFarland, Springers in Stoughton, and the Hilltop in Cross Plains are prime examples that prove this point.

The Hilltop is one of the closest true Supper Clubs to Madison, but still far enough out that it's a rural destination. We ventured out on a snowy January night which made for an interesting drive, but also kept the crowds at bay. Even though we weren't early by supper club standards, stools were available all around the bar and we sat directly in front of one of the Hilltop's infamously decadent cream cheese balls. We snacked a bit while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive and when she did we were immediately escorted to one of the many open tables in the dining room.

The 'top has cod and perch available on Fridays and both come in the same plush beer batter. Since beer battering lake perch is a no-no in my book I planned to get cod, but after having beer battered cod for lunch I couldn't bring myself to do it. I begrudgingly pulled the trigger on the $17 lake perch, but it turned out my fears were misguided. Sure, the six fillets were dominated by the pillowy batter so you couldn't really taste the fish, but it had an excellent all-around flavor regardless.

Some extremely crispy battered fries shared the plate and offered a nice contrast to the tender fish. A huge cup of creamy slaw was zippy and inviting, and the thick and creamy supper club standard tartar was a real tonsil tickler.

Before any of the aforementioned items hit the table a basket of ciabatta rolls with cinnamon butter are set out for all to share. These house-baked breads are nothing less than outstanding and the cinnamon butter really makes them something special.

Once a dying art, supper clubs are experiencing a renaissance of sorts. People are longing for something real and these family-owned spots offer just that sort of experience. The Hilltop is no exception, it's the real deal. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and think you should climb that hill in your way.

Any place can get lucky once, as the say "the sun even shines on a dog's ass some days." That's why you can't just have a Fish Fry somewhere one time and proclaim it to be the best. It takes excellence and consistency to stay on top which is one reason we came back to the Hilltop only a month or so after our initial visit.

Our first visit was essentially flawless, from the fish to the service everything was on point. This time we had the same waitress and basically the same experience so the consistency is definitely there. The main difference was that on this visit we just got cod, while last time we tried the cod and the lake perch. The full portion costs $15.00 and came in the blink of an eye.

Of course, before the blink some homemade rolls with cinnamon honey butter hit the table and set the stage for the show that was to come. The rolls are warm and supple with a welcome crustiness that sets them apart from a basic store-bought dinner roll.

Four squat pieces of cod filled out the order and were just what most Wisconsinites are after. Each was soft and flaky, and fell apart effortlessly. The slightest bit of greased ensured moistness and gave the exterior a subtle sheen. It also served to lube the gullet as each bit slid down with ease. The basic beer batter flaked off the surface of the cod at the slightest touch but kept things intact for the most part. All in all, it was a good, but not quite excellent rendition.

A batch of battered fries had a satisfying crunch and were portioned perfectly next to the four beefy bits of cod. Offsetting the fish was a milky tartar that had a yellowish hue and enough dill and relish to make it interesting. It added just enough of a pop to the fish to make it something more.

Finishing things of was some coarsely-cut slaw that boasted a ton of zip thanks to its creamy substrate. It was mostly just cabbage with some carrot smattered throughout, but the proof is in the pudding (or the dressing as it were).

It appears like the Hilltop is the real deal and nothing close to a canine's posterior. Both visits have been on point and we're sure to be back again. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry but will likely go perch over cod from here on out. Both are good, but the perch is a cut above.