Review
Wednesday night we hit @longtablebeercafe for their every day Fish Fry. This one is a straight-forward 2-piece cod with a decadent beer batter. It sits broadside to a boatload of their famous frites, and pairs well with their house tartar. A nice little jar o' slaw sidles up as well and balances things out.
We didn't have much time to get things together Friday morning, but found an hour to run to @buckandhoneyswaunakee for a quick lunch. Luckily for us, fish fries fast and we had this 2-piece served and devoured in about 20 minutes flat. The highlight here is an insanely crunchy batter which stayed grease-free and cloaked a couple overtly fishy flavors on the smaller fillet. The cheesy hash brown casserole was a little oily but tasted great, and the slaw did it's job. A cup of tartar was forgotten initially, but delivered shortly after upon request. Unfortunately, it was just so-so and didn't really perk up the cod.
Life can be so unfair and nonsensical at times. When terrible things like this happen it's hard to know what to do or where to turn. For us, it was looking to the familiar, our other friend, the Friday Fish Fry. While neither of these Frys was superb, they both provided comfort when we needed it and I'd have no problem recommending either one to friends, family, or strangers alike.I'm fully on-board with the craft beer craze and as such I'm admittedly likely a little biased towards Longtable. They have arguably the best beer cooler/selection in the area, and when they started offering a Fish Fry every day of the week I jumped at the chance to not only try it, but imbibe in some fine brews. Since that first visit I've been back a couple more times - once with friends, and once by myself to put pen to paper. The fish part of the Longtable Fish Fry is cod, and on our maiden voyage the portion was massive. On both subsequent trials it was dialed way back, but still substantive thanks to a hefty beer batter. This is good cod, not great, but right in the wheelhouse of what most people want/expect. The batter is thick and rich, does not harbor grease, and takes the focus of the actual fish. The fish itself retains its flakiness after frying and is clearly of high quality.
Longtable and their sister restaurant Brasserie V feature what are undoubtedly some of the best frites (Belgian-style French fries) this side of the Atlantic. These superb spuds come with a duo of dipping sauces whether served with a meal or ordered solo. We've sampled several of their house aiolis, the chipotle, cilantro-lime, and Mustard Museum among them, and found them all to be succulent and balanced.
Of course, if you want to make the most of the Fish Fry you'd be wise to substitute their house tartar for one of the fancy aiolis. The tartar is an aioli unto itself, but is incredibly thick and creamy and actually goes toe-to-toe with the brawny batter on the cod.
Disappointingly there is no bread served along with the Longtable fish, but a house slaw does make an appearance - although an unmemorable one.
The Longtable Fish Fry is available 7 days a week, and comes in at a relatively reasonable $14 which is nice because you're probably going to need a few extra bucks if you want a beer from their expansive cooler. Many of the crafts are upwards of $9 which isn't exactly chump change. Of course, these big beers usually come with an ABV twice that of a normal beer so for me it's sort of a wash. As far as the Fish Fry goes, I like it, but don't love it. The fish is fine, the frites and aiolis are superb, but the slaw is just so-so. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry, but highly recommend Longtable itself if for nothing more than the beers, fries, and sauces.
I'm fully on-board with the craft beer craze and as such I'm admittedly likely a little biased towards Longtable. They have arguably the best beer cooler/selection in the area, and when they started offering a Fish Fry every day of the week I jumped at the chance to not only try it, but imbibe in some fine brews. Since that first visit I've been back a couple more times - once with friends, and once by myself to put pen to paper. The fish part of the Longtable Fish Fry is cod, and on our maiden voyage the portion was massive. On both subsequent trials it was dialed way back, but still substantive thanks to a hefty beer batter. This is good cod, not great, but right in the wheelhouse of what most people want/expect. The batter is thick and rich, does not harbor grease, and takes the focus of the actual fish. The fish itself retains its flakiness after frying and is clearly of high quality.
Longtable and their sister restaurant Brasserie V feature what are undoubtedly some of the best frites (Belgian-style French fries) this side of the Atlantic. These superb spuds come with a duo of dipping sauces whether served with a meal or ordered solo. We've sampled several of their house aiolis, the chipotle, cilantro-lime, and Mustard Museum among them, and found them all to be succulent and balanced.
Of course, if you want to make the most of the Fish Fry you'd be wise to substitute their house tartar for one of the fancy aiolis. The tartar is an aioli unto itself, but is incredibly thick and creamy and actually goes toe-to-toe with the brawny batter on the cod.
Disappointingly there is no bread served along with the Longtable fish, but a house slaw does make an appearance - although an unmemorable one.
The Longtable Fish Fry is available 7 days a week, and comes in at a relatively reasonable $14 which is nice because you're probably going to need a few extra bucks if you want a beer from their expansive cooler. Many of the crafts are upwards of $9 which isn't exactly chump change. Of course, these big beers usually come with an ABV twice that of a normal beer so for me it's sort of a wash. As far as the Fish Fry goes, I like it, but don't love it. The fish is fine, the frites and aiolis are superb, but the slaw is just so-so. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry, but highly recommend Longtable itself if for nothing more than the beers, fries, and sauces.
The $20 Lake Perch is the real deal and only on the menu during Lent - so get over there ASAP! The six fillets were simply superb, featuring a light and flaky meat, with a veritable wisp of lightly-seasoned cornmeal breading. This kiss of a coating let the actual perch shine through and pair triumphantly with the thick and delectable homemade tartar. I dare say it was an epic combo. Yes, EPIC.
Longtable's frites are the stuff of legend and this fat stack didn't disappoint. They were basically perfect and melded effortlessly with the tangy malt vinegar aioli. Love love love. The slaw was bright and clean, highlighted with a lemon nose, and finishing with a subtle cilantro kick. I personally love cilantro, but I know others don't, so buyer beware. If there is a failing here (and that's a big if) it's the absence of bread, but when a Fish Fry is this good it's forgivable. I will just say, @batch_bakehouse is super-local (hint hint).
Longtable is entrenched in downtown Middleton at this point and it's no surprise that they've slid into the Sweet 16 in the Potosi Cave Ale Fish Fry competition. If you're like me and you love some legit yellow perch, do yourself a favor and try and out (and maybe kick them a vote). Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and only hope they keep the perch on the menu year round - it really is THAT good.I've loved Longtable for a long time and thought their everyday Fish Fry was pretty good. I'd enjoyed it a few times over the years but was always hoping for something a little more. When I learned about the perch and realized they were taking part in Potosi best Fish Fry bracket I knew I had to get over there ASAP.
I was the first one in the door this Friday and threw my perch order in immediately. It came soon after and looked simply smashing. Right away I could see this was legit lake perch, and while the six fillets were on the small side, they boasted BIG flavors thanks to the crunchy cornmeal crust. Each was a mouthful of satisfaction and paired well with the smooth 'table tartar.
On the side sat a plentiful portion of their legendary frites, and I wasted no time smashing them thanks in no small part to the cup of malt vinegar aioli. That said, I could tell something was off, and when I was asked if everything was ok, I told the lady the frites tasted sweeter than usual. I suspected sugar but was assured that shouldn't be the case. She went to the kitchen and a few moments later came back and told me that indeed the seasoning was accidentally blended with sugar instead of salt and that I'd be getting a fresh batch. I said it was ok since I'd eaten them all regardless and I didn't need more, but more came anyway. These fresh frites were on point, and exactly what I'd come to expect. Some of the best around for sure. A fresh and vibrant slaw rounded out the plate and was perfectly portioned in its mini mason jar.
While I've been content with the regular cod Fish Fry at Longtable I have to say I liked this lake perch a lot more. The freshwater fish just does things cod can't and really makes the Friday special seem that much more...well...special. I truly hope it sticks around. Overall, this one is easy to recommend and I think it's just the shot in the arm Middleton needs since there's not a lot of perch in these parts.Longtable isn't messing around and they are offering their "Friday" Fish Fry every day of the week. This baby features two gigantic pieces of cod with a thick and flavorful beer batter. This behemoth of a batter matches the flaky fish pound for pound, and despite its girth is surprisingly grease-free. I kid you not, there was at least 1/2 pound of fish on the plate and probably closer to 3/4 pound when you take the batter into account. It was as decadent as the come and not for the faint of heart.
A nice portion of the classic frites come along for the ride and are super-seasoned (which put them over the top for our five year old, but had me coming back for more). In addition, the 'table has lots of aoilis to choose from and the chipotle we picked didn't disappoint. It was smoky with just the right amount of warmth to let you know smoked jalepenos were present. mmm mmm mmm
Thick batters beg for a creamy tartar, but unfortunately this mix didn't answer the call. While it wasn't necessarily too thin, it wasn't thick enough either. Luckily, it had the good flavor you'd expect from a sauce specialist and bumped the fish up a tiny notch.
No bread is served with the LT FF, but an alluring cup of house slaw filled the void as best it could. It wasn't stanky, but did have a well-balanced flavor profile that we'd gladly eat again.
Longtable is doing just about everything right including their Fish Fry. Their beer cooler is second to none, the atmosphere is superb, and the fact you can get the delectable fish every night of the week is a huge bonus. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and will certainly be back soon for another round and some more scrumptious beers.