We were up in Eau Claire for a hockey tourney last Friday and decided to check out the @westsidebarandgrillec since we were on that side of town and their menu looked legit.
The Westside is a nice neighborhood bar with a nice Fish Fry to match. The fish here is straight-up cod and it comes as either a 2 or 3-piece for lunch or dinner. I went for the full-on 3-piece with a side of crinkle-cut fries.
The cod on the best side is beer battered in Cap Amber which gives it a darker hue and robust flavor. It was well-fried, but did leech the tiniest bit of oil. No matter, I gave them each a couple flips so the leakage didn't settle nor make things soggy. This kind of cod generally begs for a thick and bold tartar and the Westside sauce definitely delivered.
Had I known the standard fries were crinkles I probably would have opted for the sidewinders style, but I was still satisfied with what I got. Like the fish, they were well fried and delightfully crunchy. The slaw was also a pretty basic mix, but was cool and crisp with some eye-catching color.
They say you can tell a lot about a pizza place by how good their cheese pizza is, and I feel like you can say the same about a basic beer battered cod. Yes, it's not my favorite fish per se, and while it seems like the easiest fish to fry, it is also one of the most nuanced and the easiest to screw up. The Westside does their cod right - no frills just a well-executed Fish Fry for a fair price. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and would happily connect with it again.
The Westside is a nice neighborhood bar with a nice Fish Fry to match. The fish here is straight-up cod and it comes as either a 2 or 3-piece for lunch or dinner. I went for the full-on 3-piece with a side of crinkle-cut fries.
The cod on the best side is beer battered in Cap Amber which gives it a darker hue and robust flavor. It was well-fried, but did leech the tiniest bit of oil. No matter, I gave them each a couple flips so the leakage didn't settle nor make things soggy. This kind of cod generally begs for a thick and bold tartar and the Westside sauce definitely delivered.
Had I known the standard fries were crinkles I probably would have opted for the sidewinders style, but I was still satisfied with what I got. Like the fish, they were well fried and delightfully crunchy. The slaw was also a pretty basic mix, but was cool and crisp with some eye-catching color.
They say you can tell a lot about a pizza place by how good their cheese pizza is, and I feel like you can say the same about a basic beer battered cod. Yes, it's not my favorite fish per se, and while it seems like the easiest fish to fry, it is also one of the most nuanced and the easiest to screw up. The Westside does their cod right - no frills just a well-executed Fish Fry for a fair price. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and would happily connect with it again.