Tag Archives: in search of fish fry

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ISO Fish Fry – Kitty Hoynes

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Presentation:  I ordered the fish and chips at Kitty Hoynes, substituting standard chips for sweet potato fries.  The presentation – a beautiful piece of beer battered haddock resting on a bed of sweet potato WAFFLE FRIES. (that waffle fry bit was spoken in an Oprah giving out cars voice)!!! It also came with a cup of coleslaw, a dollop of tartar sauce and a lemon wedge.

My friend said it looked exactly like the fish she had at a London pub when she was in England last year.

Taste:  So good!  There was so much food that I couldn’t finish it in one sitting.  I LOVED IT!  The haddock was cooked to perfection.  The sweet potato waffle fries had a wonderful crispness.  I felt like the coleslaw was a bit bland though (if I’m forced to criticize – I mean – how else am I supposed to discern the nuances of the various fish fries when I am in search of fish fry?).

Restaurant Experience:  Tommy Conners was singing in the pub,   He’s amazing!  There were a lot of people milling about for a Saturday afternoon.  We ate in the restaurant space, which was lovely.  There was only a brief wait for a table.  The service was wonderful.

Location:  Kitty Hoynes is located at 301 W. Fayette Street, Syracuse, New York 13202.  It is an authentic Irish pub in the heart of the Armory Square area, a hot spot for bars and restaurants in Syracuse.  In the 1990s, the place was known as The Crown and it was my very favorite Friday night haunt.  The interior has not changed since those days – two sections – a full square mahogany bar serving Guinness and such, and a cozy restaurant space with a variety of table sizes to fit many different parties of foodies.

Parking:  There is no free parking in downtown Syracuse.  We found a spot on a side road Armory Square adjacent.  Check out their website for more information including their full menu and hours of operation.

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Price Chopper

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I decided to try the fish fry at Price Chopper grocery store.

Presentation:  The fish dinner was placed on a paper plate inside a paper container.  Two tubs of tartar sauce were included.  They use canola oil.  A price sticker was attached, which also indicated the contents and sadly, a 1260 calorie count.

Taste:  I ate the meal right out of the container.  I guess I could have placed it on my fine china but the problem with take-out is that by the time you get home, you just want to wolf it down before it gets cold.  I enjoyed it.

Restaurant Experience:  I ordered the meal – fried haddock, french fries and coleslaw and was told it would take about five minutes!  The seafood area is a straight shoot from the front door against the back wall where they have a spotless stainless steel kitchen.  (They also have lobsters available for $9.99 per pound).  When it was ready I took the container to the  front cash registers to pay.  It was only $8.99.

Location:  The Price Chopper I went to is located at 2515 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse, NY 13224.

Parking:  There is a huge parking lot in front of the grocery store.

ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – McDonalds

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I decided to revisit the McDonalds Filet-o-Fish sandwich.

Presentation:  I went inside the restaurant but I ordered to-go.  The food was presented in a bag with a sticker that corollated with my sales receipt.

Taste:  I ate the fish sandwich and fries in the car.  It tasted like the comfort of memories – you know what I mean?  When I tried to revisit KFC, I found it way too salty.  I also had a fling with Hostess coffee cake.  That was like eating a brick of sugar.  But this fish sandwich was exactly how I remembered it from childhood, maybe even better.  The fish patty was nice and hot, with cheddar cheese, and tartar sauce  on a brioche bun.  It was the best!  So perfect.  McDonalds fries are such an indulgence.  Again, they are the fries from which all others are measured – because they are exactly as they have always been.  So, so good!

Restaurant Experience:  This McDonalds was so clean!  And I am so impressed with these young workers.  They looked like they were enjoying their jobs.  The guy at the register was very polite.  The staff in the kitchen worked as a team and the food was ready a lot faster than I thought it would be.

Location:  I went to the McDonalds at 357 Genesee Street, Auburn, New York 13021.  There are McDonalds everywhere in the United States.  All you have to do is Google McDonalds to find the one near you.

Parking:  There was plenty of parking.  I was there between lunch and dinner so it was not that busy.

fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Cole’s

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Yesterday my friend Joyce and I visited the Albright-Knox Gallery and Art Museum  in Buffalo, New York.  It was a spectacular day of viewing the amazing Marisol collection of sculptures, as well as admiring some very famous paintings that we both had studied in art history classes – from Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and my heroes Johns and Rauschenberg!  We kept saying a variation of “what is this doing here, and, I didn’t know this was here!”

On that high note, we decided to go in search of fish fry.  The gallery store employee directed us to Cole’s, an Irish pub located only minutes away in the Elmwood Village neighborhood.

Presentation:  Haddock is a Friday-only special here and it is prepared three different ways – beer battered (Joyce’s choice), broiled or broiled Greek-style.  I chose the latter minus the tomato addition.

Taste:  I have to say that this meal was the best fish dinner I have ever had.  The fish was mouthwatering.  I was told they broil their fish in white wine but when they do it Greek-style they use a Greek dressing marinade and add spinach and feta cheese to the fish before broiling.  I am in love with these people.  Too bad they are a bit over two hours away.  I asked to be adopted.  The waitress did relay this to the chef and kitchen staff, and she said they were delighted that I was delighted and I was very, very…sooooo delighted.  <3

Joyce thought her beer-battered version rivaled the fish she had last week in London, England.  Yes, that good!  She chose sweet potato fries and soup as her sides.

I loved the flavor of the coleslaw with my salty friend, feta, but as per usual, I was in salt overkill with the fries.  I think they were peppered as well.  Next time I will ask for saltless fries with this meal.

Restaurant Experience:   OMG times infinity.  I highly recommend this amazing restaurant!  We were seated immediately and the waitress was absolutely lovely.  We shared that we were out-of-towners (Joyce is from Binghamton, New York) and were excited to be there.  She welcomed us and matched our enthusiasm.

It was relatively quiet inside the restaurant with soft rock music playing.  We were able to continue our conversation in between bites and oohs and ahhs over the food – mostly me, as I am the crazy fish lady, let’s make that clear.

Location:  Cole’s is located at 1104 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222, a two-minute drive from the AKG Art Museum (or a nine-minute walk).

Hours

Monday – 5pm- 12am
Tuesday – 5pm – 3am
Wednesday – 5pm- 2am
Thursday – 5pm- 2am
Friday – 11:30am – 4am
Saturday – 11:30am -4am
Sunday – 11am – 12am

Parking:  We parked on the street.  I didn’t see a parking lot.  We were there around 3:30 PM on Friday afternoon, which is between lunch and dinner so it wasn’t a problem finding a spot.

 

ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry: Bailiwick Market & Cafe

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I stumbled into this fish fry. I went to Bailiwick Market & Cafe because they’d advertised the grand opening of their sunflower walk in the field adjacent to the restaurant. It happened to be Friday and they happened to have fish fry specials that is a Friday only thingy.

Presentation: The fish dinner is served on a large white plate placed on a tray with plastic cups for the slaw and tartar sauce. It’s a huge piece of haddock, don’t you think? It’s like a foot long!

Taste: I ate everything on my plate. Fish was tender, the coleslaw incredibly fresh (cabbage and carrots in a mayo dressing) and as you can see from the picture, a small portion of fries.

I didn’t think it was salty until later. I feel thirsty right now just thinking about it. But that is not a dis. It tasted great!

Restaurant Experience: When we first arrived for the sunflower experience at Bailiwick Market & Cafe, we paid at the entrance to the cafe then decided to go in and look around. I noticed they had a fish fry special on Friday only so I said – oh, let’s get that after we take some pictures of the sunflowers.

When we returned, it seemed everyone had the same idea. The line to order was quite long and slow with only one register in operation. They hadn’t anticipated such a huge lunch crowd of sunflower patch visitors spilling over into the cafe. I guess I hadn’t either. But I patiently waited in line while my friend got a table for us.

I finally ordered, paid and received one of those buzzer thingys then headed to the table. The fish dinner was $14.99.

The food prep took a lot less time than the initial wait. I picked up my order at the kitchen window, collected utensils and ketchup, napkins, etc. at the little condiment station and finally sat down to eat.

Everyone was incredibly friendly. All customers very patient. I think we were all so happy to be there!

Location: Bailiwick Market & Cafe is located at 441 Route 5, Elbridge, NY 13060. I have passed it on my way to Auburn or Skaneateles many times – I’d always say to myself, I should investigate that place. It looks so cute!

The building has been in operation since 2016 or maybe it was renovated then. It is a spectacular place – a restaurant and cafe, a music venue, there is an ice cream station, and it operates as a store selling artisan goods.

I bought Pablo a fish-shaped cat nip toy for $8.00. He loves it!

Parking: There is an ample parking lot, although we arrived at around 11:30 AM when there were several available spaces and when we left the parking lot was full.

I highly recommend Bailiwick Market & Cafe. It is an absolutely lovely place.

Cafe Hours

Mon – Wed   7AM – 7PM

(Kitchen closes at 7pm)

Thurs – Sat  7AM – 9PM

(Kitchen closes at 8pm)

Sunday        7AM – 5PM

(Kitchen closes at 5pm)

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Bistro 1926

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Bistro 1926 has weekly specials. Yesterday was Fish Friday! I went to dinner with Mom and Kathy. We all had the broiled fish.

Presentation: The presentation was superb. This is the first fish dinner in all of the ISO fish fry locations that provided a dollop of ketchup on the side in its own cute dish on the plate! We all had identical dishes – I love the blue one, don’t you? Perfection!

Taste: We all were, like, we are not even hungry, why are we here? Then – OMG – the fish just melts in your mouth. Mom kept saying it was so tender. It was delicious! The fries were too salty. I should have said something before we ordered (like, maybe, hold off on the salt, IDK) so, my fault. The coleslaw was not particularly flavorful. Kathy loved it. But the fish was incredible. So good!

Restaurant Experience: We arrived at around 5:30 PM. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot. I dropped Mom and Kathy at the door and parked the car. I was hoping it wouldn’t be a long wait to get a table without a reservation. When I arrived inside, there were only two other dining groups. Lucky break!!! The rest of the people were gathered around the bar area. When we’d finished, all the dining tables had been occupied.

The waitress was lovely. She took our orders right away. We didn’t need to look at menus. She brought drinks then the food arrived in less than fifteen minutes. All three plates at the same time. It was just a perfect experience and a wonderful way to do an early Mother’s Day thingy. I mean, we were missing our fourth, but Sophie was busy last night.

Location: Bistro 1926 is the restaurant at Drumlins Country Club, 800 Nottingham Road, Syracuse, New York 13224. In the ’80s, Dad was the banquet chef at Drumlins, so this spot holds a special place in our hearts.

Hours of Operation

Monday4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Tuesday – Friday11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
SaturdayBrunch 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dinner 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
SundayBrunch 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Call (315) 446-4555 for more information.

Parking: There is a large parking lot at the country club where members can golf, swim, play tennis, hang out at the bistro or host events in the banquet hall. The restaurant is open to the public.

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Dave’s Diner at Common Grounds

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Today is Orthodox Good Friday. Mom and I went out to get haddock for lunch. We discovered the Haddock-Ma-Jig at Dave’s Diner. Wow! Or as Mom said, Wow-ie!!!

Presentation: The Haddock-Ma-Jig sandwich is fried haddock in a grilled cheese. The Italian bread is heavily buttered and toasted. It is served with a little mini fryer basket full of peppered french fries and a small bowl of mayonnaise-laden coleslaw all presented on an aluminum tray.

Taste: Yes – Wow-ie to the taste. It was incredible. That mix of gooey hot American cheese, the crunch of that toasted Italian bread and hot, juicy haddock, OMG, sooooo good. It was just magnificent!

The fries were salty but it was the perfect amount and the coleslaw was heavy on the mayo. You can tell by my after-eating shot that I ate everything on my plate. I gave Mom my pickle slice though.

Restaurant Experience: I LOVE this restaurant. The waitstaff and kitchen crew are all lovely people. They were helpful and considerate. We were seated by the hostess. The waitress came right over. Mom was a bit impatient with the wait for the food but I think it only took, like, maybe twenty minutes to fry the fish then grill it into the sandwich. I will definitely come back – I was here last month with my friend, Elaine, but we didn’t have the haddock because it is only served on Fridays.

Truth-be-told, I thought the Dave’s Diner in Manlius was the same restaurant so Mom and I went there first because it is closer to where we live, but they were out of fish at 1:00 PM AND we were told that they were not affiliated with this Dave’s Diner. Good to know. It all worked out in the end. (Thanks, universe).

Location: Dave’s Diner at Common Grounds is located at 35 Albany Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035. Call (315) 815-4300 for more information. I know they don’t accept reservations, they have some outdoor seating and everything on their menu is amazing. They serve breakfast all day until they close. I believe they are only open until 3:00 PM. Also, they just opened their ice cream stand today, so that is reason enough to head out there.

Parking: There is a small parking lot in front of the building. There were plenty of open spaces today when we arrived at 1:15 PM. This is the small shopping plaza housing Cazenovia Artisans, as well as a drug store/pharmacy.

ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry: TK Tavern on the Hill

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Elaine is in town and she was game for an adventure that included a fish dinner. We GPSed it to TK Tavern on the Hill in Camillus, New York. It’s not far from the Macedonian church on Onondaga Hill!

This is a true tavern with a mahogany bar, a pool table and tonight, a live band playing in the dining area.

Presentation: How cute is this presentation? Black plate and this darling little french fry container. We both ordered the broiled cod

Taste: I ate the coleslaw first – perfection! All cabbage, no extra stuff. The fish was delish and the fries were very salty and crispy, but good.

Restaurant Experience: The place was “hopping” on this Friday night. People at the bar or playing pool while listening to a three person band called Escape. It was pretty loud so dinner conversation was at a minimum. Everyone was friendly.

You order at the bar, pay and they give you one of those buzzer thingys to pick up the order when it is ready – so no waitstaff. The table was bussed from the previous diners about halfway through our meal. But I think that was the fun of this place. Good food, fun people and a lot of happy.

Location: TK Tavern on the Hill is located at 3855 Split Rock Road, Camillus, New York. Call (315) 320-4070 for more information including hours of operation. I believe they only do the fish fry on Fridays.

Parking: There’s plenty of parking in the lot that surrounds the building. It isn’t well paved so on this rainy night it was a bit muddy. This is a casual place – save your stilettos for a different restaurant.

ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Arby’s

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I went to Arby’s to get their limited time special – the Crispy Fish Sandwich with Crinkle Cut fries.

Presentation: I went to the drive-thru at the Arby’s on Erie Blvd in DeWitt, New York. I took the food home. It was in a bag. The fish had been wrapped in wax paper. When I took it out of the bag it was a bit soggier than images of the food on-line. It was supposed to be on a sesame seed bun but mine looked like a brioche bun.

Taste: I enjoyed the meal. The fries smelled amazing all the way home. I didn’t sneak any because I wanted to photograph the meal. I live about five minutes away from the restaurant.

The fries were very salty. The fish was juicy due to the generous tartar sauce and, coupled with the lettuce, it tasted great. I enjoyed eating it all. Afterwards, I felt like I wanted more. That salt thing – it makes you want to eat and eat, and eat and thirst.

Restaurant Experience: The guy at the drive thru was so friendly. The food was $8.75. I did not go into the restaurant. It took about five minutes to order and collect the food. 

Location: Arby’s are located all across the United States. This one is at 3250 Erie Blvd East, DeWitt, New York 13214.

Parking: There is an ample parking lot and not a huge line at the drive-thru last night around 5:30 PM. It was perfect in terms of a quick meal and convenience. Faster than I thought it would be.

I recommend Arby’s for fast food fish. If you go to the web-site, they have other fish options including a cheddar cheese one called Fish N Cheddar and another one called King’s Hawaiian Fish Deluxe. 

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Eclectic Eats

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On a recent excursion to The Eclectic Chic, an antique store in Oneida, Janine and I decided to try the fish fry at the restaurant inside the store. It is located on the left side of the store.

Presentation: I had the potato chips and my friend had the fries – we shared them. The chips were homemade! They came in these darling little mini fryer baskets. The coleslaw was a pretty pink, the fish presented on a toasted brioche roll. 

Taste: So good! They use canola oil in the fryer. The french fries had a crunch to them. The fish was crispy on the outside and flaky/juicy on the inside. Perfecto! The coleslaw had a lovely sweetness. I really enjoyed this meal.

Restaurant Experience: The restaurant portion of the antique store is quaint, as though you’ve just stepped into an episode of the Andy Griffith Show. It is called Eclectic Eats. Everyone is so friendly. They take pride in what they do. There was joy on the face of the chef as he prepared the meals. The food is made to order and took about twenty minutes. We browsed the vendor shoppes as we waited while carrying those buzzer thingys, like they have at Panera, to corral us back to the restaurant when the food was ready. 

There are daily specials including prime rib, burgers and sandwiches. Lots of choices. Fish is on the menu every day, not just on Friday. It is like this amazing secret delicious place. Go once and you will decide to be a regular. It’s just amazing!

Location: Eclectic Eats is inside The Eclectic Chic Antique store, 2044 Glenwood Shopping Plaza, Oneida, NY 13421

Parking: Tons of parking!!!!!! It’s in a shopping plaza.