Tag Archives: in search of fish fry

fish fry, ISO - fish fry

ISO Fish Fry – Red Robin

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Mom was in the mood for a hamburger, so we decided to head to Red Robin for lunch. I noticed they had fish on the menu. Cod, not haddock.

Presentation – The fish fry came with steak fries and coleslaw. A knife stabbed into the brioche roll helped to create one of the best presentations of all of my ISO Fish Fry hunts. Doesn’t it look amazing?

Taste – I enjoyed the meal. The sandwich was filled with breaded and fried cod, lettuce, tomato, pickles and tartar sauce. The coleslaw tasted a bit cabbage-y, but good.

The fries were over-seasoned – very salty. We mentioned this to the waitress when she asked how everything was, but not in a complaining way, as we were eating them. She said she could bring us another serving of fries without salt, as they were “bottomless”, which I took to mean you could have an unlimited amount of fries for free? Not sure, but we did get the extra fries, most of which I am saving for tomorrow. They tasted great! I especially loved the non-salted ones because they reminded me of fries Dad would make for us when we were little. Yum!

Restaurant Experience – This restaurant is filled with ambient lighting, fun sports-related artwork on the walls and gorgeous color (mostly red) upholstery. The hostess and waitresses were so pleasant! It is a great place to have lunch. It wasn’t crowded – they have a lot of seating and customers were spread out throughout the space.

Location – This Red Robin is located at 610 Towne Drive, Fayetteville, New York 13066. It is a Bonefish Grill-adjacent building in the Towne Center Plaza. Connect to their web-site for hours of operation and to view the menu.

Parking – There are plenty of spaces in the parking lot, spots very close to the building and additionally, parking for curbside pickup and handicapped spots. Very convenient!

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Sal’s

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I had planned to go to the Atlantic Seafood Company in Baldwinsville. They were supposed to be open until 7:00 pm. They were closed (I don’t know why). As I stood in the parking lot wondering what to do next, Janine drove by…and twenty minutes later four of us were dining at Sal’s New York Style Pizza & Restaurant. Broiled haddock is on their mainly Italian food menu.

Presentation: The haddock dinner came with seasonal vegetables, which ended up being green beans. I also received a side salad and knot rolls. I loved how my meal was served on a red plate. Everyone else got white plates for their respective meals of tortellini, calzone and salmon salad.

Taste: The broiled fish had a ton of paprika on top. While the haddock was perfectly cooked, it and the green beans were very salty. I ate everything because it was $21. I didn’t want to throw money away. I felt like I was two sizes bigger when I left the restaurant. I should have ordered the fish fry with french fries but I thought this was going to be the healthier option.

Restaurant Experience: I remained in the small dining area. There is also a fully stocked bar on the other side of the wall.

Everyone was very nice. There were two hostesses and two waitress. As I waited for my friends, the waitress brought the knots to the table. I received the plain ones because I do not like garlic, which is the norm. They were warm and came with butter. When my friends arrived, another basket of knots, this time garlic infused, was brought to the table for them.

We all ordered different meals. Cooking times must have varied significantly because the meals were not brought out at the same time. I had ordered first, but I was the third of four to be served the main courses. Two of us had salads and it felt weird to eat while someone else was just sitting there.

Location: Sal’s New York Style Pizza & Restaurant is located at 41 E. Genesee Street, Baldwinsville, New York 13207. Call  (315) 638-8505 for more information. I don’t know if they take reservations or not. I was the first one in the dining area and within a half hour it was full. No one indicated they had a reservation.

Saturday11 AM–11 PM
Sunday12–9 PM
Monday(Labor Day)11 AM–9 PMHours might differ
Tuesday11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday11 AM–9 PM
Thursday11 AM–10 PM
Friday11 AM–11 PM

Parking: There is a huge parking lot with plenty of spots because an Ace Hardware shares the lot.

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Lincklaen House

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Janine and I went to Lincklaen House for lunch.

Presentation – We ordered a meal we planned to split and when the young waitress delivered it, the chef had already divided it onto two separate plates for us. I think the plates looked pretty full considering this was a haddock sandwich on a kaiser roll and not the big haddock dinner-sized portion. All good.

Before that, we were offered two delicious pop-overs fresh from the oven. I will eventually forego bread but this day was not that day, lol. So buttery!

Taste – I enjoyed the haddock. I wasn’t that hungry so half a meal was plenty. The fish was a bit dry but nothing a bit of tartar sauce couldn’t cure. I like when the chips in fish and chips are actual potato chips even though I don’t think this is the case if you order in London, England. Not sure when they coined chips for french fries. And why are they French? IDK. These chips were of the homemade variety. Not at all salty. We didn’t have coleslaw. My friend ordered a side salad and she loved the balsamic dressing they used.

Restaurant Experience – Lincklaen House‘s catch phrase is “return to an era of elegant hospitality”. It is a lovely sentiment for a place that has truly transcended time. An old telephone room still exists but more as a curiosity. There are plenty of antique fixtures from the lighting to the marble stalls in the women’s bathroom.

It was not an otherworldly experience, although this place reminds me of the Christopher Reeve film “Somewhere in Time”. We were greeted, in the now, by a friendly hostess immediately upon entering the establishment and offered several options – the downstairs tavern, the main floor indoors or the patio. We opted for the latter. The tables in the patio space were decorated with vibrant sunflower-motif tablecloths. It was a comfortable afternoon with a mild breeze, which made it a perfect day for alfresco.

I have been to several take-out fish fry spots in the area. This was a welcome change – to sit down in a restaurant and enjoy the ambiance as well as the lunch.

Location – Lincklaen House is located at 79 Albany Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035. It is a hotel, tavern, restaurant and pizza place.

  • Dining Available
    Sun-Th 12-9:00PM
    Fri/Sat 12-10:00PM

Call (315) 655-3461 for more information or check them out at www.lincklaenhouse.com.

Parking – We parked on the street in front of the Cazenovia Public Library and walked down the block and across the street. It was around 2:00 pm and there was plenty of street parking. They may have a parking lot behind the building but I did not see it.

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ISO Fish Fry – Brian’s Landing

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I had a work-related late lunch with my friend Dee at Brian’s Landing last Friday. I’ve been wanting to go for a while now. I follow them on Facebook and give a love to just about everything they post.

Presentation: The haddock is Panko breaded and comes with a cute bun, french fries, slaw and a pickle with tartar sauce and a lemon on the side. Everything on one large plate. My friend ordered a burger. My fish dinner looked so good that she decided to order one to go for later. It was $18.00.

Taste: There was not an option to have the fish broiled, unfortunately. It wasn’t my favorite – kinda dry and the breading was like what you put on fried chicken. I did not like the coleslaw. French fries were very salty but super tasty. I didn’t love it.

Restaurant Experience: I do love this restaurant. They have live music in the evenings in the bar area. We ate in the dining room. They also have a new porch/deck area. The waitress was friendly and super quick. It was quiet in there at 3:00 PM. No wait, no need for reservations.

Location: Brian’s Landing is located at 6523 E.Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, New York.

Hours 

& Contact

Regular Hours

Tues – Thu: 4pm – 9pm

Thurs – Sat: 11:30am – 9pm

Sun: 10am – 4pm

Mon: Closed

Email

info@BriansLanding.com

6523 E Seneca Turnpike Jamesville, NY 13078

 (315) 299-5242

Parking: There is a parking lot in the back – some of the spaces are on a slope. From the back, you must climb a flight of stairs. There is a front door too (no stairs) but it faces the street so no parking there.

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Swifty’s

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After viewing the Norman Rockwell exhibit at Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute yesterday, Penny Santy and I had lunch down the street at Swifty’s Restaurant & Pub.

Since it was Friday, I decided to try their fish fry.

Presentation: Pub style beer-battered fish fry is always welcome! It arrived in a basket with homemade hot potato chips, coleslaw and a big helping of tartar sauce.

Taste: In the ’90s I used to love the beer-battered haddock at the Empire Brewing Company in Armory Square in Syracuse. This fish tasted exactly like it – OMG, it was so familiar and wonderful. I didn’t have many of the chips because I wasn’t that hungry and I loved that it was such a small portion of coleslaw. Everything was delish!

Restaurant Experience: We picked the restaurant because it was close to the museum and it was open. There wasn’t anyone sitting in the outdoor seating section and no one was dining in the restaurant. A handful of regulars were seated in the bar area. So – this is not often a good sign, lol, that the food would be good. But, it was around 3:30 PM, which is that in between time, between lunch and dinner. We sat inside near the front windows. It was very clean and comfortable. The waitress was extremely welcoming and friendly. It was such a positive place!

The food came rather quickly. It was an excellent restaurant experience.

Location: Swifty’s Restaurant & Pub is located at 257 Genesee Street, Utica, NY 13501. Call (315) 733-6611 for reservations and hours of operation or visit their web-site. They offer catered parties, take-out orders, live music and a children’s menu. They also have locations in Delmar, NY and Albany, New York!

Parking: We parked on the street in front of the building. It was one of those easy parking manifestations, the way it always seems to happen in movies, so that was nice. There is no parking lot.

art of fine dining, fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Golden Spike Pub

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Three of us had lunch at Golden Spike Pub in the village of East Syracuse last Friday. It is a family-owned and operated restaurant. It used to be called Marko’s Golden Spike after Marko Klapan, a dear friend of my father’s. Dad even worked there, briefly. Now it is run by Marko’s daughter Mary Celletti and her husband Jim, and their children.

Presentation: Jim designed and made all of the tables in the dining room! The room has a rustic feel to it, very welcoming. There is an entrance to the dining room but you can also access it through the large bar area (think Cheers!). We all ordered the fish and different sides. As you can see from the pictures, the presentation is inconsistent – plates used depending on the order. So Mom’s fried fish had the french fries on the plate and my broiled fish had the sweet potato fries in a separate basket.

Kathy had ordered onion rings as an appetizer as well as clam chowder soup for herself. The rest of the food came at the same time. The waitress had to make two trips. We were there around 1:00 PM and it wasn’t crowded. There were three other groups dining at that time.

Taste: This is hands down THE BEST broiled fish in town. It is mouth wateringly good. Buttery, hot, fresh. Mary removes the skin from every piece of haddock in the morning then the fish is cooked to order. They never have leftovers. They order a certain amount, have the fish delivered for Friday-only lunches and dinners, so it is not an every day thing. I came here once with my friend Joey, but we’d arrived after 7:00 PM on a Friday night and they were out of the haddock. That is why Joey thought The Retreat was his favorite fish dinner – because he’d never tasted this!

Everything else was fabulous as well. The sweet potato fries are served with maple syrup on the side and they are delish! I also had the coleslaw. I didn’t try to poach Kathy’s cucumber salad or the macaroni and cheese but I should have! It looks so good, doesn’t it?

Restaurant Experience: It was pretty quiet in the dining room. The waitress was lovely. She came to get our orders right away. I just felt so happy there!

Location: Golden Spike Pub is located at 411 West Manlius Street, East Syracuse, NY 13057. They also do parties and catering. You can contact them by phone (315) 565-5691 or by email GoldenSpikePub315@gmail.com.

They are not open on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in the summer. Call them for updated hours of operation.

You can also find them on Facebook. That’s where they post the daily specials menu. I love everything! They do a superb roast beef sub with homemade chips. In fact, everything is homemade! They have the best food – and you know what a picky eater I am! <3

Parking: There is a parking lot adjacent to the building. I parked at the post office across the street because I was approaching via East Road and the parking lot appeared full. But when I crossed the street I saw plenty of room behind the apartment building next door. Oh well, next time I will know better.