FFC Week 1--The Verona Woods
7th Annual Fish Fry Challenge has begun! This year we're adding a little one (18 mo.) to our fish fry outings.
In starting my 7th year of fish fry reviews, I headed back to the area where it all began--Madison, WI.
As we were scheduled to visit my sister and brother-in-law for the Friday night, I asked her for a recommendation of a place in Madison area that had a fish fry, took reservations, and was toddler friendly. She recommended a fairly new (2017) establishment called The Verona Woods, outside of Madison, in Verona, WI. She made a reservation about a week in advance for 4 adults and 1 child, at 6:30pm.
We arrived that Friday evening 15 minutes early and the restaurant was buzzing in the bar and dining area. First impressions of the restaurant were that it was a high-end restaurant/bar. It was surprising that our table was ready for us, even though we were early. They sat us in a corner at a table made for 6. The host brought us a highchair and to much delight a pack of crayons and a kids coloring sheet. I was very impressed at how kid friendly this seemingly high-end restaurant was.
After we all were sat, our server came by rather quickly and asked for our drink order while we looked over the menu. On the table was a placard that listed the Friday Fish Fry. Beer battered or Baked Cod, served with choice of fries, garlic mashed potatoes, baked potato, or house made cheesy potatoes, coleslaw and a roll. All for $13. And there was a kids menu!
As my sister has been there before, she recommended we get an appetizer-- Crispy Brussels, which were brussel sprouts in a balsamic reduction. We ordered the kids mac & cheese for our little guy, my husband & sister ordered the baked cod, but the spotted cow beer batter fried cod was too hard to pass up. I ordered the beer battered fried cod, garlic mashed potatoes, & coleslaw came with it.
Our appetizer and mac & cheese came out in record time, as it seemed like it came 5 min. later. The crispy brussels were excellent! Very flavorful and grilled perfectly. The mac & cheese for the little guy had spiral noodles and A LOT of cheese. I took a little bite and it was 'ok'. Seemed a little too cheesy, but for a child it was probably tasty.
Our fish fry dinners came out shortly after we finished our appetizer, which seemed really quick. I was in shock when my plate was set down in front of me by the amount of food that was on my plate. I had 3 good size pieces of fried fish, a heaping pile of garlic mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a dinner roll, and of course a cup of tartar sauce. As many of you know I am a tartar sauce fan, so I immediately ordered another cup of tartar sauce (even before I tried it). The others at my table also had very generous portions of baked cod and fries on their plates.
I cut in to my fried fish, and it was so flaky I had to scoop it up with my fork to take a bite. First bite (without tartar sauce) was very good, crispy and a little greasy, but good. The garlic potatoes, were very good. Garlicky, but good. My table thought they had a bit too much garlic in them, but I enjoy garlic and thought mine tasted just right. The coleslaw was 'eh'. It was made with a light vinegar, so it didn't have the milky/mayo consistency to it that I typically like. I only took a couple of bites of that and moved on. The dinner roll was way too hard. It was almost like a pretzel roll, but not really. But I really didn't care for it, so I gave it to my child, but he didn't even want to eat it.
And the tartar sauce....did it have mustard in it?? It was so-so, but I could swear it had a mustard taste to it. I am not a huge fan of mustard so I can detect it when its in a food item, and I'm pretty sure it had mustard in it. The tartar sauce paired with the fried fish was 'ok', not good, not great, but 'ok'. The fish was actually better all by itself and really didn't need tartar sauce. But I really like pairing the two together so of course I did eat them together.
I was able to finish two of the three pieces of fish, and a small portion of the heaping pile of potatoes. Then I was full.
Our server came back a handful of times to check on us, but she really wasn't memorable, as we didn't need much, but she really didn't stick out as going above, but served as expected, and no complaints on the service.
And the results are.....
I was very impressed by the kid friendly atmosphere at at very nice, adult restaurant. The service was as expected, but not memorable. However, the speed for getting our food was excellent!
The fish had a good 'beer battered' flavor, but was a little on the greasy side. The choice of sides were impressive, and the heaping amount of potatoes was surprisingly nice. And I had leftovers!
Fish Fry rating:
For a price of $13, the three pieces of cod, generous amount of side item, coleslaw and roll, this fish fry dinner is worth what you pay for it. I'm glad this place was recommended to us, as I appreciated the kid-friendly atmosphere and the good fish for dinner. I give it a 7 out of 10 rating, as the fish was good, but tartar sauce was a little different, and coleslaw was 'not my type.'
Would I go back, if in the area, again? Absolutely. Great place for adult conversation, food and spirits.
In starting my 7th year of fish fry reviews, I headed back to the area where it all began--Madison, WI.
As we were scheduled to visit my sister and brother-in-law for the Friday night, I asked her for a recommendation of a place in Madison area that had a fish fry, took reservations, and was toddler friendly. She recommended a fairly new (2017) establishment called The Verona Woods, outside of Madison, in Verona, WI. She made a reservation about a week in advance for 4 adults and 1 child, at 6:30pm.
We arrived that Friday evening 15 minutes early and the restaurant was buzzing in the bar and dining area. First impressions of the restaurant were that it was a high-end restaurant/bar. It was surprising that our table was ready for us, even though we were early. They sat us in a corner at a table made for 6. The host brought us a highchair and to much delight a pack of crayons and a kids coloring sheet. I was very impressed at how kid friendly this seemingly high-end restaurant was.
After we all were sat, our server came by rather quickly and asked for our drink order while we looked over the menu. On the table was a placard that listed the Friday Fish Fry. Beer battered or Baked Cod, served with choice of fries, garlic mashed potatoes, baked potato, or house made cheesy potatoes, coleslaw and a roll. All for $13. And there was a kids menu!
As my sister has been there before, she recommended we get an appetizer-- Crispy Brussels, which were brussel sprouts in a balsamic reduction. We ordered the kids mac & cheese for our little guy, my husband & sister ordered the baked cod, but the spotted cow beer batter fried cod was too hard to pass up. I ordered the beer battered fried cod, garlic mashed potatoes, & coleslaw came with it.
Our appetizer and mac & cheese came out in record time, as it seemed like it came 5 min. later. The crispy brussels were excellent! Very flavorful and grilled perfectly. The mac & cheese for the little guy had spiral noodles and A LOT of cheese. I took a little bite and it was 'ok'. Seemed a little too cheesy, but for a child it was probably tasty.
Our fish fry dinners came out shortly after we finished our appetizer, which seemed really quick. I was in shock when my plate was set down in front of me by the amount of food that was on my plate. I had 3 good size pieces of fried fish, a heaping pile of garlic mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a dinner roll, and of course a cup of tartar sauce. As many of you know I am a tartar sauce fan, so I immediately ordered another cup of tartar sauce (even before I tried it). The others at my table also had very generous portions of baked cod and fries on their plates.
I cut in to my fried fish, and it was so flaky I had to scoop it up with my fork to take a bite. First bite (without tartar sauce) was very good, crispy and a little greasy, but good. The garlic potatoes, were very good. Garlicky, but good. My table thought they had a bit too much garlic in them, but I enjoy garlic and thought mine tasted just right. The coleslaw was 'eh'. It was made with a light vinegar, so it didn't have the milky/mayo consistency to it that I typically like. I only took a couple of bites of that and moved on. The dinner roll was way too hard. It was almost like a pretzel roll, but not really. But I really didn't care for it, so I gave it to my child, but he didn't even want to eat it.
And the tartar sauce....did it have mustard in it?? It was so-so, but I could swear it had a mustard taste to it. I am not a huge fan of mustard so I can detect it when its in a food item, and I'm pretty sure it had mustard in it. The tartar sauce paired with the fried fish was 'ok', not good, not great, but 'ok'. The fish was actually better all by itself and really didn't need tartar sauce. But I really like pairing the two together so of course I did eat them together.
I was able to finish two of the three pieces of fish, and a small portion of the heaping pile of potatoes. Then I was full.
Our server came back a handful of times to check on us, but she really wasn't memorable, as we didn't need much, but she really didn't stick out as going above, but served as expected, and no complaints on the service.
And the results are.....
I was very impressed by the kid friendly atmosphere at at very nice, adult restaurant. The service was as expected, but not memorable. However, the speed for getting our food was excellent!
The fish had a good 'beer battered' flavor, but was a little on the greasy side. The choice of sides were impressive, and the heaping amount of potatoes was surprisingly nice. And I had leftovers!
Fish Fry rating:
For a price of $13, the three pieces of cod, generous amount of side item, coleslaw and roll, this fish fry dinner is worth what you pay for it. I'm glad this place was recommended to us, as I appreciated the kid-friendly atmosphere and the good fish for dinner. I give it a 7 out of 10 rating, as the fish was good, but tartar sauce was a little different, and coleslaw was 'not my type.'
Would I go back, if in the area, again? Absolutely. Great place for adult conversation, food and spirits.
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