Burger Friday has given up hamburgers for Lent, and is diving headlong into the Friday fish-fry ritual. Here are five suggestions:
Glockenspiel offers a Friday fish fry year-round, but the restaurant goes into overdrive during Lent, with all-you-can consume portion of beer-battered cod (plus a single serving of fries and coleslaw) for $12.95 (from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and $14.95 (from 3 to 9 p.m.). Here's another Lenten bonus: The restaurant accepts reservations for fish fry-eating parties of four or more at dinner.
For its year-round Friday fish fry, the Groveland Tap taps swai. "It's similar to catfish," said kitchen manager Steve Johnson. "Everyone has cod, or pollock, so it's nice to do something different." The beer batter-fried fish (Johnson relies upon Grain Belt Premium) is an all-you-can-eat situation, and the fries and coleslaw are not, "but if someone wants more of either one, I am happy to make that happen," he said with a laugh. Cost is $11.25, and it's served all day, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Johnson's tip: Show up at lunch. "People sometimes have to wait an hour, an hour and a half for dinner," he said. "Lunch is the best bet for getting in without having to wait." As for beer pairings, Johnson suggests going light, something along the lines of the Freehouse No. 1, a crisp, golden Kolsch produced at the Tap's sister restaurant.
At Stella's Fish Cafe, the formula is simple: fried Alaskan cod, golden fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce, an all-you-can-eat situation priced at $14.95.
For its all-you-can-eat Friday fish fry, the Machine Shed offers three Atlantic cod choices: rolled in bread crumbs and fried, beer-battered and fried, or broiled. Side dishes include vegetables and a choice of potato (baked, sweet, mashed, garlic mashed, French fries or sweet potato fries), served from 3 p.m. until the kitchen closes for the night. Cost: $12.99.
All day, every Friday, year round, for $11.95, fun-loving Harry's Cafe offers up four pieces of Alaskan pollock, serving it pan-fried, deep-fried or broiled, and pairing it with a choice of mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or fries. Tartar sauce, too.
