Review
When most people hear the term Fish Fry the first thing that jumps to their mind is beer battered cod. Cod has become the most common fish eaten at Fish Frys mostly due to the light texture and inoffensive taste. The mild fish is basically a canvass on which a batter masterpiece is meant to be painted, and in Wisconsin we have some of the best artists around. The Van Gogh of the genre resides in the small town of Poynette - about 45 minutes north of downtown Madison.
These masterpieces fried here are available for a mere $11, and while it isn't an "All You Can Eat" Fish Fry, the 5-piece is perfectly portioned. When most people think of batter fried fish they think of a thick, gooey, greasy mess - this is far from the case at the Owl's Nest. This beer batter is special; it is light, grease-free, and tastes simply marvelous. It complements the pristine cod perfectly without taking all the focus off the flaky fish. It is flat-out the best beer battered cod around, and even though the Owl's Nest features a lightly breaded version of the cod, we can't bring ourselves to try it again. While both styles are great, if you can only choose one, we'd go with the booze infused coating - there is just something special about it.
With your fish you'll receive a hefty portion of thick-cut Julienne fries, some rye bread, and cups of house-made tartar sauce, coleslaw, and baked beans. Everything, save for the fries, will come before the fish, giving you some time to dive into the goodness. The slaw will be good, falling in the creamy end of the spectrum with a nice zippy finish; the baked beans will be a nice addition the meal (they don't come standard with most Fish Frys), but won't blow your socks off; and the rye bread will be superb. While many are not fans of rye, it is the traditional bread served with Fish Frys and thus we appreciate it. The dark rye served at the Owl's Nest pairs nicely with the coleslaw, adding a nuance to the meal that is hard to find elsewhere.
While it may seem like a long way to go for some beer battered cod, the trip to Poynette is worth every drop of gas. The fish is simply superb, and serves as a shining example of what every Fish Fry should be.
Inside Tip: Ice Cream Drinks...
A bellyful of fish is made all the better by a delicious homemade Grasshopper, Pink Squirrel, or Brandy Alexander - specialties at most supper clubs, but especially at the Owl's Nest. What's more, you know the place is a classic supper club when they give you a 50 cent piece as change.
*If you MUST stay in Madison and still want beer battered cod there are a lot of options, but they all pale in comparison to the Owl's Nest. The best local option is Quivey's Grove on Madison's south side. For some reason The Avenue Bar often tops the annual "Best of Madison" lists, but in our opinion they are mostly getting by on reputation, and while their beer battered cod is fine, it has slipped in quality over the past few years. Quivey's Grove has usurped their thrown and is still All You Can Eat and still delicious, just not Owl's Nest delicious.
Next: Lake Perch at Chico's Villa Tap.
Previous: Bluegill at Toby's Supper Club.
In recent years the popularity of smelt has waned. That could be in part because the catches have been smaller since the mid-1980s, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Luckily there are still a few great ones out there, if you know where to look.
The area's smelt fry of record is currently at the North Bristol Sportsman's Club, northeast of Sun Prairie. It recalls the heyday of smelt. First and foremost, it's all you can eat (or at least, all you can fit on your plate on two trips through the buffet line). The smelt are lightly breaded and delicious, and there are a ton of amazing sides to choose from. The cheesy potatoes, scooped right out of a giant foil tray, are brilliant -- rich and gooey with a cornflake topping that evokes memories of high school athletic banquets. The potato pancakes are perfect, and the coleslaw is creamy. On the table sits a bottle of tartar sauce and one of shrimp sauce for those looking for a change of pace. Bread and coffee are also available, and some crispy fried chicken is on hand for those wary of smelt.
However, there's only one smelt fry left at the North Bristol Sportsman's Club this season -- Saturday, April 12. Doors open at 4 p.m.; serving starts at 5 p.m. Get out there if you want to sample the best the area has to offer.
While smelt season is winding down in North Bristol, it's just kicking off at the Owl's Nest in Poynette. Here, the smelt is all-you-can-eat but comes with limited coleslaw, baked beans, french fries and rye bread. The slaw, beans, bread and tartar will hit the table first. Be sure to establish a base for the smelt that is to come. And come it will. The Owl's Nest holds nothing back when it comes to smelt, and the plates come stacked high with golden fried goodness.
As in Bristol, the smelt are lightly breaded in a well-seasoned mixture that takes some of the edge off the fish without stealing their thunder. It's not unusual to put away 20 to 30 of the tiny divers, especially when they're interspersed with some of the supper club's french fries. The smelt menu is served Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through April 17.
Dexter's Pub has established itself as one of Madison's preeminent fish fry joints. It recently kicked off a Wednesday night smelt fry. While it's not all-you-can-eat (diners get around 12 fish), it's still a good deal.
Dexter's puts in some serious prep work. Not only are the heads and tails chopped off and the guts cleaned out, but the kitchen goes the extra mile to fillet each and every one of them. From there, the fish are coated in Dexter's signature light breading and fried to golden-brown perfection. The filleting causes the smelt to lie totally flat, which for some reason also causes them to be totally delicious. Dexter's also does due diligence with the sides and offers a slice of rye to top things off.
While most places serve smelt only for a certain period in the spring, there are still a few restaurants that offer it every day, year-round. The Beach House in McFarland is one. The smelt there are lightly dusted with a superb seasoned breading. These are some of the best smelt you'll find in the area, and they come with the standard sides. It's a great option for those who don't want to (or simply can't) wait for the spring smelt season.
Luckily for us, with Christmas Eve falling on a Friday, the Owl's Nest decided to offer their otherworldly delight the preceding Thursday. We seized the opportunity, and arrived at the classic supper club just before 7pm, during what would be normally be the busiest portion of a Friday evening. Christmas Eve-Eve turned out to be a blessing, and as soon as our group of four wheeled around the bar we were led directly to one of the available tables in wood panel laden the dining room.
The speedy waitress came over instantly, and took our drink orders. When she came back with our Cows we filled out the parley card with beer-battered cod for the fish eaters, and fettuccini alfredo for our vegetarian. Prior to receiving the entrees three bowls and one basket graced our presence. The first bowl was loaded down with a massive scoop of tartar sauce, the second with coleslaw, and the third with baked beans. We pounced on the slaw and beans almost immediately, and took generous portions of each. The slaw was clearly homemade, and while it wasn't really creamy, it tasted very good. Whereas the beans were a nice addition to the Fish Fry staples, but just so-so. The basket that joined in the fun was stockpiled with above-average white rolls, and marvelous marble rye slices. The melding of spoonfuls of slaw, and bites of buttered rye set the stage perfectly for the sweetness that was to come.
The heavenly cod was good enough to stand on its own, but when combined with the practically perfect tartar, it jumped to another level. The superb sauce was incredibly thick and zesty with an ideal amount of relish. The once proud bowlful that gleefully taunted us through the coleslaw and beans was a shadow of its former self by meals end.
Alongside the fish rode a pale stranger in the form of thick Julienne cut French fries. These were the kind of fries you come to expect at traditional supper clubs, and while they were fine, they won't blow your socks off. That said, for this style of French fry, they were above average, and did what was necessary while allowing the fish to lead the charge. At the Owl's Nest rodeo the fish is the head buckaroo, as it should be at any good Fish Fry.
When people hear the term "Fish Fry" they expect beer battered cod to be the featured fish. We love king cod, but historically have not been huge fans of beer batter, and our rankings have reflected that fact. This was a bit of a shortcoming on our part since the desire of true Wisconsinites was somewhat sublimated by our own personal preferences. Well, thankfully someone has finally stepped to the plate with a beer batter we feel confident calling the best. Overall, we highly recommend the Fish Fry at the Owl's Nest, and feel fully confident situating them atop the heap. If you are a Fish Fry fanatic like we are, this is one you've simply gotta get under your belt.
When all was said and done, we paid our bill, generously tipped our scrupulous waitress, and were rewarded for our patronage with an owl shaped Christmas tree ornament. All in all, it turned out to be a fantastic experience at the Owl's Nest, and a very fitting way to send Gabe off on his big adventure to the West Coast. We'll miss our comrade, but know full well he'll be back, and when he does return we can guarantee he'll have a hankering for some of the best beer battered cod around. Luckily for him we have a pretty good idea where we can find it...
We headed to Poynette not really knowing exactly where the restaurant was but having an idea that it was just off 51 on the north end of town. We drove through what I assume was downtown Poynette and eventually came upon the Owl’s Nest with its bright red neon sign glowing like a beacon in the night. The parking lot was enough to verify that this beacon had brought us to a Fish Fry hotspot, it was packed. We got inside, got our name on the list, got a couple stools at the bar and a couple drinks in our hands; we were ready.
We only had to wait 15 minutes or so and our table was ready too. We headed into the dining area and put in our order almost immediately since we had time to look over our options during the wait. The Fish Fry special at the Owl’s Nest will run you $11 and is cod only but, you do get the option of beer batter or regular batter (obviously you can also get it baked but, c’mon). If you ever read MFF.com you know that I am not a huge fan of beer batter and when given the option almost always go regular. The Owl’s Nest is now the #1 exception to that rule.
I am just going to come right out and say it, this is the best beer battered cod I have ever had. The batter was light and flaky but still had the traditional golden coloring of beer batter. The batter was much more subtle than most beer batters and let the taste of thee cod come through underneath. It wasn’t thick and crispy either, just perfect. The plain fried was not far below either. It had a thin, flaky texture which really let the taste of the fish come through. After trying both styles back to back it was clear the beer batter had something extra. My god it was good.
The French fries were also excellent. They were fried just right and spiced up with Lawry’s season salt or something very similar. The tartar sauce was also just about perfect and the two of us had no problem draining the entire cup worth. Fish, Fries, Tarter…Game, set, match: Owl’s Nest.
The coleslaw served was very average however, but the fact that you get baked beans in addition to it made up for any shortcomings. The dark rye slice was also a nice traditional touch which I gobbled up lickety-split.
Overall, this is a phenomenal Fish Fry. I thought this was going to be much more of a bar atmosphere and when you walk in that is immediately what you are hit with. The dining room is much more Supper Club-y and certainly a family friendly place. The Fish Fry was simply outstanding and the service was just fine. I have no qualms about calling this one of the best Fish Fries in Madison; if you try it for yourself I think you will agree. Thanks for the great recommendation Brooke! We will call next time, and believe me, there will be a next time.
The Owl's Nest is one of, if not the best Fish Fry in the area (and probably the world for that matter). While the place is guaranteed to be busy on Friday night the bar is plenty hospitable and any wait you have to endure will assuredly fly by. Once inside the dining room things run like clockwork and a friendly server will be at your side in short order. While perch is on the menu, the main Friday special is cod which comes beer battered or breaded for $12 or broiled for a buck more. I've never been able to bring myself to order the perch (or the broiled for that matter) since the cod is amazing, but I bet they're pretty good too.
Before the fish, big bowls of baked beans and coleslaw show up along with three slices of dark rye. That's right, three full slices of bread for a single order of fish! Now that's impressive! The slaw is house-made and as creamy as they come. It has plenty of pop, which enhances the surprisingly mellow rye quite nicely. The beans are very welcome addition, and well done (although to be fair there are better baked beans out there - the legumes atPatrick's Grill near McFarland come to mind).
Once you've gotten your fill of these appetizers (or maybe even before that) the fish will show up and it will be hot, Hot, HOT!!! The Owl's Nest's special beer batter is miraculous and as good as they come. It's light and flavorful and pairs perfectly with the flaky cuts of cod. Five generous pieces totaling 14 ounces grace the plate and make for a grand portion that should suit the heartiest of appetites. Of course, if you just can't get enough you can always add extras at a buck a pop. Now that's flexibility!
Lots of thick-cut fries join the party and have a little season salt to give them a kick. The soft spuds are much better than plain crinkles, but not quite the house-cut quality some other places offer.
If you look up tartar sauce in the dictionary there may well be a picture of the Owl's Nest's homemade mix (or at least there should be). This stuff is as thick as glue and just as clingy with a superb pop and ideal consistency. Kapow! Kazzam! Kerplop? Now that's zesty!
Fish, fries, tartar, coleslaw, rye, AND baked beans. If all that wasn't enough to get you excited for the "Old Fashioned Dining" the Owl's Nest has to offer maybe this will - they are one of the few establishments around that still offers a full-fledged salad bar and you can tack it on to the Fish Fry for only $2. Now that's traditional!
The Owl's Nest doesn't mess around when it comes to the Friday Fish Fry and it shows. You get so much food for $12 that even though it's not AYCE it's probably still more than you should eat. Of course, if you want or need more, you can always add a piece or two or take a spin through the salad bar. It really is incredible and everything a Fish Fry can and should be. Overall, we highly, Highly, HIGHLY recommend this Fish Fry and can't wait to take our next drive up Highway 51. Now that's amore!