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Fish Type: Cod (AYCE)     Price: $14.50

Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.

Fish Score: Excellent
Potato Score: Excellent
Tartar Score: Good
Bread Score: Good
Miscellaneous Score: Good

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Comment: Quivey’s has long been known as one of the best Fish Frys in the area and it shows with their numerous Top 3 finishes in the “Best of Madison” polls. While we’ve never thought they were Top 3 caliber, we’ve always highly recommended their Friday special, and have made it a point to visit them with some regularity over the years.

Since Quivey’s is usually packed on Fridays we decided to show up a little later than normal hoping to avoid the rush (we were also hanging out at the Union Terrace beforehand which made procrastinating ever more enjoyable). We finally pulled in around 8:30 and planned to just dine on the paddock since it was the first Paddock Fish Fry of the year and we didn’t want the long wait usually associated with dining indoors at the Grove. Surprisingly, not only was the paddock practically deserted, but the Stable Grill had open tables all over the place. It was a little bizarre, but our party of five was happy to get a table in the without a wait.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was a slow night, or just that it was late, but our waitress seemed to have had enough of it. It took her a while to come by and take our orders, and she certainly didn’t jump to it after that. It took a good five minutes to get a round of beers, but at least the food was in great shape when it arrived (compliments to the kitchen).

One of the great things about Quivey’s Fish Fry is their All You Can Eat option. While AYCE isn’t totally extinct, not many places are offering it in 2013, and those that are don’t give you the option to add it after your first portion like Quivey’s does. They’ll let you start with the $13 cod and add the AYCE for a couple bucks later if you’re still hungry. Which I, of course, was.

Everything came in one fell swoop and looked fine, although we all would have liked to get our hands on the slaw and bread beforehand. The fish featured Quivey’s classic beer batter which was rich and tasty. The crispy coating was dark brown, and a little thick, but wasn’t over the top. While the fish itself wasn’t incredibly flaky, it didn’t really matter since the batter had enough flavor to pick up any slack. My first three chunks were on the small side and gone in an instant, but luckily round two wasn’t far behind and was more bountiful.

I knew the AYCE fish comes with AYCE fries, but what I didn’t realize is that it’s the same deal with the parmesan potatoes. While the freezer fries are no slouch, the PPs are something special and had I known they were available in multiple rounds I would certainly have gotten them instead. As it was, the fries were well-fried and ample, but nothing extraordinary.

The tartar was also nothing special, even though it was house-made. It simply wasn’t thick enough for the rich cod, and the subtle sweetness of the sauce was overpowered by the big beer batter. At least it wasn’t dilly or anything like that.

Rounding out the meal was a big basket of sourdough slices and some creamy coleslaw. The sourdough was just great, but the slaw could have use a little more pop. If nothing else, both were consistent and did their duty to little fanfare.

If you’ve never been to Quivey’s Grove you really should do yourself a favor and go - it will be worth it, we promise. Overall, we highly recommend the AYCE cod Fish Fry at Quivey’s Grove, and while we don’t think it is the best of the best, it really isn’t too far behind.



www.quiveysgrove.com
6261 Nesbitt Road
Madison, WI 53719

(608) 273-4900