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Fish Type: Lake Perch     Price: $10.29

Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.

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

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Comment: I like Dexter’s. While it may not be the swankiest place out there, it has a nice vibe, a stellar beer selection, and a focus on fresh, tasty food. I’ve been a big fan ever since my first visit back in 2008 and often find myself recommending it to people who want to stay in Madison, but still want variety on a Friday night. It always goes over well.

I showed up solo this time – a quick lunch on my mind. The bar was fairly crowded, but I easily found a stool and caught the bartender’s eye (The Great Taste of the Midwest was in town and a bunch of sud suckers were bellied up for lunch). She came right over with some menus even though I didn’t really need one (I had lake perch on my mind). Regardless, I perused the offerings while she grabbed me a drink and while doing so couldn’t help but notice something strange. While Dexter’s famous bluegill was nowhere to be found a surrogate Sunfish stood in its place. I was oh-so tempted by the alien arrival, but stuck to my guns and picked the perch – biting my lip the whole time.

As expected, my $10.29 plate came in 5-7 minutes and was scalding hot all around - there’s no B.S. at Dexter’s. I jumped right into the steam pit and nearly got burned. Each of the seven fillets was lightly breaded, totally grease-free, and simply delicious. They were on the smallish side, but remained tender and moist – just how perch should be. While almost perfect, a little more seasoning in the breading would help, but of course, we are nit-picking. This stuff is simply great.

If big portions are your thing Dexter’s has you covered (in waffle fries). A veritable mountain of the perfectly-fried grids bonded beneath the fish forming the perfect perch for the perch. The spuds were spicy and crispy, what I’d call superb. Even though I polished off every last crumb I have to believe most souls wouldn’t fare as well as yours truly. In fact, I have seen some of the best Fish Fryers fail to reach the summit.

Any great fish should be paired with a great tartar sauce, and Dexter’s plays matchmaker perfectly. The homemade brew is sweet and zesty, blending with the perch to create a flavor sensation neither could achieve on its own.

The Fish Fry at Dexter’s is the same whether you go for lunch of dinner, and as such you are given a dinner roll. While it is a pretty basic bun I’m not one to complain since there are plenty of places that have phased out the staple starch altogether. For some reason a reasonable slaw continues to elude Dexter’s and while this rendition was decent, it didn’t quite do it for me. While it masquerades as a thin, vinegar-based mix, there is none of that vinegar pop that grabs you by the back of the throat and lets you know what’s what. At least it wasn’t overloaded with onion this time (as has been Dexter’s downfall in the past), but it just wasn’t as good as everything else.

When all was said and done, I was in and out of the North Street nook within 20 minutes - like a thief in the night (although being a good Wisconsinite I did pay my tab in full and gave the lovely barkeep a nice tip to boot). Everything about this visit lived up to the lofty expectations I have placed on Dexter’s (a side or two of slaw aside). Overall, I highly, highly, highly recommend the lake perch at Dexter’s and will continue to do so until the give us reason not to and I seriously doubt that’s gonna happen any time soon.



www.dexterspubmadison.com/
301 North Street
Madison, WI 53704

(608) 244-3535