Fish Type: Smelt Price: $10.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.
Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Excellent Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |
Comment: There simply isnt enough smelt around in this day and age. Rarely if ever do you find the most diminutive of frying fish, and when you do its usually at some sort of special event. It really is a shame since smelt has strong roots in Wisconsin and when fried just right offers a truly exceptional taste.
If you can find an AYCE Smelt Fry like the one at the North Bristol Sportsmens Club make sure you go to it. Smelt are small and if the fish is good you are going to want to eat a good 20 to 30 or so of them, so having them portioned out ahead of time can really cramp ones style. Dexters has established itself as one of the preeminent Fish Fry joints in Madison and recently kicked off a Wednesday Night Fish Fry in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure on their Friday feed. We paid them a visit last week and had our choice of cod or walleye, but this week they changed things up a little bit, and I would say its definitely for the better. This week they still had the cod, but also added crappie (a little odd, but intriguing), and wait for it wait for it SMELT!!! Needless to say I was wasnt about to miss an opportunity to get my smelt on.
While its not an AYCE smelt feed, Dex gives you around 12 fish for your 10 bucks. Its a good deal all things considered, and of course, it comes out steaming hot (Dexters would never server cold fish, theyre good like that). Unlike other smelt you might find, Dexters puts in some serious prep work to get the little buggers ready. Not only are the heads and tails chopped and the guts cleaned out, but they actually go the extra mile to fillet each and every one of them. From there they coat them in their signature light breading and fry them to golden-brown perfection. The fishy taste of the smelt is well complemented by Dexters spicy breading, and while the filleting causes them to be almost totally flat, it also causes them to be totally delicious. For a first soirée into smelt, Id say Dexters knocked it out of the park. Hopefully they stick with it.
Even though there are a ton of side options I find it almost impossible to shy away from the waffle fries, and this round reiterated why. The pile of spicy spuds was huge, and delicious as all get out. They are literally the worlds perfect waffles and you simply cant do better. End of story.
Some places use tartar to cover up the flavor of their fish, but Dexters diverse blend enhances the taste of the freshwater finsters rather than replacing it. Every iota of the thick mix was sopped up by the smelt and left me grinning from ear to ear.
Even on Wednesday youll find a half-slice of rye with Dexters fish and while this piece was on the dry side, it was still the rye you like, and paired with a big cup of Dexters homemade slaw. Its a dynamic duo if ever there was one.
Smelt can be a tough hill to climb, but, as expected, Dexters planted their flag at the summit without much difficulty. While Id like to see a few more of the tiny fish on the plate, the $10 price tag is fair when you consider all you get. Overall, we highly recommend the smelt at Dexters and really hope they keep it around. Its a nice change of pace from the usual Friday suspects, and gives Wednesday something special to hang its hat on. If it sticks around Ill definitely be back for it, you should give it a shot too.
www.dexterspubmadison.com/
301 North Street
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 244-3535