Fish Type: Cod Price: $11.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Excellent Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: Decoy noun \ˈdē-ˌkȯi, di-ˈ\
1: someone or something used to lure or lead another into a trap; especially: an artificial bird used to attract live birds within shot
2: someone or something used to draw attention away from another
Weve all been there. Someone says, Hey, this place has great fish, you gotta try it only to find out its not all its cracked up to be. These ploys have lured us in before resulting in a many-a wasted Friday, and some hurt feelings along the way. Wed heard similar honkings of fantastic fish at the Decoy Bar & Grill in Edgerton, and knew the potential consequences, but decided to roll the dice anyway (thats what we do after all). Luckily for us, sometimes the flock is right, and delicious fish is our reward.
The Decoy is kind of an odd place, and when we pulled into their lot around 7pm we werent sure what to think. From the outside it resembles a Country Kitchen or some other nondescript family restaurant. Oh great, I thought, were gonna get burned on this one. Once we got inside and saw that they were busy some relief came over us, but still not enough to put our minds at ease. The Decoy is not your typical bar/restaurant in fact wed say it is more of a restaurant/bar (that is more restaurant than bar). It is well lit, featuring dining tables instead of pool tables, and daily special boards in lieu of dart boards. We grabbed a spot on the jut of the huge bar and ordered some drinks from the bartender when she came by. Since we were already bellied-up we passed up the opportunity to grab a table and just ordered our fish from a waitress after the first girl left our drinks and never came back.
On Fridays the Decoy offers two sizes of fish: $11 for a 5-piece cod, or $9 for a 3-piece. The service wasnt exactly crackerjack and it took about 20 minutes for our food to find us, but it was still hot when it did. I dug into piece one of five instantly and was very pleased with the preliminary results. The cod was simply delicious, and grew on me until I was actually a little sad when the last piece was gone. It was rich and tasted like it was baked first then fried as a distinct buttery flavor came through at the end. It was sheathed in a delicious breading which was Wilsons-esque, but even a bit better. The flavorful coating clung to the stark white cod very well and brought a welcome contrast creamy fish.
While the variety of fish may be lacking, three different potato choices picked up some of the slack. Of course, we skipped the baked, but some thick-cut crinkles and Boston baked with cheese found their way to our plates. I didnt get my paws on the Boston baked, but reports were that the crinkles were superior anyway. My generous pile of crinkle-cuts were well fried but remained a little on the limp side which I actually dont mind, especially since they were well-seasoned.
The fish was good enough to stand on its own two fins, but was further enhanced by the Decoys homemade cup of tasty tartar. The splendid sauce was thick and creamy, with the perfect amount of zest. Its tastiness was mirrored by the competent coleslaw which came in the next-size-up solo cup. The thick was abundant as the creamy goo practically toppled over the rim. It sported a smooth zip without a hint of raw cabbage flavor.
We have become more than accustomed to the standard pre-packaged-tear-off style dinner roll, but apparently the norm is just not good enough for the Decoy. They upped the ante and doled out a real roll, complete with room temperature pat of butter. Its spongy innards were fully enclosed by a delightfully crispy crust which was a welcome change of pace from the old standby.
Looks can be deceiving. Sometimes a place looks the part only to pull the wool over your eyes when you actually sample their Friday fare. Conversely, another place might come across as Dennys for drunks and totally blow you away with superbly fried fish. Thankfully, this Edgerton exclusive falls into the latter category. Overall, we highly recommend the Fish Fry at The Decoy and will make it a point to visit them again before too long. I know weve said that before, but this time we mean it. No foolin.
1105 North Main Street
Edgerton, WI 53534
(608) 884-6688
