Fish Type: Cod Price: $13.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: We went to Alchemy for Valentines Day dinner. It was love at first bite.
It was another early dinner for our family of three, and showing up at 5pm turned out to be a smart move. By 5:30 it was packed and the wait list was filling up. Since we were so early the oil was hot and fresh, and we had no trouble getting a table big enough for all of us. Our food came about 15 minutes after we ordered and looked fancy.
For $13 Alchemy gives you four big pieces of cod, some homemade fries, a sizable cup of tartar, a tiny bit of slaw, and a Pac-Man-looking roll, so even though its on the pricy side you get a lot of food for your buck. Alchemys cod is a unique beast, the likes of which youve probably never seen before. It has a fluffy beer batter that is thick, but also incredibly tasty. Normally we are not fans of thick batters, but this stuff has so much flavor it works, and since the fish is hearty it miraculously balances out. The batter boasts a boatload of cumin which really bolsters the creamy cod and enhances its rich golden-brown color.
The Alchemy fries are made in-house and cut into big, amorphous chunks. The spuds are then lavishly salted and fried to perfection before being place alongside the fish. These babies are a far cry from Mickey Ds and the kind of fries kids probably wouldnt like but adults definitely should.
Next up is some of the craziest tartar you will find. There is so much in the mix it could never be pieced out, but it still tastes great and pairs well with the flavorful batter on the fish. Since there is so much fish the oversized cup is absolutely necessary, and mine was totally drained by the end.
Surprisingly, the share of slaw on the side was super small. It was probably tiniest portion weve ever seen and amounted to a mere three forkfuls. What was there was sweet and fresh with a lemony zest (although that may just have been because the lemon wedge was sitting on top it).
Getting chased around the plate was the Pac-Man roll and his power pellet of butter. This hungry little fella was dense and hearty -- a small powerhouse. Watch out Pinky.
We fell in love with Alchemy years ago, but still like to come back every so often to rekindle our relationship with their Friday Fish Fry, and what better day to do so than Valentines Day. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry, and adore almost everything about it.
alchemycafe.net
1980 Atwood Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
