Fish Type: Cod (AYCE) Price: $12.99
Overall, I would barely recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Fair Bread Score: Poor Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: The last time we went to Erin’s Snug for Fish Fry the place was relatively new and even though there were only two of us we had to wait for a while. The AYCE fish was great however and made any delay in eating well worth it. Since the food was so good I knew we needed to come back with a crew that was in the mood for All You Can Eat sometime, and June 5th turned out to be the perfect day for it.
We agreed to meet some friends around 7:00 and were not really surprised when we showed up shortly after the hour and were the first ones there. Last time the Snug was packed, and our party of two waited at the bar for a good 20 to 30 minutes. This trip was drastically different; we got right in and were escorted to a semi-private dining room where we ordered some drinks and waited for the rest of our group. As we waited we looked over the menu. On the last page the Friday special was listed: AYCE Fish Fry $12.99. Well, at least that is what most of the menus said. Gabe got the one out of date one that still had the Fish Fry for $11.99, which in itself was somewhat alarming since the last time we were here it was only $10.95! Regardless of the price, once everyone showed up they almost all went for the AYCE.
On our previous visit we got a basket of rolls before the Fish Fry which were outstanding, but his time there was none to be found. Someone in our group ordered an appetizer platter and I think the bread simply got overlooked, but by the time the fish came I was wishing I had a little. The cod was also different. Last time there were numerous tiny fillets whereas this time I only got two larger chunks. They were still well fried and had a good batter but just were not as fun to eat nor were they scalding hot when served. At an AYCE I also prefer more small pieces since that ensures more trips to the kitchen for freshly fried fish. It is kind of a copout to give you two big pieces which can get cold if you don’t eat them quickly. For this being an AYCE Fish Fry, only two people in our party ordered a second helping even though everyone claimed to have enjoyed it.
The steak fries were very good, although like the fish they could have been slightly hotter. The tartar was also not what I remember it being but was still fine. For the life of me I have no recollection of the coleslaw so I can’t really say much about it. The waitress we had was also very polite and accommodating of our large party.
Overall this trip to Erin’s Snug was a bit of a letdown for me since I had such good memories from the previous visit. Everything about it just seemed to have taken a step back. The fish was not as finely done, the tartar seemed off and things were not served as hot as a Fish Fry needs to be. Perhaps some of this is the result of having a large group but maybe the hike in price coupled with slipping food quality is the reason we had no trouble getting a table at 7pm on a Friday night? Regardless, this trip really takes Erin’s from “Highly Recommendable” into the less-recommendable strata.
www.erinssnug.com
4601 American Parkway
Madison, WI 53718
(608) 242-7616
