Fish Type: Cod Price: $10.00
Overall, I would recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Fair Miscellaneous Score: Excellent |  |
Comment: Madison Fish Fry likes to make the rounds. Sure, we love to have a go-to place, but we look at that more as a fallback than a preference. A while ago we were invited by the owner of Legends to check out their new Fish Fry and thought it was good, not great. Well, after a year long hiatus I decided that last Friday was as good of a day as any to give them another shot and see if they had made any changes. They had.
Gabe and I rolled into the Grand Canyon Drive eatery just before noon and parked ourselves in one of the many, many open booths. We were seated by an angelic waitress who immediately took our orders and went to grab me a beer. We both went for the fish special, with Gabe opting for the garlic mashed potatoes with a salad, and me choosing the French fries and a cup of clam chowder. The beer, salad and chowder came post haste and we wasted no time in diving in.
MFF likes clam chowder, but usually doesnt opt for it unless it is included with the meal, we are glad this stuff was. At first taste it was clear; this chowder is homemade and a definite upgrade over a standard style coleslaw. While it wasnt overflowing with clam, it was nice and thick and was loaded with all sorts of interesting ingredients. Gabes salad also looked nice and fresh although it certainly wasnt unique in any way. Advantage chowder.
I polished off the soup in no time and a few minutes later the Fish Fry appeared, and man, did it look scrumptious. A year ago the fish was haddock, and while there is a chance this fish was too, I am betting on a change to cod. It was served as three nice sized fillets with a tasty beer batter that was not too thick. The fish itself was nice and light (not greasy), but for some reason was not incredibly flaky. The overall taste sensation was really good, and bordering on excellence.
The French fries came on a separate plate (supper club style) and were scalding hot when served. The Julienne cut beauties were perfectly fried and while the flavor wasnt out of this world it was vastly superior to a standard crinkle cut. The tartar sauce was also vastly superior to what I was expecting since on our first visit we were greeted by a dilly mess. The updated sauce of today was much more in line with what I expect at a Fry a rich mayo blend with a hefty portion of relish. This stuff really gave the fish some zest, maybe even a little too much (skimpy on the relish, they were not, but I aint complainin).
Putting the finishing touches on this luscious lunch was some corn on the cob (no sh*t) and some kind of maple syrup toast. The toast was a bit of a regression from the fancy bread they served last time, but the corn was a great addition. It was nice and sweet and the half-ear was a perfect amount when added to the meal. It was a satisfying bonus and certainly garners a little love from us.
There is nothing like a full-fledged Fish Fry served lightning quick by an attentive server. In fact our waitress came back at least five times to check and see how we were doing (although at least two of the visits were to clarify soup/salad and fried/baked), but I still give her credit. Overall, this is an easy Fish Fry to recommend and with all the little perks I would almost say highly so. They certainly have made a lot of changes (almost all for the better) and are really offering a crowd pleaser at this point. Our last trip, we mentioned that a few minor changes could make this Fish Fry renowned and I think they may have achieved that goal. Well be back for some legendary fish at Legends before long, bet on that.
www.legendssportsbarmadison.com/
439 Grand Canyon Drive
Madison, WI 53719
(608) 831-4463
