Fish Type: Walleye Price: $16.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Fair Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Excellent Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: We have a newborn. This is truly a great thing, but when it comes to Friday Night Fish Fry it throws a bit of a wrench into the works. I dont think Im alone when I say that taking kids (especially ones that are two months old) out for fish is not the easiest of tasks. Most of the good places have long waits on Friday nights and for some reason kids just dont seem to like hanging out and having a couple drinks at the bar (strange, I know). This is why weve gone to Stalzys Deli a couple of times recently. Not only does Stalzys have a great Fish Fry, but they usually arent very busy on Friday nights. Usually
We touted the accessibility of Stalzys in our last review, and perhaps word got out? Im not sure if we have that much clout, but this trip to the Atwood Avenue eatery was a significantly different story. It was about as busy as Stalzys can possibly be and basically ever seat was taken. I was shocked.
Luckily for us, a family in a similar situation noticed our arrival and quickly finished their dinner to avail us of their table. It was very generous of them and clearly one of those unspoken rules of parenting. We ordered at the deli counter, dropped a tip in the jar, and had a seat without so much as a peep from junior. Things were going (surprisingly) well.
On our previous visit I got a whole bread plate/relish tray just for me. This time around we had two fish eaters but still only got the one plate. While the carrots, celery, radishes, and bread were still more than enough, the single cup of slaw went quickly. Regardless, it was still a lot more than most places include with their fish so you really cant complain. The rye was righteous and the slaw was made in-house and had a near-perfect consistency.
Since it was busy, the fish took a while to fry which was a total one eighty from our previous visit. When it did show its fins the pieces were large, but not as big as weve come to expect. The fish was pristine, and flaky, but fried longer so everything was a little firmer. The resulting breading was crispier, making the fish a little less desirable than flawless walleye weve become accustomed to.
Next up were the potato pancakes which were disappointing to say the least. They still had their trademark taste but were clearly fried well before the fish and served cold. The lukewarm cakes made the accompanying applesauce and sour cream 100% necessary.
The last variable in the equation was Stalzys tartar which was the same thin, but tasty blend. It coated the crispy walleye adequately, but as weve said in the past, was far from ideal.
Places that have great fish and no wait on Friday are few and far between. These are the unicorns of the Fish Fry world and some of the few spots where you can actually take an infant and hope to get in and out without a total meltdown. Stalzys has historically been one of these mythical beasts, but I fear the cat may be out of the bag. This time around wasnt as easy as we hoped itd be, but it was still manageable (even if the food did regress somewhat). Overall, we still highly recommend the walleye Fish Fry at Stalzys Deli, and will likely be back to try our luck again soon.
stalzysdeli.com/
2701 Atwood Ave
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 249-7806
