Fish Type: Catfish Price: $10.00
Overall, I would recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: You could say I was skeptical. I think you would be too if you were placed in the same situation - that being a dinner recommendation from a reputable source at a less than reputable establishment. The establishment in this case goes by the name Melly Mells and is located in unfortunate confines - a basement room in a block building on a Beltline frontage road in a need-to-know-it-to-find-it kind of place. After a little recognizance and reassurance I decided to give it a go, and figured Id see if Jer was up for it since he is nothing if not open minded.
We found ourselves through the rabbit hole (or the sketchy looking door in this case), just before noon on a majestic Friday. We were a little hesitant to take the final steps down the stairs into Mellys subterranean home, but bravely forged ahead, thoughts of freshly fried fish in our minds. We made our way through the dark hall, eventually emerging at the surprisingly well-lit but windowless dining space.
The dining space in this case was a small room, roughly 20x30 Id say, with a couple high-top tables, and a couple funky dining-style tables. Since no one else was around we had our pick of the litter. We chose a high-top, gazed at the menu for an instant, and then made our way to the counter to put in our orders with Mellys son who was very friendly and quite informative (not just about the food, but also the Maury Povich show which happened to be on not one, but two TVs in the tiny space). Lie detector tests results and Fish Frys, anyone!?
In the case of Melly Mells the fish isnt a Friday special, but is freshly fried to order. There are three of our piscine pals to choose from: Ocean Perch ($8), Catfish ($10), and Tilapia ($?) - Each option coming with your choice of two sides from Mellys expansive list of homemade specialties (and a "free sody-pop"). At one point Melly also had cod on the menu, but it was apparently phased out due to lack of popularity which kinda threw me for a loop. Cod not popular? What is the world coming to? I resigned myself to the perch while Jer went catfish since this was a southern fried cookin kinda place.
The food came about 15 minutes after we ordered and was clearly hand done just for us. The six perch fillets were coated in a light cornmeal breading which was probably the best weve had. It had a nice kick of spice, but was perfectly in balance with the fish. While the corny coating was bordering on being overly-thick for the perch it was nice and crispy which crushed any fishy taste. The same breading adorned the catfish and was the perfect thickness for the clean, surprisingly white fillet. Of the two, the catfish clearly stood out, and wed go that route if we were to return. Mama Mell knows how to fry that Cat!
The list of sides was vast everything from collard greens to spaghetti was represented and I was tempted by several of them. However, since I figured the fish would be unique enough, and I wanted our trip to Mellys to be as traditional as possible, I stuck to my guns, and went for the fries and coleslaw. The fries were thick-cut crinkles and came in a deceptively large portion. While they were well fried, they were fairly standard. Likewise, the slaw was fine, but had a unique taste that I couldnt quite put my finger on. While the consistency was good, and I ate every bit of it, I didnt really like it - weird, I know. Truthfully, I wish I would have just sucked it up and went for the Mac-n-Cheese (which Jer said was phenomenal), and the spaghetti (which is always awesome, I mean, cmon spaghetti?) I chose poorly.
Rounding out the meal was some homemade tartar and a single square of white bread. The tartar was thick and yellowish, and almost had me thinking it was potato salad for a minute. It actually tasted pretty good and had quite a bit of relish, but didnt stand a chance next to the spicy breading on the fish. The bread square was also fine and appeared to be mildly toasted with a little butter and/or grease on top. Unbeknownst to us when we ordered, the catfish gets a bonus cornbread which looked good, but garnered no feedback from Jer.
You know, if Melly Mells was in a cute little building on Lake or Francis they would make an absolute killing with their classic home cooking. As it stands, their basement confines are a huge detractor and even the promise of good food isnt enough to get some people in the door. Location aside, Melly Mells is a fine place with tasty homemade food - its that simple. Overall, we recommend both the perch and the catfish, but would be more apt to tell our friends and family to go there if it wasnt in such a dumpy spot.
www.facebook.com/pages/Melly-Mels-Deli-and-Catering/182956735083524
313 W Beltline Hwy
Madison, WI 53713
(608) 270-9512
