Fish Type: Cod Price: $13.00
Overall, I would not recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Fair Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |
Comment: The concept is sound (at least when youre in Wisconsin). Brats and beer - the perfect combo, the tailgating standard, the essence of the Wi-Life. It all makes sense, and when the Brat und Brau opened in the Northgate Shopping Center I knew it wouldnt be long before we paid them a visit. Unfortunately, since Fish Fry is my thing, we went on a Friday which meant skipping the brats in favor of the fried cod. Fisch und Brau just doesnt have the same ring to it, and perhaps fittingly since it was nowhere near as good as a brat would have been.
For starters the BuB serves their Fish Fry all day every day, but charges a whopping $13 for it. While $13 isnt totally alarming depending on the setup, when you consider the portion at the Brau its a little silly. While the brats are ridiculously large and overflow the normal-sized buns, the fish comes in a scant 3-piece. The cod was pure and flaky, but the batter had no flavor whatsoever. Zip. Zero. Zilch. It could well have been just plain old flour with nothing else to add any interest. Despite the dullness it was gone in an instant since the portion was so petite.
Usually Sysco tartar is merely an acceptable addition to a Fish Fry, but in this instance it was the fishs saving grace. The single Solo bathed the common cod in tartar-y zippiness and buried the bland fish with real flavor.
Cottage is the name of the potato game at the Brau house and the freezer-fresh fries were fine, but nothing special, and could have been fried a bit longer (I had a couple limpies mixed in with my batch). A plain old dinner roll also didnt do much, but was at least there (for $13 it damn well should be).
Maybe it was simply because everything else was sort of boring, or maybe it was actually good, but the BuB slaw stood out. It was a creamy and colorful rendition that appeared to be made in-house. It had a nice zest, but as I say, it may have just seemed that way because everything else was just kind boring.
If this Fish Fry was more in the $8 price range I could see possibly recommending it, but at $13 ($11 after 5pm on Friday) theres just no way. Overall, I dont recommend this Fish Fry and will certainly be having a brat if and when we come back. Its definitely a bummer since this area could really use a go-to Fish Fry, and the Brat und Brau had a chance to stake its claim. I guess well have to settle for go-to big brats and leave it at that.
www.bratundbrau.com/
2933 N Sherman Ave
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 257-2186
