Fish Type: Lake Perch Price: $14.00
Overall, I would barely recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Excellent Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Poor Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: Sometimes you give a place the benefit of the doubt. Even the best restaurants can have an off-day (or even just an off-plate for that matter) and if given another chance will reward you for your loyalty. Some places have earned this opportunity at redemption and we were hoping this was the case with the Flying Hound.
For starters, our first visit to the Flying Hound was nothing less than exemplary, and we figured they would become a mainstay in our Fish Fry arsenal. This initial encounter featured a couple impressive pieces of cod which had us seeing stars. After a second visit, and a second fish selection, the glitter faded somewhat under the weight of a few tough pieces of perch. Based on the first run-in we believed theyd earned the shot at redemption and figured theyd bounce back in a big way. You could call today the rubber match.
We started our third get-together differently than either of the others with a cup of the Hounds homemade clam chowder. The thick and spicy soup was superb and featured at least five to six nice-sized chunks of clam. While we usually abstain from the chowder we were happy we went all-out this time as it was easily some of the best weve ever had. Really...Ever.
We were early, as we so often are nowadays, so the fish came in the blink of an eye. Salt is the name of the game with the breading at the FH which made it a bit overwhelming. Its pungent and crispy and basically makes the thin fish disappear beneath its sodium sheath. Its a shame because the perch is clearly high quality and while we love a well-seasoned breading we still need to taste the fish to some extent.
Plenty of fries accompanied the briny perch and were fried just right. While we werent sure if they were house-cut after our last visit we concluded they must be after a third helping. They show plenty of skin (which is always a good thing) and there were a bunch of little nubs which you have to assume food distributors (like Sysco) would weed out. Verdict: house-cut all the way.
Helping to make the perch more palatable was the Hounds homespun tartar sauce. It was nothing less than excellent and although nondescript, mellowed the salty fish out. Whereas the slaw tasted funky on both of our previous visits this time around it just tasted fresh and clean. It was an angel hair slaw and still lacked pop, but did what it needed to do. No bread came with the $14 perch plate so there was nothing it could do.
The Flying Hound is still making their way and clearly working out some kinks. While we loved the cod (and if we were to come back wed be sure to get it again), the perch needs a little work. Overall, even with an overly-salty breading, we still barely recommend this Fish Fry due largely to the supporting cast. If and when the Hound starts firing on all cylinders all the time they will be a serious force to be reckoned with.
www.flyinghoundpub.com/
6317 McKee Road
Fitchburg, WI 53719
(608) 310-4422
