Fish Type: Walleye Price: $12.00
Overall, I would barely recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Excellent Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: This is one of those Fish Frys. No one knows about it. No one talks about it. No one seems to care about it at all. And maybe theres a reason for that, but then again maybe theres not.
Truthfully, I wouldnt have even known about it if it wasnt for their FISH FRY sign out front on Friday afternoons, but as soon as I found out about it I knew I needed to try it out. First and foremost the Varsity is a great looking bar complete with shuffle board, bubble hockey, foosball, pool, darts, and then some. There are also plenty of TVs and fruit machines, so you know there is fun to be had. On Fridays they have a $10 3-piece cod as well as a $12 2-piece walleye. Both come with all the basic sides.
In all honesty, the cod looks pretty uninspired and delivers on that promise. The Sysco fish featurs a nondescript batter that has miniscule bits of pepper scattered throughout but is otherwise bland. The fish itself is more flaky than mushy and not too greasy although there might be a hint. The walleye is the baby variety and is much better than the adult cod. It features a light breading rather than the beer batter although even it lacks seasoning. The fish is flaky, and quit meaty making for a much more pleasurable dining experience.
There are plenty of sides to pick from, including regular fries, wedges, and bagged potato chips among others. The fries are the standard Sysco skin-on freezer fries and come modestly portioned. There is nothing really remarkable about them save for the amount of salt they are slathered with. The sodium chloride is more than plentiful and while a salt fiend like myself could handle it, many would say they were waaaaay over-seasoned. The wedges were equally average although much lighter on the seasoning. While they appeared to have a Cajun style coating it didnt manifest that way. Regardless, they were plump and well-freid.
When fish is bland it needs a potent tartar and this chunky blend delivers to some extent. Boatloads of relish and a smattering of dill dominate the mix and gives the cod the lift it needs, but is a bit much for the delicate walleye. While it doesnt really leave a lasting impression it is acceptable. A half slice of marble rye leaves a deeper impression and is an unexpected, but welcomed surprise. It has the stank you want and we really have no complaints save for the rock hard butter that accompanies it.
The final piece of the puzzle is the slaw which has a huge horseradish blast and is above average in every way. Its creamy but not soupy, and potent but not off-putting.
All in all this is a pretty solid Fish Fry. I actually liked the bar quite a bit and the food was decent all things considered. The cod was by far the inferior fish and I wouldnt come back for it, but the walleye is a different story. It was much more alluring and a fair deal at $12. Overall, we dont recommend the cod, but the walleye definitely makes the cut.
www.varsitybargrill.com
1205 W Main Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
(608) 318-2729
