Fish Type: Cod Price: $9.75
Overall, I would not recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Fair Tartar Score: Fair Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |
Comment: This is one of those Fish Frys. Ive known about it forever, heard it was decent, but for whatever reason never popped in for it. Even Im not sure why I never made the leap, but I just didnt. After looking at my Fish Finder a couple weeks ago I noticed it was still there, and near my office, so I finally did what needed to be done.
The lunch special at B-A-V is a 6-piece cod nugget affair and comes with all the basic FF sides. After 4pm a 2-piece with normal sized pieces is available along with walleye and some other oddballs like fish tacos. Our lunch plate took a little longer than expected to fry and wasnt smoldering hot like we like it. The fish was ok, but as so often happens with small pieces it lost its flakiness. I had to rip and gnaw at it which is never a good thing. The cod was home to a very light and clingy breading that was unfortunately devoid of favor. While these nuggets werent great there is a lot of potential here as we also sampled the 1-piece senior/kids meal which features full-sized pieces and it was much moister and flakier. I guess next time well just come back after 4:00.
The galley fries that come with the nuggets were fine but some were thin and some thick which led to uneven frying. The normal fries that come with the kids fish are Sysco crinkles so the alternative wasnt much better.
The tartar was also basic Sysco and while fine, had a funny aftertaste. Perhaps it was on the verge of spoilage but regardless Sysco sauce usually does what it needs to do.
A football-shaped roll was nicely warmed and paired well with the surprisingly good slaw. While Id guess it was also just Sysco I ate both mine and the kids so there is something there to like.
The Vard is a surprisingly nice bowling alley and the dining area is actually very attractive. Its spacious, has free popcorn and plenty of pool tables. While the lunch Fry missed the mark I think dinner may be much better. Overall, we dont recommend this Fish Fry, but will likely come back some day after 4:00 and see whats what.
www.bowlavard.com
2121 East Springs Drive
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 244-7246
