Fish Type: Lake Perch Price: $14.00
Overall, I would recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Excellent Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: Kristis is more gourmet than what were used to. The restaurant is in a fancy mansion on a hill in New Glarus and the everyday menu is as swanky as most youll find Madison. Luckily for us they have a Fish Fry special on Fridays which is affordable for a family of three.
For $14.00 you get your choice of lake perch or cod and since we were the first patrons of the evening everything happened in a flash. The owners daughter, Hannah, got us a basket of warm rolls the second our butts hit the seats allowing us ample time to soak up the superb starch. These homemade morsels were ultra-plush and doughy and had a little something sweet which made the Grassland butter extra delectable.
The fish followed in short order and looked impressive. Four fat lake perch lorded over the plate and were so large it made me wonder if they were real yellow perch. While they could have just been on the beefy side, my gut tells me they were likely a different species of perch. Regardless, the fish was flaky and highlighted by a light panko breading with a noticeable amount of dill. Overall, it was good, but not what Id call the genuine article.
In lieu of French fries (this place is fancy after all), some parmesan potatoes played the part of side dish. The cubed spuds were slathered with a thick parmesan sauce which was decent, and well thought out, but as a fry guy Id still rather just have those.
Some truly tremendous tartar buddied up to the perch with a thick texture and potent punch. Its creamy substrate overshadowed some dilly undertones just enough so that you knew the herb was there but just barely.
Finishing things off was some buttermilk slaw that had a nice consistency and good flavor. Like everything else, it was well-balanced and added to the experience without drawing a bunch of unwanted attention.
Just because a place is fancy doesnt mean they cant make a mean Fish Fry, but they often tend to overthink things, or try to overdo it with unique spins. This is a perfect example of pushing the envelope just enough without going overboard. The dill in the breading worked, the parmesan potatoes were unique without being pretentious, the tarter was outstanding, and the homemade slaw and roll were divine. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry, and think it adds another fine option to the New Glarus Fish Fry scene.
kristisrestaurant.com
119 5th Avenue
New Glarus, WI 53574
(608) 527-2012
