Fish Type: Cod Price: $12.00
Overall, I would not recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Poor Miscellaneous Score: Good |
Comment:
When a new Fish Fry comes to Madison area I stand up and take notice. Even if it’s just fish and chips at a new brew pub I can’t help but try it as soon as humanly possible, and that is exactly what happened when I got wind of the Lone Girl Brewing Company in Waunakee.
The Lone Girl is the new kid on the block and as such is garnering a lot of attention from the locals. It took a good 30 minutes for us to get a table which was a bit surprising since we figured we were early, but hey, there aren’t a lot of option in the ‘kee so it kind of makes sense. This lovely lassie doesn’t have a Friday Fish special per se, although on our initial visit they did have an atypical walleye preparation (which sold out before we got a chance to order it, so there is a chance a consistent special will manifest). The everyday fish and chips was all that was remained for us and at $12 the haddock seemed like a reasonable deal.
While $12 doesn’t seem overwhelming for a full-blown Fish Fry, once you see the plate the price tag makes some sense. Two pieces make up the entirety of the haddock portion of the meal and fall in the middle of the spectrum size-wise. The flaky fish is home to a fried chicken style breading that has a decent amount of seasoning which perks up the smooth meat to some degree. On both of our visits it leaked a minimal amount of grease which wasn’t enough to ruin it and served as more of a lubricant than anything else. We’d say they should probably bump it up to a $13 or $14 3-piece, but what they have is a good start.
The “chips” contingent is comprised of a mix of regular and sweet potatoes which is something we’ve never seen before (and would probably be happy never seeing again). It’s a bit unheard of, and although both styles somehow remained crispy thanks what appeared to be a light batter, they didn’t really mesh all that well. Obviously, neither were cut in-house-cut, but were acceptable as far as freezer fries go.
TONS of tartar are trotted out with the conservative amount of fish and are really far too much for a couple 3-4 oz pieces. The mix is undeniably made in-house and boasts a definitive lemon essence. It’s not a particularly thick sauce, but not necessarily a thin one either. Unfortunately, it’s a little too sweet for our tastes and didn’t really improve the fish.
Like the unique slaw, and the kooky mix of fries, the slaw was also crazy. It was kinda soupy looking and clearly made right there, but it had heat…and I mean heat. There must have been some Sriracha (Rooster sauce) or something else going on ‘cause I reached for my Towhead time and again while eating it. Again, it was like nothing we’ve seen, and while not bad, was certainly unexpected.
Of course, at a fish and chips affair there isn’t any bread to be found which is one of the main things that separates it from a true Fish Fry. Hopefully it evolves into the real deal one of these days. Oh yeah, this little lady also serves their fish with an orange wedge instead of a lemon which, again, is something we’ve never seen before and would probably be happy never seeing again.
The Lone Girl is a sweet new place with good beer and an amazing outdoor patio, and while the food follows suit for the most part the fish and chips just doesn’t quite make the grade when compared to some of the other great fish our fair city has to offer. Overall, we don’t recommend this Fish Fry, and although we love the place don’t see ourselves coming back for a rubber match at this point. That said, we could see recommending it in the future if a few subtle tweaks are made.
thelonegirl.com
114 E Main Street #101
Waunakee, WI 53597
(608) 850-7175
