Fish Type: Cod Price: $12.50
Overall, I would barely recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: Nine times out of ten I won't go to the new hot spot in town for fish. It's often unjustifiably crowded, they haven't ironed out the kinks with the service, and the Fish Fry hasn't hit its stride, but for some reasons even I can't fully comprehend I couldn't resist the new Verona Woods. It's partially because I didn't realize exactly how new it was (this was only there second Friday in business), but I still should have known better, or at least done some more research.
When taking a toddler out for Fish Fry care should be taken in the selection of establishment and time of arrival. I must have forgotten this mantra, or perhaps my brain was just not functioning properly after an unexpectedly long Friday at work, but we sought out the Woods at 6pm with no backup plan in mind. Bad move. The shiny new toy was bubbling over with patrons and when we were quoted a hour and a half wait we had no choice but to suck it up. It wound up being every bit of that 90 minutes, but at least we found a nice spot in front of the fake fire to wait, and plenty of delicious beers from which to sample. We paid our pittance, and finally hit the dining room around 7:45.
VW is owned by the some folks that own Willy Ty's in Sun Prairie, and it seems they basically just decided to mirror that Fish Fry. The 3-piece cod was eerily similar although it did seem to be way less greasy than what we had on our lone visit to the hockey arena adjacent eatery. The fish has the same reddish hue and unique flavor to the batter. Unfortunately, I was so hungry by the time it arrived I can barely remember what it tasted like as I wolfed it down, but I assure you it wasn't super amazing or anything. Just good solid cod.
In that same vein flowed the fries which were really nothing special, but also got gobbled up. They were the basic Skin-on, freezer jobs, you find most anywhere, but were definitively fried for the right amount of time. Just good solid fries.
A thick and mustard-y kind of tartar took up residence next to the rusty colored fish and really worked well with the kooky cod. It had plenty of pop to offset the flavor of the batter and covered up any minute imperfections in the fish itself.
A crusty little piece of rye, sat meekly in the corner as if to say "don't forget about me over here..." While a small portion of uniquely creamy slaw got a big fancy bowl all to itself. It was an odd dichotomy and laid a little haphazardly on the plate, if I'm being honest.
The critics really seem to be enjoying the slice of class that the Woods is bringing to Verona, but based on this visit I can't share the same enthusiasm as far as the Fish Fry is concerned. The saving grace for us was our waiter who was ultra-gracious, and clearly felt our pain; but that aside, the portions were pretty conservative, and everything from the fish to the slaw was just kind of average. I realize we came too early in their existence, and one lackluster performance doesn't mean we won't come back, but I'm hoping for (much) more next time around. Overall, we barely, and I do mean barely, recommend this Fish Fry, and think we'll let the dust settle before hiking into these Woods again.
www.veronawoods.com
958 Liberty Drive
Verona, WI 53593
(608) 497-1680
