Fish Type: Cod Price: $15.00
Overall, I would not recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Fair Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Poor Miscellaneous Score: Fair |
Comment: Sometimes you just know. Regardless of how much you try to talk yourself into thinking something could or should be good, deep down you just know otherwise. I really hoped the Wisconsin Fish Fry (on the everyday menu) at The Post might actually be worth the $15 price tag, but of course, I couldn't help but think: "this place used the be Jerome's."
For those who don't know, Jerome's (now The Post) was/is the lobby bar & restaurant on the ground floor of the Best Western on The Square. As someone who frequents Genna's, Jerome's was always kind of an inside joke. The bar was always empty, and seemingly justifiably so, but I can honestly say I was hopefully The Post (and their swanky remodel) would turn those jokes on their head. Unfortunately, I can't say that's the case...at least not totally. The post-Jerome's ambiance is surprisingly chic, but the food still missed the mark for the most part.
Apparently the $15 "regular" portion of cod is only a 2-piece affair because we asked for an extra piece for the little man and still only got 3 total. While the pieces were small (maybe a couple ounces each) they were actually commendable as each was light and flaky albeit a bit greasy. The wayward oil slicked the surface, but wasn't abundant enough to pool on the plate (or rather the lettuce that it rode in on). The breading had a nice seasoning (the same of which is seemingly shared by the fries) and, parsley or some such nonsense sprinkled on it. By and large it was acceptable, but the puny portion had me hoping Jr. didn't want his piece. Of course, this time he ate it all.
The highlight of any Fish Fry should be the fish, but The Post's tartar stole this show. The swanky sauce was clearly made in-house, had all sorts of things going on, and all of them seemed to work. It started with just the right ratio of dill, and finished with what seemed to be curry or turmeric. It was really excellent and made the grease on the fish an afterthought. Truly great stuff.
If nothing else, The Post is trying to look the part of a fine dining establishment, so I'm surprised that they fall back on crinkle-cut fries. Of course, they at least attempted to soup them up with some seasoning, but the portion was nothing short of laughable.
A house-made slaw was unique and had a mellow flavor and smooth consistency drawing things closer to recommendable, but of course, there was no bread with this $15 Fry which put the kibosh on that thought. I'm not sure why I'm surprised.
I try to be a glass-half-full kinda guy, and I wanted this Fish Fry to be good, but it just didn't quite cut the mustard. The fish has potential, and the tartar and slaw did their job, but the cookie cutter fries and lack of bread sank the proverbial ship. Overall, we don't recommend this Fish Fry and will probably just stick to drinking at Genna's when we're on West Main.
thepostmadison.com/
24 S Carroll Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 327-1101
