Fish Type: Pike-Perch Price: $16.00
Overall, I would not recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Fair Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Poor Miscellaneous Score: Excellent |
Comment: When the Madison Blind closed down we were a little surprised but not totally caught off guard. The place didn't seem like a good fit for the college crowd since the drinks were a little too crafty and the food a little too pricey. Fast forward a few months and a new restaurant has filled the penthouse space at the Graduate Hotel, and this one seems slightly more in-line with the college budget. Camp Trippalindee (the Back to School themed restaurant) still has the expensive craft cocktail thing going, but also has a menu seems more suited to the college wallet (at least a date night level college wallet). That said, the "Wisco Fish Fry" isn't exactly the cheapest thing around, but we had to see what was what anyway.
The Friday special comes in at $16 and is comprised of two pieces of mystery fish, some fat crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce. The fish fillets are thin and ours had a very tough and overly crispy batter. I'm not sure exactly what kind of fish it was, but I can say for sure that it wasn't cod, it wasn't (yellow) lake perch, and it wasn't walleye. If I had to wager a guess I'd say it was pike-perch which sort of looks like a large lake perch but has a much more boring flavor. Two pieces was a very small portion for the price and they also sprinkled some green onion (or something similar) on it as a garnish (which is just kind of silly).
The fat crinkle-cut fries were probably the highlight of the meal as the big handful made a pillowy bed for the frail fish. Unfortunately, they had the same unnecessary green garnish, but were fried just right and more than enough for both dad and junior to munch on.
A homemade tartar sat shotgun and was kind of sweet with a notable lemon overtone. It was definitely diverse, but could really only do so much for the mediocre fish. The slaw followed suit and was nothing notable, but nothing gross either. There was also no bread with the Wisco Fry so there's that...
In all honesty I like a lot of things CT is doing. The location is stellar, the outdoor fire pits (and s'mores packs) are great, and the theme is inviting. Unfortunately, there are a few too many missteps including the $16 Fish Fry, the $12 Whiskey Sours, and the $5 soup can of lemonade (it was good lemonade but seriously, five bucks!?). Overall, we don't recommend this Fish Fry, but would be willing to come back on a non-Friday to sit around the fire pit or enjoy the sunset with a tap beer.
www.graduatehotels.com/madison/restaurant/camp-trippalindee/
601 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 257-6949
