Fish Type: Cod Price: $18.00
Overall, I would recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Good Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Good |  |
Comment: The @rivierabowlandpizzeria up in Sauk is well known to the locals despite the fact it sits sunken in the shadows of the much more prominent Vintage Brewing Company. While I’m happy to dine at the VBC, the cozy confines of the Riv are much more my speed.
We rolled into the riverside lanes around 5:15 and were fortunate to score a trio of stools at the bar since the dining room was already full and had a roughly 20 minute wait. We wasted little time ordering a tapper of Cave Ale and a 3-piece cod with a side of their signature potato pancakes.
The bar was jumping and the atmosphere was lively, so the 20 minute wait for our food didn’t phase us this Friday. The food came in pristine condition, showing no signs that it sat for any amount of time. The calling card of this cod is an ultra-crunchy breading that practically explodes in your mouth. While the cod itself isn’t the flakiest you’ll find, it doesn’t really need to be when the breading hits this hard. Its grit is matched by a mortar-esque tartar that would give even the thickest Concrete Mixer or DQ Blizzard a run for its money. Flip it over! Flip it!!!
While the cod is solid, the most intriguing part of this Fry has to be the potato pancakes, and more specifically the warm bacon dressing that accompanies them. The cakes are wholly satisfying, but the maple-y, chock full of bacon-y, dressing is a true show stopper and unlike any accompaniment I’ve found at a Fish Fry. It takes the potato pancakes to a whole other level. Believe that.
A starchy dinner roll and some standard slaw rounded out the plate, and while neither made me take notice, they both did their duty, which is all they should be expected to do.
This was our second visit to the Riv and I’d have to say it was every bit as good as the first. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and think the locals are definitely on to something. Shoot em a vote in the #CaveAleFishFy contest why dontcha?rivierabowl.com/
51 Polk St
Sauk City, WI 53583
(608) 643-4071
