Fish Type: Bluegill Price: $13.00
Overall, I would recommend this fish fry.
| Fish Score: Good French Fry Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Fair |  |
We had a fairly large party (6) and wound up waiting a good 25 minutes to get seated. We had to wait for two side by side tables to open up which it turned out were not even necessary. After sitting down at our two tables and assessing the situation it was quickly apparent that we could get by with one, especially since one of the two was incredibly lopsided and practically tipping over. We all moved to one table and pushed the other out of the way. If the Beachhouse would have realized this was possible we probably could have been seated immediately, as it was we waited. I chalk this up to poor management of the dining room.
Once we got this initial confusion out of the way it was time to order. The Beachhouse has about every kind of fish you could expect at a Fish Fry. The Cod was $10, Lake Perch and Bluegill were $12, and the Walleye was $14 (I think). Out of the five fish eaters at our table two had Cod, two had Bluegill and one had Walleye. In particular I was one of the two Bluegill eaters. The Bluegill was actually pretty good, although really fishy tasting. The batter was light and the fish was still fairly flaky but did have a slight elasticity common with Bluegill. The French fries were crinkle cut style and good, but not great. The tartar sauce was the same as our first visit which was good, but does have some dill in it which really overpowers the relish flavor. Overall it was just fine though. I did manage to try the Cod which was also good, but not spectacular. It was far greasier than the Bluegill and had a good flavor even though it was kind of heavy. What I did not manage to get my hands on was the Walleye which supposedly was awesome. Apparently this is their best Fish option and they serve it on Sunday mornings as well in a Walleye and eggs platter. If/when we go back it will be for the Walleye or the Lake Perch.
The bread served was a very plain roll which was fine but not outstanding. For starters they give an option of coleslaw/cottage cheese/house salad or soup. I opted for a salad this time which was good but nothing outstanding either. At least everything on it tasted fresh.
Overall the food was good but the wait was not. The one thing that salvaged this Fish Fry and makes it recommendable was the fact that our waitress was great. She was lively and had no problem with a fairly rowdy group and three separate checks. The Beachhouse is a classic Wisconsin style Supper Club but their Fish Fry just has not done it for me. I feel fine recommending it but if I were to tell someone from out of town the best place to grab fish on a Friday they would probably not jump to the front of the list.
www.thebeachhouserestaurantandbar.com
4506 Larson's Beach Road
McFarland, WI 53558
(608) 838-7248
