Fish Type: Ocean Perch (AYCE) Price: $10.25
Overall, I would highly recommend this fish fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent French Fry Score: Good Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Excellent |  |
We arrived at 8:30 and were told we would have to wait for 30 minuets or so, not bad I thought. We found some open spots around the bar and ordered a round of drinks. As the Old Fashioneds and beers were poured I looked around and noticed several upgrades to the décor which were nice and didn’t detract from the Supper Club atmosphere at all. However, the multitude of Iowa Hawkeye fans roaming around the restaurant may have. There was way too much black and yellow present and no where near enough red and white for my taste. Even with all these out-of-towners present no more than 15 minutes passed before our name was called and we headed to the dining room.
Our front-row-center table was awaiting our arrival and was stocked with some Supper Club staples including a queen-sized bowl with a king-sized portion of tartar. The sauce dangled over the edge and hung in mid air, precariously clinging only to its thick and creamy self. Our waitress was on us in an instant and grabbed our orders, two AYCE, one bacon wrapped tenderloin and one veggie pasta. As we waited we enjoyed some of the creamy, zesty coleslaw and a piece of room temperature pre-sliced French bread. The bread wasn’t all that great but she did say we could have rye with the Fish Fry if we wanted. The ocean perch came about 15 minutes later and fresh from the fryer.
The OP, as always, was just great. While the fish itself is a little “fishy” tasting it is combined with a deliciously light and crumbly batter. When this mixture meets the near perfect tartar sauce a euphoric taste experience is achieved. For $10.25 you really aren’t going to find a much better value than this. And since it is AYCE if for one reason or another you do get a sub-par piece of fish you can simply pass it over and grab another. Although I have to say, of all the times I have been there I can barley remember any sub-par pieces, the Esquire is consistently that good.
The crinkle cut fries that accompanied could have been hotter on the first round but were still very good overall. The second round that came were scalding but really not that much better. You can’t get too excited about them, but they are pretty much what you should expect when AYCE is involved.
Overall this was another resounding success at the Esquire. The food was great, and the service was fast and friendly. When it comes right down to it the Esquire is offering a great AYCE Fish Fry at a great price. Sure, maybe ocean perch isn’t the most “traditional” fish but I sure don’t see a whole lot of places offering AYCE lake perch or bluegill and I have to imagine they would go broke pretty damn quick if they tried. As it stands the Esquire is easily a top 5 Madison area Fish Fry and a real deal especially if you are packing a BIG appetite.
www.esquireclubmadison.com
1025 N. Sherman Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 249-0193
