Fish Type: Lake Perch Price: $21.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Excellent Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Excellent |  |
Comment: “Perch” is easily the most misrepresented fish at the Friday Night Fish Fry. The traditional Wisconsin Fish Fry perch is yellow perch, also called lake perch, which were once abundant in our local freshwater lakes. Over time, stocks dwindled, prices rose, and imposters filtered in. With that, finding local yellow perch on menus went the way of the dodo and most of the yellow perch you see today originates in Lake Erie.
Of course, even Lake Erie yellow perch is far superior to Ocean Perch, Pike-Perch, European Zander, or any of the other imposters that get passed off as perch, but what I found at Chico’s Villa Tap threw even me for a loop…Ohio-size Lake Perch. I thought for sure Chico was putting me on…
It took a little reassurance from the man himself, but after sampling the Ohio-size perch I can say with certitude that these are real yellow perch - they’re just massive. These fillets come three to an order and, other than their girth, have all the hallmarks of true yellow perch. They’re sweet and supple, and curl like a canoe when fried (and of course, no one does that deed better than Chico). These meaty monsters were pure munching pleasure that paired perfectly with the bold no-nonsense tartar.
A standard stack of freezer fries gave the fat fillets a bountiful base to lie upon, while the cup of slaw and the crusty role that shared its side basket did their jobs admirably.
The world works in strange ways sometimes and in all honesty, when I heard “Ohio-size” my mind immediately thought “I wonder what the walleye is like today?” Thankfully, I took the risk and it really paid off. This perch was great and probably every bit as good as its smaller siblings. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry whether it’s Ohio, Michigan, Canada or some other crazy size. Chico slays ‘em all.www.facebook.com/ChicosVillaTap/?sk=timeline&app_data
2302 Packers Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 244-9627
