Review
One of the main problems with Friday Fish at jacs is the portion size. For $12.00 you only get a couple small pieces of cod, two wee potato pancakes, an average amount of coleslaw, some tartar, and a cup of apple sauce. There isn't any bread either which makes the meal seem incomplete.
On the bright side, the fish came alarmingly fast since we were there so early in the evening. It literally only took three minutes after we ordered for it to arrive at our table and, as you might expect, it was nice and hot. The two pieces of fish were light and flaky, but probably only totaled 6 ounces or so. The cod was home to an airy, flavorful beer batter that didn't overwhelm the fragile fish, but did allow the tiniest bit of grease to seep through.
The only choice with the Fish Fry is between frites and potato pancakes and for some reason I couldn't resist the cakes. While I really love the frites, and would have liked to have both, the potato pancakes were a good choice. The duo was on the small side but featured a pleasant taste that was improved by the side of apple sauce.
Cups of slaw and tartar rounded out the plate, and were both made in-house. The tartar was unique with a mildly creamy texture and subtle spunk while the slaw was similar with a sharp flavor, but not much pop.
While I don't like writing reviews like this I feel it's necessary to be as honest as possible. The food at jacs is very good in general, but the Fish Fry just has a few too many flaws for my tastes. Overall, I don't recommend this Fish Fry regardless of how much I'd like to.
We arrived at the Monroe Street Taphouse at 7:30 and were not the least bit surprised to hear of the 45-minute wait in store for us. Being the troopers we are, we wedged our way into the crowded bar area, grabbed a drink, and scored a pair of stools from a generous couple whose number had just been called. We chatted for a bit, enjoyed our drinks, and roughly 35 minutes later, the hostess came to retrieve us. We quickly shifted gears and took our seat on the dining side of the room.
As soon as we were seated our waiter came over and informed us of the specials, of which the Fish Fry only had 3 portions remaining. I immediately chimed in and reserved one, as well as an order of jacs' signature frites. The frites were ready in no time and served with their special aioli, which only enhances the deliciousness of the fries. Prior to polishing off the cone-full of frites, the fish came, and the meal took a bit of a turn (and not for the better, unfortunately).
At first glance I could see that my two pieces of beer battered cod spent a little too long in the tub. Rather than being the enticing golden-brown color you tend to expect with beer battered cod, this pair had a dark brown crust which was incredibly crispy, and almost burned tasting. This batter fortress forced an ample amount of grease to remain near the fish, which robbed the cod of its flaky nature. While I did finish both pieces in their entirety, it was more a factor of my hunger, than their delectability. On our last visit, the fish was perfectly fried and incredibly light, this time it was almost the exact opposite - heavy and greasy.
The potato pancakes were also not quite as good as our previous endeavor, and while fine overall, the two small cakes lacked any distinguishing taste. There was little to no onion flavor present, and their only saving grace was the tiny cup of applesauce that accompanied them. The tartar was also less than ideal as the thin, ranch-like mix, did little to overcome the overcooked cod. While it tasted acceptable, it was very non-traditional and just not enough to pick up the slack. Adding to said slack, was the fact that jacs doesn't include a piece of bread with their Fish Fry, which is always a bit of a letdown, especially when the meal clocks in at $12, which isn't exactly cheap for a 2-piece Fish Fry.
As we have come to expect, when there is no bread to be found an abundance of coleslaw often takes its place. jacs falls in line, and while the mound of slaw was creamy and traditional, it lacked any zest even though it looked the part. The slaw mountain was artfully presented, which is pleasing to the eye, but at a Fish Fry appearance always takes a back seat to taste. Unfortunately for jacs, presentation is a big part of their shtick, but appearance means very little on Friday night in Wisconsin. We want fish, and lots of it, and don't really care what it looks like as long as it tastes good.
Overall, we were markedly let down with this visit to jacs and can no longer recommend their Friday night Fish Fry special. The fish and potato pancakes have certainly regressed, and the whole downtown prices with a Monroe Street location bit is starting to wear a little thin. The food still appears to be high quality, but the preparation seems to be suffering somewhat (at least it was for us). Maybe it is just the Fish Fry and the everyday menu is still worth it? I don't know, but clearly the idea of a traditional Wisconsin Fish Fry has been lost. We will be back at some point to enjoy more of jacs signature drinks, and maybe a cone of frites, but as for the Fish Fry, it has fallen off our radar. At one point it wasn't clear to us whether jacs was a Fish Fry place with good veggie options, or a vegetarian place that happened to have a Fish Fry. After this round we can safely say that the dust has settled, and you should find your Fish Fry fix elsewhere.
Because it was just the little lady and I this week I figured jacs would be a good bet since I wanted her to have good options while at the same time getting a great Fish Fry for myself. We pulled into the Knickerbocker area establishment around 7pm and put our name on the list. The hostess gave us an estimate of 15 minutes so we grabbed a couple of open seats at the bar. I downed my first beer in no time and ordered a second. Before we knew it 30 minutes had passed until our table was ready which really wasn’t a big deal to us although the staff was plenty apologetic. As soon as the waitress came our order was placed as we had ample time to look over the menu while we were waiting. I clearly went for the fried cod with potato pancakes, apple sauce, tartar and coleslaw, but also added an order of “frites” which are their homemade French fries for an extra $4.
I got the frites before the fish at the same time as Courtney’s salad was served. They were covered in rock salt and absolutely outstanding; although I did wind up with a bunch of little overcooked nubs which are certainly not a good as a full sized fry. However, with the frites comes a type of “pepper-mayo” which makes even these nubs tasty as hell. About 5 minutes later her Ratatouille and my Fish Fry were ready.
While we were waiting at the bar we could see the head chef barking out orders and getting her food out of the kitchen as soon as it was ready so I had a feeling the fish would be good and hot, and it was. The fish was served in two smallish sized, beer battered pieces. The batter was actually a good thickness and very tasty. A lot of time beer batter can get really thick and gunky but this stuff was light and about as flaky as it can get. The fish itself was fairly flaky and very well fried although it was starting to collect a tiny bit of grease. Overall it was very good and left me wanting at least one, if not two more pieces.
One place jacs is going to make their mark on the local Fish Fry scene is with their potato pancakes. Very few places offer this traditional potato option even though a lot of people seem to want it. These potato pancakes were great even if they, like the fish, were served in a tiny portion. They were onion-y tasting and absolutely perfect when paired with the apple sauce which made for a great experience for a starch lover such as myself.
The tartar sauce was also delicious. Although it was a non-traditional blend and kind of thin it tasted phenomenal with the cod. Not everything was phenomenal however including the dry, dilly, homemade coleslaw which needed some serious zest. There was also no bread served which was a total bummer.
Overall I was very impressed with the Fish Fry at jacs. A pure traditionalist would probably say this is a foo-foo Fish Fry but I can appreciate what they are doing. The quality and taste of the food were both outstanding. The cod was light and well above average for beer battered fish, the potato pancakes were excellent and the tartar was simply delicious. I would definitely like another piece of fish, another potato pancake and a piece of bread but for $12 what you do get is pretty reasonable. However, I would gladly pay another dollar or two to increase the portion size slightly since I can assure you I would still have been hungry if not for my order of frites ahead of time. To round it out the service was great and the atmosphere is very warm and inviting. I would definitely recommend the Fish Fry at jacs and will be back the next time we need veggie variety on a Friday night.