Review
The sunfish in the country is dirt cheap (at least as far as bluegill goes) with the "#3" going for a mere $13. For being out of town it was busy during lunchtime, but our waitress was super fast and super nice - she even let us do a 1-piece cod with a half order of French fries and charged accordingly for our 4 year old. All told our fish fried in about five minutes and hit the table in a cloud of dust and plume of steam. Seven fillets made up the portion and were mostly on the large side but there was a minnow or two in there. The small ones were VERY fishy and would turn a lot of people off, but the balance were smooth and mild. They had a snappy, not rubbery, texture and NO GREASE at all. They were enrobed with a panko-style breading that was intriguingly crispy and didn't dry out the fillets in the least. By and large, it was surprisingly well done, but a little more seasoning in the breading would go a long way.
County Corners is a pretty basic bar and some pretty basic fries are produced by their fryer. If nothing else they were soaked for just the right amount of time and came out crispy without being overdone. A thin and dilly tartar didn't do the fish any favors with its lack of zip and it's lack of stick. While tartar is an afterthought for some, for us a thicker, bolder sauce really drives things home and this dilly dangler did anything but. It was the only real detractor save for the lack of bread served.
Rounding out the meal was a creamy slaw with a potent horseradish finish that, while not enough to make your eyes water, did open up the sinuses a bit. We're suckers for the radical root so this kind of slaw sits just fine with us, but it might be a little to pungent for some lily livered polecats.
While Country Corners might not be what most people envision when they think of bars in and around Madison it's actually a pretty nice place with pretty good food. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and think it's a definitely worth a drive into the country.
I was in for a whale of a Fish Fry come 5 o'clock so I wanted to keep my midday intake of fish to a minimum, luckily for me County Corners was on the same page. My one man wagon train pulled into the station around 11:30 and I moseyed into the saloon. I grabbed an open stool at the bar as the friendly barkeep grabbed me a mug of Spotted Cow. When he came back I put in my order for the $6.25, 2-piece cod special and took a gander around the place.
After about 10 minutes my fish arrived fresh from the fryer, just the way I like it. I wrangled up one of the two pieces and had at it. The first taste was good as I immediately noticed the flaky batter. It had a nice flavor and was fairly flaky, but necessarily light. It was a little thicker than I expected which made it heavier than it looked like it should be. Regardless, the batter was still tasty as was the actual cod, even though it (the cod) was not flaky. I suspect it was fried slightly too long which wasn't really too big of a deal since the overall taste was still good.
The French fries were also good. They were pretty standard looking but were perfectly fried with the crispy outside giving way to soft, decedent centers. They worked well with the fish and ran in a large herd like the once mighty buffalo. A portion of this size is enough to fill even the hungriest of cowboys. The tartar was also more than plentiful, and while it was nice and thick, it was seriously heavy on the relish. I gotta say though, it did grow on me and I polished off the whole lot when all was said and done.
They compliment their seriously relish-y tartar with a seriously horseradish-y slaw. I don't think it is any secret that country boys like a little horseradish now and again. Country Corners clearly knows this and has no problem lacing their slaw with above average amounts of the potent substance. Even so, the slaw was actually quite good and I buried the entire cup. Since this lunch Fry came in "basket" form there was no bread to speak of which is always a bit of a downer. I like the balance that bread affords a Fish Fry but it isn't necessarily a deal breaker.
I really wasn't sure what to expect from Country Corners before this trip. They bill it as a country bar but it really isn't that extreme. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did not hear one country song even though music was playing the entire time. It turns out this is a nice little Fish Fry a moreover it is simply and nice bar. The place was plenty busy and very few people were actually eating Fish Fry, so you know the everyday food is good too.
Overall, I have no qualms about recommending this Fish Fry. The fish, fries, tartar, and slaw were all good and the service spot on. I arrived at 11:30 and was done by noon, like Jesse James robbing a train I was in and out in no time flat. Instead of stolen loot, my prize was a full belly and story to tell of delicious country fried fish. If you are a Fish Fry fan, Trica's Country Corners is worth a shot.