Review
Since the Hungry Peddler was right on our route west we decided to pull in and grab a bite. The old roadhouse turned restaurant is nothing if not cozy - seating a max of 60 patrons or so - but since we were a little on the back end of the lunch hour there were plenty of tables to go around (even ones not adjacent to the bathroom!). Our trio took a spot, and were delighted to see the supper club style bread plate (cellophane sticks, and mini garlic toasts) awaiting our arrival. We dug in. The waitress came by.
Even during lunch the Peddler is pushing their AYCE Fish Fry, and I can't say I blame them - it's a good deal if you come hungry. What's more, the $11 bottomless cod comes with the works ANNNND you can mix-n-match their chicken with your fried and/or baked fish! One could get in big trouble here, folks...
Our waitress was an old pro, no BS, but very courteous and friendly - just what you expect at a place like the Peddler. She buzzed away with our orders as quickly as she had come to take them and returned in no time with sides of slaw and soup. The coleslaw served with the AYCE Fish Fry is easily enough for two and featured the creamy zest of supper club slaw at its finest. The soup was also splendid from all reports and like the slaw a good start to meal for those who went that route.
No more than 15 minutes passed before a steaming hot plate of fish came our way. The first plate contained a bevy of what appeared to be three golden fried beauties. The cuts were slightly larger than average and clearly high quality. The fish was flaky, but surprisingly greasy considering how light the batter on it was. Luckily, the grease was as light as the batter and didn't cause it to get soggy or fall off. As a good batter does, this stuff clung to the cod for dear life, but unfortunately had its delicate nuances compromised by a subtle shrimp-y flavor. Clearly the HP doesn't isolate a fryer just for the fish and some leftover flavor leached into the otherwise smooth cod. While it was a bit of a turnoff, it's not quite a deal breaker, and the overall taste was still good. After polishing off the original plate and sides (see below) we only had room for one more piece on round two and it was even more shrimp-y than the first round, which was confirmation enough for us.
At the Peddler cheese and onion are an upgrade to your hash browns, but an upgrade that's worth every penny. The generous portion of shredded spuds is slathered with two slices of American, ample onion, and fried just as they should be. The tartar was also dead-on, as the homemade sauce was stick-to-your-ribs thick, and had enough zip to overcome the shrimp-y substrate of the cod. There was also WAAAY more than enough of it to go around - just ask if you run low. ;)
Once again The Hungry Peddler did the trick, and their bountiful fish, superb sides, and well-rounded meal are more than enough to keep us coming back. In addition, there rest of the menu overflows with great food at reasonable prices, so even if you find yourself in La Crosse on a non-Friday you can find a what you need at the Peddler. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and would say it is the best you're gonna find within the city limits of La Crosse.
The Peddler is a pretty great little place with a pretty great little Fish Fry to match. They feature their $12 AYCE beer battered cod all day on Friday, although I wasn't feeling up to that task at 2pm when we rolled in. I instead opted for the $9 2-piece off the Light Eaters menu, which turned out to be more than enough for lunch since it still comes with all of the standard supper club trimmings.
Before the fish a basket full of garlic toasts and another one full of cellophane-wrapped breadsticks and crackers showed up. It was an abundant assortment, but unfortunately they were not accompanied by any cheese dip, which, when it comes right down to it, is really the whole point. It was a bit of a bummer, but not a deal-breaker. Along with the crispy starches came my clam chowder which turned out to be a little runny and not very clammy. The clam-less chowder left me wishing I'd chosen the coleslaw or the side salad instead.
The fish took longer than expected to show up, but was hotter than all get out when it did. The pieces of cod were hefty which made for an adequate portion for lunch time (the AYCE would have been WAAAAY too much). I enjoyed every bite of the flaky, high quality fish, although it got slightly greasy thanks to the golden beer batter that sheathed it. As I tend to do, I rotated the pieces periodically so the grease didn't settle too much, but it was somewhat cumbersome to have to do. By and large, the cod was tasty and the slight amount of grease that came with it that can be overlooked.
While the cod was hearty, the 2-piece looked pretty wimpy next to the hash browns with cheese and onion that ruled the plate. The gigantic portion of shredded spuds was large and in charge, complete with a ton of onion, a couple slices of American cheese. They were simply delicious, and on par with the best of the best out there.
A creamy tartar took the cod to the next level, and while the relish ratio was a little off, the homemade sauce still did what it needed to do.
If you find yourself in La Crosse on a Friday don't hesitate to stop by The Hungry Peddler for fish. The place is quaint, the food is tasty, and the people are friendly - just be aware that The Peddler is tiny, and can get very busy on Friday nights. Overall, I highly recommend this Fish Fry, and really look forward to it every time I find myself Minnesota-bound on a Friday.
The Wednesday fish special at the Peddler is catfish, and you can choose between and single ($17) or double ($21) order. I didn't have much for lunch so a 2-piece sounded just right to me.
Before the entrees some crispy garlic toasts appeared followed closely by the cup of clam chowder I chose instead of slaw or salad. The chowder was thick and creamy, and really tasty despite being a little light on the actual clam. Still, I'd get it again.
I ordered my catfish deep-fried by default, but probably should have had the waitress list the options to see if pan-fried was one of them. Catfish it typically best when lightly-breaded with spicy seasonings, and while the beer batter was light, it didn't offset the slick meat of the catfish quite as elegantly as a well-seasoned breading would have. Still, it was easy to eat and I crushed both fillets without blinking an eye.
The supper club standard tartar was nearly perfect and took the fish up a notch while the hash browns with cheese and onion practically stole the show. They were straight money...best I've had in a while. Yum.
While I could do without the reason these last couple trips to La Crosse were necessary, at least I got a couple good Fish Frys for my trouble. Overall, I'd recommend the catfish at the Hungry Peddler and the place in general. Lots of good stuff going on there.
I heard the Hungry Peddler was peddling some seriously tasty fish, and since I hadn't eaten a great Fish Fry for a couple weeks, I decided to take the off-night plunge (the 23rd being a Tuesday rather than a Friday). We arrived around 7:30 or so, and grabbed a spot in the wide open parking lot. Rumor has it this place gets crammed on Friday nights and upon entering I could immediately see why: Maximum Occupancy - 60. Let's just say the Peddler is not exactly the La Crosse Center. Luckily for us, Tuesday was quite a different story and only 3 groups or so had shown up for the $12.99 T-Bone special or the $7.99 AYCE Spaghetti, we had no problem getting a spot. When presented with the menu by the speedy waitress I immediately looked for some sort of fried fish. I had a feeling they would have cod, and I was right. I was even more excited when she confirmed that it was exactly the same as the Friday Fish Fry, only with an additional side, but without a special price.
Prior to our entrΓ©es we were treated to many of the classic supper club staples. A plethora of breads led the charge, including: dinner rolls, crispy garlic squares, and packaged breadsticks. They were accompanied by a makeshift relish tray with a couple pickles, carrots and radishes. Not a bad start. In addition, I got sides of cottage cheese and coleslaw for my $13, whereas I would only have gotten one side on Friday when the fish becomes AYCE and goes for $11. We indulged in these appetizers and about ten minutes later my fish and my parent's lasagna showed up.
I immediately tried to grab one of my three pieces of cod and found it simply too hot to handle. When I finally got a piece into my beak it was immediately apparent, this is good fish. The cod was light and fall apart flaky and had a batter to match. While this batter was light and flaky it wasn't ultra flavorful, but was good enough to make the fish recommendable. Even though it was nice and light it somehow managed to get fairly greasy as it sat. Overall, the flakiness outweighed the grease resulting in tasty fish.
Crinkle cut fries accompanied the fish and were also scalding hot when they appeared. They were well fried and the portion size was fair. The cup of tartar was also fairly portioned and lasted through the fish. The thick and creamy sauce had just the perfect amount of relish and was right on the money. It improved the fish and made the grease present almost unnoticeable.
Overall, I feel comfortable highly recommending this Fish Fry. The fish was very good as were the fries and the tartar. In addition you get all the little supper club perks which is worth extra in my book. To top it off, the service was fast and friendly, probably partially because the place was almost empty. I can imagine on a busy Friday the place might get very cramped, but the atmosphere and great food seem like they would be worth the hour-plus wait.
Seeing a couple hundred bald eagles in one spot is an amazing site. It made me wonder how something like this was not on the local, and possibly national, news. A species, once on the verge of extinction, back in mass numbers, and no one wants to see it? It was a complete mystery to me that this was going overlooked. I guess, in the same way, I had managed to overlook the Fish Fry at the Hungry Peddler. I think we all need to take a moment to reflect on what this great American icon and what it means to us as Wisconsinites. It is a symbol of our freedom to choose, and of our wisdom. Even though we may be down, we are strong, and will be back... to The Hungry Peddler that is, I hope you didn't still think I was talking about birds? This is a Fish Fry site after all...