Review
We found ourselves through the rabbit hole (or the sketchy looking door in this case), just before noon on a majestic Friday. We were a little hesitant to take the final steps down the stairs into Melly's subterranean home, but bravely forged ahead, thoughts of freshly fried fish in our minds. We made our way through the dark hall, eventually emerging at the surprisingly well-lit but windowless dining space.
The dining space in this case was a small room, roughly 20x30 I'd say, with a couple high-top tables, and a couple funky dining-style tables. Since no one else was around we had our pick of the litter. We chose a high-top, gazed at the menu for an instant, and then made our way to the counter to put in our orders with Melly's son who was very friendly and quite informative (not just about the food, but also the Maury Povich show which happened to be on not one, but two TVs in the tiny space). Lie detector tests results and Fish Frys, anyone!?
In the case of Melly Mell's the fish isn't a Friday special, but is freshly fried to order. There are three of our piscine pals to choose from: Ocean Perch ($8), Catfish ($10), and Tilapia ($?) - Each option coming with your choice of two sides from Melly's expansive list of homemade specialties (and a "free sody-pop"). At one point Melly also had cod on the menu, but it was apparently phased out due to lack of popularity which kinda threw me for a loop. Cod not popular? What is the world coming to? I resigned myself to the perch while Jer went catfish since this was a "southern fried cookin'" kinda place.
The food came about 15 minutes after we ordered and was clearly hand done just for us. The six perch fillets were coated in a light cornmeal breading which was probably the best we've had. It had a nice kick of spice, but was perfectly in balance with the fish. While the corny coating was bordering on being overly-thick for the perch it was nice and crispy which crushed any fishy taste. The same breading adorned the catfish and was the perfect thickness for the clean, surprisingly white fillet. Of the two, the catfish clearly stood out, and we'd go that route if we were to return. Mama Mell knows how to fry that Cat!
The list of sides was vast - everything from collard greens to spaghetti was represented and I was tempted by several of them. However, since I figured the fish would be unique enough, and I wanted our trip to Melly's to be as traditional as possible, I stuck to my guns, and went for the fries and coleslaw. The fries were thick-cut crinkles and came in a deceptively large portion. While they were well fried, they were fairly standard. Likewise, the slaw was fine, but had a unique taste that I couldn't quite put my finger on. While the consistency was good, and I ate every bit of it, I didn't really like it - weird, I know. Truthfully, I wish I would have just sucked it up and went for the Mac-n-Cheese (which Jer said was phenomenal), and the spaghetti (which is always awesome, I mean, c'mon... spaghetti?) I chose... poorly.
Rounding out the meal was some homemade tartar and a single square of white bread. The tartar was thick and yellowish, and almost had me thinking it was potato salad for a minute. It actually tasted pretty good and had quite a bit of relish, but didn't stand a chance next to the spicy breading on the fish. The bread square was also fine and appeared to be mildly toasted with a little butter and/or grease on top. Unbeknownst to us when we ordered, the catfish gets a bonus cornbread which looked good, but garnered no feedback from Jer.
You know, if Melly Mell's was in a cute little building on Lake or Francis they would make an absolute killing with their classic home cooking. As it stands, their basement confines are a huge detractor and even the promise of good food isn't enough to get some people in the door. Location aside, Melly Mell's is a fine place with tasty homemade food - it's that simple. Overall, we recommend both the perch and the catfish, but would be more apt to tell our friends and family to go there if it wasn't in such a dumpy spot.
Provided you can find Melly in her basement confines you are in for a real treat. On Friday there are a few different fish on special, starting with the southern staple of catfish, which comes as a fillet or in nugget form. While the Catnuggets sounded interesting I wasn't brave enough to try them this go-round, nor did I opt for the ocean perch (which I tried last time) or the cod (which is apparently not popular at Melly's).
We had a large party for a Friday and lunch it took a little longer than average for our food to trickle out of the kitchen. The first round arrived about 15 minutes after we ordered with subsequent plates coming every couple of minutes after that. Since I was first on the list, my deep fried catfish came right away, and while I wanted to wait for everyone to get their food it would have been crazy to do so.
The catfish was steaming hot, and I almost burned my finger as I tore into it to release some of the heat and get a manageable bite. As you'd expect, the meat was a little mushy (that's what you get from those bottom-feeders), but it was still tender and tasty. It had a lovely white color and a smoother flavor than the over-powering stank you get from the darker colored cuts of catfish. The batter was fried to a beautiful golden color and was subtly seasoned.
Pairing elegantly with the fish was Melly's homemade tartar sauce. The thick mix was a force to be reckoned with, and boasted a boat-load of relish and a creamy mayo base. It really took the fish up a notch, but the small cup had me scraping bottom on the last couple bites.
Melly lets you choose any two sides you want with your Fish Fry and I went for the standard fries and the not-so-standard mac-n-cheese. The thick-cut crinkle fries were plentiful and fried just right. They had a crisp snap to 'em and could well have been cut in-house, but then again, could well have not been. Regardless, it's not like it even matters because they were delicious as was the homemade mac-n-cheese which was a great substitution for the basic coleslaw.
Rounding out the meal was a piece of white bread that sat under the fish, and sorta served as a grease trap. Luckily, Melly's fish isn't very greasy so there wasn't much that needed trapping. This left the bread dry for the most part, but a little limp from its time spent steaming under the catfish.
Melly's is in an odd spot, and is solely a destination since there is no way you're going to just stumble upon their subterranean home. For those willing to take the underground plunge you'll be rewarded with some really great food for a really good price. For those unwilling wimps, the myth of Melly's will just continue to grow larger and larger. Overall, I highly recommend this Fish Fry, and would say it is some of the best catfish you'll find in these parts.
We found ourselves through the rabbit hole (or the sketchy looking door in this case), just before noon on a majestic Friday. We were a little hesitant to take the final steps down the stairs into Melly's subterranean home, but bravely forged ahead, thoughts of freshly fried fish in our minds. We made our way through the dark hall, eventually emerging at the surprisingly well-lit but windowless dining space.
The dining space in this case was a small room, roughly 20x30 I'd say, with a couple high-top tables, and a couple funky dining-style tables. Since no one else was around we had our pick of the litter. We chose a high-top, gazed at the menu for an instant, and then made our way to the counter to put in our orders with Melly's son who was very friendly and quite informative (not just about the food, but also the Maury Povich show which happened to be on not one, but two TVs in the tiny space). Lie detector tests results and Fish Frys, anyone!?
In the case of Melly Mell's the fish isn't a Friday special, but is freshly fried to order. There are three of our piscine pals to choose from: Ocean Perch ($8), Catfish ($10), and Tilapia ($?) - Each option coming with your choice of two sides from Melly's expansive list of homemade specialties (and a "free sody-pop"). At one point Melly also had cod on the menu, but it was apparently phased out due to lack of popularity which kinda threw me for a loop. Cod not popular? What is the world coming to? I resigned myself to the perch while Jer went catfish since this was a "southern fried cookin'" kinda place.
The food came about 15 minutes after we ordered and was clearly hand done just for us. The six perch fillets were coated in a light cornmeal breading which was probably the best we've had. It had a nice kick of spice, but was perfectly in balance with the fish. While the corny coating was bordering on being overly-thick for the perch it was nice and crispy which crushed any fishy taste. The same breading adorned the catfish and was the perfect thickness for the clean, surprisingly white fillet. Of the two, the catfish clearly stood out, and we'd go that route if we were to return. Mama Mell knows how to fry that Cat!
The list of sides was vast - everything from collard greens to spaghetti was represented and I was tempted by several of them. However, since I figured the fish would be unique enough, and I wanted our trip to Melly's to be as traditional as possible, I stuck to my guns, and went for the fries and coleslaw. The fries were thick-cut crinkles and came in a deceptively large portion. While they were well fried, they were fairly standard. Likewise, the slaw was fine, but had a unique taste that I couldn't quite put my finger on. While the consistency was good, and I ate every bit of it, I didn't really like it - weird, I know. Truthfully, I wish I would have just sucked it up and went for the Mac-n-Cheese (which Jer said was phenomenal), and the spaghetti (which is always awesome, I mean, c'mon... spaghetti?) I chose... poorly.
Rounding out the meal was some homemade tartar and a single square of white bread. The tartar was thick and yellowish, and almost had me thinking it was potato salad for a minute. It actually tasted pretty good and had quite a bit of relish, but didn't stand a chance next to the spicy breading on the fish. The bread square was also fine and appeared to be mildly toasted with a little butter and/or grease on top. Unbeknownst to us when we ordered, the catfish gets a bonus cornbread which looked good, but garnered no feedback from Jer.
You know, if Melly Mell's was in a cute little building on Lake or Francis they would make an absolute killing with their classic home cooking. As it stands, their basement confines are a huge detractor and even the promise of good food isn't enough to get some people in the door. Location aside, Melly Mell's is a fine place with tasty homemade food - it's that simple. Overall, we recommend both the perch and the catfish, but would be more apt to tell our friends and family to go there if it wasn't in such a dumpy spot.