Fish Type: Bluegill Price: $28.00
Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Good Bread Score: Excellent Miscellaneous Score: Excellent |  |
Comment: When Tempest Oyster Bar showed up in the Potosi #CaveAleFishFry contest I gotta admit I was a little surprised. I’ve been a big fan of their lake perch for a long time, but never really thought they’d be into the whole bracket bit. I guess the madness finally hit them…
As a fine dining establishment Tempest’s reputation is sparkling, but I don’t think people realize how good their traditional Friday Fish Fry actually is. Sure, it costs a few dollars more than the dive down the street, but IMO it’s worth every additional penny. While they always have walleye on the menu, they usually have real yellow perch as well, which, to my surprise, was absent this Friday. Sitting in the perch’s place was bluegill, and I knew immediately what had to be done.
The bluegill was listed at $28 and, of course, comes with all the trimmings. The experience starts right away with a basket of their warm, wonderfully chewy, and crusty bread. We polished off nearly every scrumptious scrap before the fish even hit the table. Yum.
At first glance I could tell this bluegill was going to be special. The mini morsels were the right size and shape, and dusted with a lightly-seasoned and devilishly crunchy breading. They looked stunningly similar to the Oyster Bar’s perch preparation and had a comparable flavor save for the slightest fishy sensation. A+ stuff.
Tempest pairs their piscine pick with house-cut fries and this was a bit of a mixed bag - some were long and limber, some nubby and crisp. The little man was not a fan of the incongruity, but since I know what that means, I appreciated it much more. Hand-done is always done right in my book.
Rounding it all out was a a generous ramekin of their smooth and sassy tartar and another of their bright and bold slaw. Both tasted like they were made fresh just for me and both cups were left barren by the end.
Tempest actually advanced quite a ways in the bracket which is a little surprising since I didn’t see them out stumping for votes. Looks like those in the know simply showed out… As for us, we’ve always loved them and we’ll keep coming back whether they get bounced or not. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry.www.tempestoyster.com
120 E Wilson St
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 258-1443
