Review
Both the cod and the walleye have the same Spotted Cow beer batter and as you might expect it works better on the cod. The pieces of cod are relatively large and as flaky as you'd like. It pairs perfectly with the rich batter producing a near-perfect flavor.
A decent amount of battered fries come buried beneath the fish and can almost be heard gasping for air from underneath the chunky fillets. Despite their lack of air, they remarkably retain a super-crunchy skin. Like the fish, they pair well with the Avenue's amazing homemade aioli-style tartar. This sublime sauce has some serious sweetness and a perfect consistency. I could probably just drink it like water and dip anything and everything in it...fish, fries, fingers, you name it.
A small slab of dense rye on the side tugs at the heartstrings and lets you know the AC&BUB really cares about their Fish Fry in an old school kind of way. The slaw further proves that point as the homemade mix had a real punch that offset the stanky starch just right.
There was a day the Avenue boasted the best Fish Fry in Madison, no ifs ands or buts about it. Those days have come and gone, but they Avenue of 2016 is doing all they can to reclaim that throne. From real rye to a legit beer batter they are firing on all cylinders and staking their claim to their former throne. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and are glad to see the Avenue back on the road to success.
The new layout at the 'nue is actually more functional than the old one was, although it seems the number of actual tables has diminished. On our first trial, we showed up at 5:30 and were quoted a two hour wait. Since that's a nonstarter with a toddler we headed to Stalzy's with the idea we'd come back, reservation in hand, and we did just that the very next week. We got our spot just as they promised and everything was off to a good start.
At 4:30 the place was pretty much dead - which was actually quite nice for a toddler (also, toddler is a misleading term, our 22 month old does anything but toddle and he was tearassing all over that joint). Anyway, we got a nice big booth all to ourselves and had they eye of the waiter soon after.
A round of drinks was ordered, but took a surprisingly long time to find its way to us. I'm not sure what the holdup was at the bar, but the kitchen seems to have the same issue as the fish also took its sweet time. I wouldn't say it sat or anything (as it was hot and crispy when it arrived) it just seemed to be slowly prepared. The "sushi quality" cod was actually really good and quasi-justified the $15 price tag. It was home to a Spotted Cow beer batter that was lavishly seasoned. Often times seasonings get lost in a hearty batter, but the salt shown through and made its presence known. The fish itself was topnotch, and while the Food Fight cod is a glaring departure from the Zach's cod cubes of yore, the generous "wings" were plentiful and pleasant. Big win here.
The fries were thick-cut crinkles and nothing to scoff at, but nothing to tell you'd run to tell anyone about either. The portion was plentiful and they did their job, but in the end they best you can say is that they were good. Just good, and just enough.
The Avenue of old doled out some of the thickest and creamiest tartar mankind has ever known, but the Food Fight form is a far different animal. It was still homemade, but thinner than most sauces you see. That said, it was surprisingly clingy and had a pop that brought out the full potential of the cod.
A huge, crusty slice of caraway rye sat shotgun and was a real tour de force. I've never actually seen this in Madison before and am really glad they're taking a chance on it. While it was tough to bite through it was also easy to appreciate, and while the Fish Fry purists will likely love the gamble, I assume much of the rye will find its way back to kitchen untouched. I give them full credit.
Lastly, there was some slaw. This vinegar version was homemade and fresh, but lacked the taste bud zapping power I anticipated. Like the Great Pumpkin, I kept expecting something to show up but eventually gave up hope. The slaw was there, but little else.
I know there will be a public backlash to some extent, as the supper club feeling of the old Avenue is gone, but like I say, times change and you can either get busy living or get busy dying. I'll miss some of the old school charm as well, but I can take some solace in knowing this is easily the best Fish Fry I've had at a Food Fight place (and I've tried them all). Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry, and think it certainly doesn't compare to the original, but then again, what does?
Both the cod and the walleye have the same Spotted Cow beer batter and as you might expect it works better on the cod. It's still good on the walleye and only slightly greasy which is a huge since the freshwater fish has a tendency to really hold the grease when a beer batter is applied. The Avenue's fillet is a fat one which is probably a good 10 oz. or so. The meat is rich, but as expected, most of the flavor comes from the batter. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since the batter is done right, but it's still slightly atypical.
A decent amount of battered fries were buried beneath the fish and could almost be heard gasping for air from underneath the chunky fillet. Despite their lack of air, they retained a super-crunchy skin and were well-fried. Like the fish, they paired well with the Avenue's amazing homemade aioli-style tartar. This sublime sauce had some serious sweetness and a perfect consistency. I could probably just drink it like water and dip anything and everything in it...fish, fries, fingers, you name it.
A small slab of dense rye on the side tugged at the heartstrings and let you know the AC&BUB really cares about their Fish Fry in an old school kind of way. The slaw further proved that point as the homemade mix had a real punch that offset the stanky starch just right.
There was a day the Avenue boasted the best Fish Fry in Madison, no ifs ands or buts about it. Those days have come and gone, but they Avenue of 2016 is doing all they can to reclaim that throne. From real rye to a legit beer batter they are firing on all cylinders and staking their claim as best they can. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and are glad to see the Avenue back on the right path.