Review
Truth be told, I also wanted to revisit the Side Door since our second visit had been a big step down from our first and I wanted to see which was the true Fry. This was the rubber match as it were, and I must say it settled in the solid, but not stellar section. For starters, I couldn't bring myself to go for the AYCE since I knew I'd be imbibing throughout the course of the evening, so I settled on the 2-piece. Like our most recent visit the cod was a bit of a mixed bag. The pieces were oddly shaped and had a few brownish flakes of meat here and there (not the best trim job). They were caked in the crumbly (yes I said crumbly) beer batter that held tight at times, but sloughed off at others. Overall, it had a fine flavor, but wasn't really a keep-you-coming-back-for-more kind of fish. All told, I was happy with my decision to stay away from the All You Can Eat.
The Door is known for their tots, but unfortunately you can't get them as a side with the fish. These massive potato cylinders only come as a stand alone appetizer and between the eight of us at the table we sampled all four varieties. Each was admirable in their own way, but for me the Volcano and the South of the Borders stood out from the Bake Potater and Roasted Garlic varieties. The fries that do come with the fish merely live in the shadow of the tremendous tots, although for mass produced freezer fries they were well seasoned and about as good as you can do.
The tartar was on the thin side, but still had some zip, while the homemade slaw was colorful as all get-out and brought a zing as well. The last bit was a crusty little dinner roll that was step up from the basic bun and rounded things out in fine form.
While the Side Door has slid into the B/B- range as far a Fish Fry in concerned I still think I made the right choice this Friday. We all got our fill of fish without breaking the bank and were still able to get a couple beers on Regent in before kickoff. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and think it's a fine, and relatively unknown, alternative to some of the more publicized game day spots downtown.
Apparently the bar has historically been more of an offshoot of Samba - a place to sit and wait for a table with a similar vibe to that of the sword weilding servers spot overhead. Recently they have reformatted (or so I've been led to believe) and while they still share a kitchen with the ethnic eatery, that is about where the similarities end. The "new" Side Door Grill & Tap is decidedly American in ambiance and food which is right up may alley (not that boatloads of cooked meat isn't per se). And what's especially American is their AYCE Fish Fry special on Friday.
I recently talked at length about the virtues of the AYCE and lamented the lack of them available in 2017. Well, Side Door is here to help fill the void with a full AYCE cod Fry for a scant $13. Clearly some thought and care went into the preparation of this Fish Fry and it starts with the batter. While the coating was on the thick side it had plenty of seasoning and didn't get gummy. The flavor shone bright and offset the somewhat spotty (there were a few brownish areas here and there) fish well . I ate three roughly 3 oz. pieces in house, but couldn't finish the fourth and was allowed to take it home although at most All You Can Eats that's a no-no (shhhhh don't tell the cooks).
Sitting alongside the cod were some shoestring style French fries which were well prepared. They were crispy on the outside, but still supple on the inside which is a hallmark of frying mastery. Next on the docket was a zippy tartar that offset the cod well with it's bold flavors. The creamy cod soaked it up like a sponge and the tartar loved being wanted so emphatically. It was a beautiful relationship and one we'd love to be the third wheel in again.
A dense dinner roll came with the fish and was easily as heavy as a baseball. It was nuts, and I could likely have knocked someone out cold with this thing. It was literally like nothing I have ever seen before, and although it did taste pretty good it's not what I'm after at an AYCE when I want to fill up on fish.
A sweet and sassy slaw came in last and while it did the job it was not one to write home to mom about.
Any sort of new Fish Fry in Madison makes our ears perk up, but a new AYCE is a while different story. The second we knew of its existence we knew we needed to make it ours, and we did...and we're glad we did. Very glad indeed. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and are thinking we need to come back for dinner and totally invest in the AYCE. We're gonna crush this thing for real.
If nothing else, $13 for All You Can Eat fish is a a solid deal, and one you could really take advantage of if you're into that sort of thing (they also have $10 AYCE fish tacos if you swing that way as well). The fish this go-round was suspect as the first of our three pieces was very chewy and the meat very dark. It was also abused by an absurdly thick beer batter that left nothing to the imagination. Pieces two and three (the later of which was ordered on the re-up) were whiter, but still pretty mushy. It seemed like they all had been frozen for quite some time.
While we love French fries they can get pretty monotonous, so if an equally great option presents itself we are tending to go that direction. I'd heard the homemade tater tots at SD were to die for so I figured I'd test those waters. It. Was. Not. A. Mistake. These massive tater tubes were loaded with an oniony essence that was reminiscent of a good potato pancake. There was a lot going on here, from the crispy skin to the plush innards. While most would expect tots to be Ore-ida style shreds that get glued back together, these honeys are mealy, consistent, and smooth.
A relatively thick and tartar came with the fish and covered up some of its imperfections, but in reality it could only do so much. The raw tasting slaw also didn't do the Fry and flavors as it just felt incomplete. The dense, baseball-esque roll was intense and if you're wise you'd take it home and not waste the belly space at this AYCE.
I want every Fish Fry I eat to be the best, and while our first visit had us believing that might be the case, we're rethinking that notion after this round. There was still a lot to like - mostly those tots, but everything else digressed. Overall, we still recommend this Fish Fry although just barely. I think we'll be back, but I can't say when.