Dahmen's at Hawk's Landing

You could say this was plentiful...plenty plentiful. The two full-sized walleye fillets took up half the plate and had a nice light beer batter. A sizable side of fries were extra crispy and delicious, the small cup of tartar was tasty and supplemented by a second equally satisfying cup, the ciabatta was a nice change of pace, and the slaw was as tangy as they come. Overall, this Fish Fry was large and in charge and as satisfying as they come.

The clubhouse restaurant at Hawk's Landing Golf Course has changed hands a lot over the years. We were there back when it was The Klubhouse in 2007, returned when it became the Roost in 2012, and one took another chance when it transitioned to the Tap Room in 2013. So to say we were a little wary of yet another incarnation would be an understatement. Dahmen's (the old west side pizza hang) took over recently and we though it would probably just be more of the same - decent fish at a place that was likely to see new management in the near future. Still, we wanted to do our due diligence so we swung by when we had an open Friday.

Like any good Wisconsin establishment Dahmen's takes their Fish Fry pretty seriously. There are three fish to chose from - the common cod, the standard walleye, and a (3-piece) lake perch. I was actually thinking about the perch but when I heard that portion size I pulled back...for $15 it likely wasn't real yellow lake perch, so I went with the walleye and was pretty happy with that decision.

This walleye was average in a lot of ways, but even an average walleye is better than a lot of other options. It came in around 8-10 ounces (which is pretty average) but had a nice light and flavorful breading (that was well above average). The well-seasoned crust was definitely the highlight of the meal, although an above average amount of grease oozed from the fillet. By and large it was tasty and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.

Some steak fries sat next to the fish and were thick-cut but surprisingly droopy. While they didn't have the crunchy exterior we've come to expect from this kind of fry, they were still far better than a plain old crinkle cut so it's hard to complain too much. The house tartar also did what it needed to do and worked well with the slippery walleye. It had plenty of pop and overshadowed the errant oil as much as it could.

A bunch of vinegar-based promised to pack a punch, but was surprisingly bland. It was a straight-forward as the come, being just cabbage and juice, so I can see if a lot of folks are turned off by it (the missus certainly was). A nice semi-sweet roll sat on the side and was a nice step up from grandma's basic dinner roll...so that's a plus.

In general, pizza places actually seem to do alright when it comes to Fish Fry. We used to pull the perch from Rosatti's out on the west side from time to time and always thought it did the job; Dahmen's pretty much fills that same bucket. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry (mostly based on the primo batter) and are curious to see what a second (cod-based) visit would have in store.

When I asked the waitress "how many pieces of perch do you get" I fully expected her to say "1 or 2 depending on how big they are." This is pretty typical is 2022. When she said 5-6 my eyes got wide. You see, "1 or 2" is basically code for Pike-Perch or European Perch, while "5 or 6" means you're looking at real deal Yellow Perch (which is getting harder and harder to find these days). I wasted no time (quickly forgetting about the walleye on the menu) and put in my order for the freshwater delight. It arrived a few minutes later, and while there were only four fillets, they appeared to be (large versions of) the genuine article. They were crusted with a crispy breading that had plenty of its own allure but allowed the subtle flavor of the fish come through. They were enhanced by a thick and potent tartar, and bolstered by some equally crunchy battered fries. The roll was fresh and inviting as was the slaw (although it seemed to be missing a little something). Overall, this was a pretty satisfying Fish Fry especially when you consider I can barely remember the last time I had some lightly-breaded lake perch.