Brocach - Madison, WI

The deal: While not exactly a fish fry, Brocach, on Madison's Capitol Square does offer a fish and chips. For $11.95 you get beer (Harp) battered haddock, fries, slaw & tartar sauce. In what seems to be a disturbing trend, there are no side or salad options. Boo!

Brocach is busy, but again, as is the custom here in Wisconsin, the bar is a fun place to wait until your table is ready.

The food: Brocach's fish had the most flavor of any fish fry I've had lately. So many fish fries serve up food that either tastes too fishy or tastes like nothing. What I liked about Brocach is that the fish had a distinct delicious flavor and the batter had a different distinct and delicious flavor (mmm...beer). That said, the batter wasn't very crispy which spoiled otherwise nearly perfect pieces of fish. The fries were just fries and nothing special. My dining companions ate the slaw, so I can only assume it was pretty good.

One great thing about Brocach, at least in the winter, is that they have Madison's best selection of hot toddies. Although it's pretty much required to order a Harp or Guinness at a place like this, it's worth it to check out the back of the menu and have them serve you up an amazing drink like a Spanish Coffee or the Cinnamon Stick - which is full of rum and cinnamony goodness. Mmmm...

The flavor: Brocach is Gaelic for "badger den" and is designed like a traditional Irish Pub. It's full of little nooks and different rooms, so it's fun to just stroll in, look around and take it all in. The rest of the patrons may not appreciate it, but little kids would love to run around and find a great hiding place.

If you come to Madison during the Farmer's Market, you may find yourself drawn to Brocach by a bagpiper. Heed his siren song, but beware that bagpipers are fun for about 5 minutes. After that, you realize you can't hear anything above the din (although if said piper has nice legs that might make up for some it ;-)

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