Angelos - Monona, WI

The deal: Fish fry is the Friday night special at Angelos, which is better known for its Italian food. They do, however, have plenty of fish choices, including good 'ole beer battered cod, walleye, bluegill, perch and even tilapia and ale battered shrimp. Meals start at $9.99 and include a choice of potato, coleslaw and dinner rolls. What's up with restaurants not offering soup or salad anymore?

The food: I opted for the beer battered cod with cheesy hash browns. I got three pieces of thinly battered fish. It was good, but was a little too perfectly formed so I suspect it's delivered frozen to the restaurant. The cheesy hash browns were great, because how can you not like the classic combo of cheese and hash browns. That said, they were overwrought - too much cheese, too much crust, etc.

One of my dining companions had the bluegill and it was markedly better than the cod. Each piece was a tiny, tasty delight. I definitely recommend it over the cod.

The flavor: Our large group was seated around the horseshoe bar in Angelo's basement, so it was hard to get a real good feel for the rest of the place. It's definitely a supper club, but not in a typical Wisconsin sense - I suspect it's more like a traditional Italian family restaurant.

The servers were all friendly and familiar and definitely added to the atmosphere. I hope that restaurant owners realize how much good (or bad) staff personalities can bring to an otherwise undistinguished place.

Second opinions:

Eating in Madison A to Z
Madison Fish Fry
Madison.com