The Deal: Like any savvy Wisconsin business, on Friday nights the Madison Mallards baseball team offers a fish fry. For $7 you get some unidentified fish, fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce. You'll find the fish fry in the concession stand right behind home plate. The stand is run by Chef David Boyer of Stoddard's Country Grove Market and Catering in Cottage Grove. As an aside, although I love Bravo's "Top Chef", I'm troubled by the use the "Chef" as an honorary title like "Judge", "Doctor" or "Professor". Have chefs really hit that status?
The Food: So here's the shocker - this is a fantastic fish fry. The fish was perfectly flaky, the batter was crispy and my whole plate had a nice hint of beer. The fries were nothing to write home about, but they weren't bad. All in all, for $7 this felt like a steal. And, to top it all off, it was served with a spork. Frankly, the only thing better than food with a spork is food on a stick. Is that the next evolution in fish fries? Only time will tell, my friends.
The Flavor: In addition to a delicious fish fry, my night at the Duck Pond featured cute ginger children, excellent Great Dane beer, old and new friends, a couple of young (and attractive) Catholic priests out for a night on the town, Johnny Cash's old band, the Tennessee Three, and a Ron Dayne sighting. You can't beat that.
Second Opinions:
None...yet
