Henkels Town Pump - Rhinelander, WI

Thanks to my sister Cherie, for contributing this review of one of her favorite local joints.

The Deal: Rhinelander's Henkels Town Pump offers a fish fry, pan fried or broiled fish for less than $10. Although there is not a salad bar, each order comes with a choice of french fries or potato salad, cole slaw and fry bread. Our bill came to $51.00 for five with two extra pieces of fish thrown in.

The Food: The two pieces of pan fried cod were excellent. The batter is light with a hint of nutmeg. It was fried to a deep brown. The fish was light and flaky. In this fish fry the fish really is the "star". The potato salad was flavorful and not dry, but creamy. The cole slaw was also very tasty. The only flaw was that one of my dinner companions requested a 1/2 order of fries and the other 1/2 to be potato salad. This was a request they would not grant.

The Flavor: The Town Pump is a local tavern that over the years has added a couple dining rooms. No need to dress up here. The dining rooms are decorated like deer hunting camps (without the odor). The walls are pine, and I could swear my Grandpa wore the black and white wool hunting jacket on the wall. The tables are an assortment of picnic tables. The food is served on paper plates. They have the usual Miller products on tap with some specialty beers in bottles. I give the Town Pump five stars, cause I can't stop thinking about that fish!

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Fish Frys & Bar Flys

8th Street Grill - Minneapolis, MN

The Deal: Downtown Minneapolis' 8th Street Grill offers three styles of Minnesota walleye: a walleye sandwich for $11.99, pan fried walleye for $12.99 or walleye fish and chips for $11.99. The entrees come with a variety of sides including fries, rice pilaf and veggies.

The Food: As is my custom, I opted for the fish and chips. My three pieces of fish, which were breaded with a batter made from delicious Summit beer, had a nice hint of that beer and a good texture but were completely ruined by numerous bones. I don't ask that much from a fish fry, but I do enjoy not choking. So, I couldn't eat most of my fish, but I did enjoy the thick, hearty steak fries. The apple coleslaw was a huge hit at my table, but with my aversion to mayo, I'll have to take my dining companions word.

The Flavor: Given its downtown location, the 8th Street Grill is a popular place for lunch and happy hour. It's spacious enough to be a nice sit down option when you're sick of brown bagging it at your desk. As a particularly nice happy hour treat, the Grill has several varieties of delicious Point Beer on tap. Ah Point, what a wonderful taste of home!

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