About damn time. That's about all I could think of when driving to 680 North. You see, this Fish Fry Guy hadn't had one since October. Ever since my new job, it's been tough to make time, or even HAVE time to eat an All-you-can-eat Friday Night Fish Fry. Thanks to my Uncle Gary planning a family get together in Ripon, I knew this could very well break the drought. And it did!
An Email from my Aunt Grace Ann led me to here. She knows of my love for the Fish Fry. She said this is a favorite of theirs. I'm sold. After unpacking at my Aunt & Uncle's home, we loaded back into our car & made the drive to 680 North. It's about a 15 minute journey from Ripon.
The restaurant is located on the grounds of a golf course. Which, for the most part, means it's probably a little fancier, and it is. They have a fireplace smack dab in the middle of the room. You could call ahead and see if you can reserve a table by it. Some couples had done that, and were having a romantic dinner out. My Aunt had reserved us a table for 6:30 and it ended up being the first table in the place, as soon as you walk into the restaurant. The restaurant itself is done up Northwoods style. Log cabin motif. I liked the getup they had going on in there.
After catching up with the family for a bit, our server stopped by to inquire about beverages. We all were ready to order our food at this point so we just ordered everything with her. I got a Wisconsin beer brewed by Horney Goat. A Brownie Porter. My Aunt & Uncles ordered the Manhattan Clam Chowder. Alyssa & I had talked about sharing a cup of it, too. We just never ordered one. From what we heard, it was really good.
The wait for our suppers was long. With Pheona along, Alyssa had to get up with her to walk around because she was getting fussy. They were gone a good 10 minutes and when they came back, our dinners still hadn't arrived. My guess is about 25 minutes. What I got when it came looked great.
3 pieces of golden fried Beer Battered Haddock. A small bowl of creamy coleslaw sprinkled with Paprika on top. Two nice sized Potato Pancakes with Applesauce & warm syrup to accompany them. Also, a plastic ramekin of Tartar Sauce and a perfect wedge of Lemon.
The Haddock was cooked perfect. The Beer Batter was crisp & flavorful. The Filet flaked away from itself. The Potato Pancake, not so much. They were undercooked and a bit mushy. They were quite thick, too. I prefer a nice crisp crust on the outside and these did not provide that. They are the 2nd worst Potato Pancakes I've ever had. The Coleslaw was good. Perfect cutter after eating so many fried food bites. The Tartar Sauce went well with the Fish. Albeit a little skimpy on the portion size.
When our server checked in on us, we ordered 5 extra pieces. Again, the wait was atrocious. Both my Uncles, Bob & Gary, plus my Aunt had finished their suppers and were ready to go, & we were still waiting on the reorder. When it finally came, it didn't come with the Tartar Sauce we requested.
However, these pieces were fresh out the frier & even better than the first ones we got. Steam was puffing out of them when cut open. So, kind of a give & take. When you're forking out dough for a service & product, that shouldn't come into play, though.
Alyssa told me was the bathroom wasn't the best for privacy. The doors to the stalls are similar to old saloon doors with no lock and a 5 inch gap, so people can see you in the stall. Creepy.
If I was grading this on Fish alone, it would be a high four star review. Taking everything into consideration, it's a middle of the road Fish Fry. One thing I wouldn't mind going back for, is to see if I could score one of those tables by the fireplace for Alyssa & I. read more