With only one free Friday during Lent, I will always opt for the fish dinner at St. Mary's. The…read moreprice has gone up to $10 for an adult dinner but they do offer senior discounts and kid's dinners as well. St. Mary's is definitely one of the more popular church fish dinners but don't let the crowd discourage you, this is the real deal.
When you first walk in, there is a table where you tell them how many dinners you want. For each dinner, you get a piece of paper that is your order form. Options are fried or baked fish, dinner roll or sandwich bun and three sides (corn, green beans, mac n cheese, baked potato, cole slaw....and I think I'm forgetting a few). You can also order several condiments (butter, sour cream, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, lemon, ketchup, etc). You mark the order form with what you would like and get in line. Once you make your way through the serpentine and reach the food counter you hand over your order form and your meal is assembled down the line piece by piece. Every year I continue to be impressed with how efficiently this place runs.
Once you get your completed dinner on a tray, it can be tricky finding a seat. I recommend finding a seat and then getting your drink. There is a separate drink area that offers Schneider's beverages (milk, chocolate milk, lemonade, orange drink, iced tea), water, coffee and tea, as well as wine and beer. There is a $1 donation required for wine and beer but no limit on the non-alcoholic drinks. The $10 also gets you a dessert from an assortment donated by church members.
The portions are generous and with three sides (baked potato, corn and cole slaw) I could barely finish my meal so I selected a dessert to go. Takeout orders can also be placed (there are even chairs set up for those waiting for orders to be filled) but I highly recommend staying there for the full Catholic Church fish fry dinner experience. It could be the best $10 you'll ever spend. At least on a fish dinner.
