Cole slaw, French fries, clam chowder, tartar sauce, marble rye and deep-fried fish ... together, you six make an unstoppable team. Throw in a Spotted Cow, and you're downright magnificent.
Throughout my life, I have had a wide variety of favorite foods. Like most children, I went through my cake/cookie/candy phase. Now that stuff does nothing for me. I had a pasta phase, which has turned out to be a lifelong love affair. Breakfast food fits that bill as well. But all of these foods pale in comparison to the good old Midwestern Friday night fish fry.
In all honesty, if I just made the sweeping claim that a fish fry is my favorite food — or rather, meal — I'd be lying. There is a particular place in northern Wisconsin (I cannot reveal the name for fear that you'll steal my hideaway) that makes the best I've ever eaten, and this particular fish fry has appeared in my dreams on numerous occasions. The fish is Cajun battered, rather than your traditional beer batter, and the waitress brings out a steaming bowl of spicy clam chowder to serve as a delicious precursor to the phenomenal culinary experience you are about to enjoy. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it's all-you-can-eat.
But there is more to this north woods fish fry than an incredible meal. The fact that I can get in my car after a long day of lounging at the lake, donning a flannel shirt, baseball cap, and a fresh, make-up free face, and enjoy a five-star meal in the most unpretentious, hole-in-the-wall bar on this side of the Mississippi is absolutely perfect. If you know me, you know that fancy is generally not my style, and ritzy is almost never my preference. I like to be casual, and I prefer humble settings to outrageous money pits. Additionally, to me, eating out is less about ingesting necessary nutrients than it is about an experience. Food means family, comfort, joy and camaraderie. And in the north woods, food also means beer and deep fried fish. This fish fry is everything I love swept up in one conveniently delicious package.
Do you think it is strange that I am writing an article about how much I love this meal? Wait 'til you try it, you'll understand.
