This was our 2nd year for reviewing fish fry's in the Dubuque area and we were happy that we got to try out some new places. Each fish fry had its high points and despite the quality or taste, we enjoyed the time spent with friends and family. Thanks to all who were able to join us for our tasty reviews!
Here are final results from worst to best fish fry:
5th: Red's Supper Club-- 3
4th: Rhody's--8
3rd: Timmerman's--8.5
2nd: Neumann's Bar & Grill--9
And the 2017 Fish Fry Challenge winner is Asbury Eagles Club! They earned a 9.5 out of 10!
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Week 5 review: Asbury Eagles Club, Asbury, IA
Week 5 Review: Asbury Eagles Club, Asbury, IA
For our final fish fry we had family recommend the Asbury Eagles Club AYCE fish fry dinner. We invited a group of family members to join us for our last fish fry of the season.
The club's fish fry was on a first come, first serve basis. We were told we should arrive early as they have been known to run out of fish so we arrived at 5:30 pm. We gathered in the bar area to wait for all of our group to arrive. The bar area looked fairly new or possibly recently updated. It had lots of seating, and was a popular place for pre-dinner and after dinner gathering.
After everyone in our group arrived, we got in line to pay as there was a table for 8 ready for our group. The fish fry dinner buffet cost was $13/person, and they asked you right away what type of fish you'd like brought to your table first--baked or fried. I ordered the fried fish. The dining room area was a big open room with multiple tables so it fit a lot of people. It was quite a busy place, which did make it hard to weave your way through the tables and people.
After we were seated we were instructed that we could go up to the buffet line and pick the rest of our dinner items, as the fish would be delivered to our table shortly. The buffet items included: baked potato, green been casserole, corn, tossed salad, coleslaw, broccoli/carrot salad, a few other 'salads', a dinner role, and for dessert a chocolate brownie--with frosting! The amount of buffet items was surprising given the venue, as it was not expected.
For my first trip I chose the tossed salad, coleslaw, and broccoli/carrot salad, with the dinner roll. The salad, with dressing, was very good, the coleslaw was exactly the type of creamy slaw that I love and I was very happy to have to such good coleslaw for my last fish fry. The broccoli/carrot salad was also very tasty and a great salad to have with the meal. The dinner roll tasted fresh and I enjoyed having it paired with my salads.
By the time we had finished our salads, our fish had arrived! The table was split fairly even with half ordering baked and half ordering fried. Once we had our fish, we went up to get our side items to be able to have them with our fish. I chose a baked potato and corn, and also scooped a heaping spoonful of tartar sauce :)
After I sat down, I dug right in to my fried fish. The fish tasted great! It had just the right amount of breading, and was cooked perfectly. It didn't have any additional spices added to it, and was just plain fried fish, but paired with the tasty tartar sauce, it tasted great!
The side items of the baked potato and corn were also very good. The potato was cooked perfectly and the corn was exact type of sweet corn that I love. These were both great items to have with the meal, and the corn was a welcomed food item.
The servers came by frequently to ask us to clear plates and if we wanted to order more fish. I ordered a could more pieces as they were small pieces of fish, and the second round of fish was just as good as the first. At this point I was starting to feel the fullness of the meal set in, but if you know me, you know I cannot refuse a frosted chocolate brownie. And I was not disappointed with my choice. The brownie was very moist and a great way to end the dinner.
Server/environment: we had multiple servers come by our table to check on us and they did a great job at catering to our fish needs. The environment was fine, not too loud; however, due to the large crowd of people and most tables being full, it was hard to maneuver through. The buffet line was also not set up the greatest as there was a traffic jam of people at the end of the buffet line and you had to be aggressive to get to your last food items .
Overall comments: the fried fish was very good and I loved the tartar sauce. The salad items and side items were fantastic and I enjoyed every bite of my entire meal. The overall atmosphere was nice and the company was wonderful! The price of $13 for the fish fry was a steal for all of the items you got and the quality of the food.
For our final fish fry we had family recommend the Asbury Eagles Club AYCE fish fry dinner. We invited a group of family members to join us for our last fish fry of the season.
The club's fish fry was on a first come, first serve basis. We were told we should arrive early as they have been known to run out of fish so we arrived at 5:30 pm. We gathered in the bar area to wait for all of our group to arrive. The bar area looked fairly new or possibly recently updated. It had lots of seating, and was a popular place for pre-dinner and after dinner gathering.
After everyone in our group arrived, we got in line to pay as there was a table for 8 ready for our group. The fish fry dinner buffet cost was $13/person, and they asked you right away what type of fish you'd like brought to your table first--baked or fried. I ordered the fried fish. The dining room area was a big open room with multiple tables so it fit a lot of people. It was quite a busy place, which did make it hard to weave your way through the tables and people.
After we were seated we were instructed that we could go up to the buffet line and pick the rest of our dinner items, as the fish would be delivered to our table shortly. The buffet items included: baked potato, green been casserole, corn, tossed salad, coleslaw, broccoli/carrot salad, a few other 'salads', a dinner role, and for dessert a chocolate brownie--with frosting! The amount of buffet items was surprising given the venue, as it was not expected.
For my first trip I chose the tossed salad, coleslaw, and broccoli/carrot salad, with the dinner roll. The salad, with dressing, was very good, the coleslaw was exactly the type of creamy slaw that I love and I was very happy to have to such good coleslaw for my last fish fry. The broccoli/carrot salad was also very tasty and a great salad to have with the meal. The dinner roll tasted fresh and I enjoyed having it paired with my salads.
By the time we had finished our salads, our fish had arrived! The table was split fairly even with half ordering baked and half ordering fried. Once we had our fish, we went up to get our side items to be able to have them with our fish. I chose a baked potato and corn, and also scooped a heaping spoonful of tartar sauce :)
After I sat down, I dug right in to my fried fish. The fish tasted great! It had just the right amount of breading, and was cooked perfectly. It didn't have any additional spices added to it, and was just plain fried fish, but paired with the tasty tartar sauce, it tasted great!
The side items of the baked potato and corn were also very good. The potato was cooked perfectly and the corn was exact type of sweet corn that I love. These were both great items to have with the meal, and the corn was a welcomed food item.
The servers came by frequently to ask us to clear plates and if we wanted to order more fish. I ordered a could more pieces as they were small pieces of fish, and the second round of fish was just as good as the first. At this point I was starting to feel the fullness of the meal set in, but if you know me, you know I cannot refuse a frosted chocolate brownie. And I was not disappointed with my choice. The brownie was very moist and a great way to end the dinner.
Server/environment: we had multiple servers come by our table to check on us and they did a great job at catering to our fish needs. The environment was fine, not too loud; however, due to the large crowd of people and most tables being full, it was hard to maneuver through. The buffet line was also not set up the greatest as there was a traffic jam of people at the end of the buffet line and you had to be aggressive to get to your last food items .
Overall comments: the fried fish was very good and I loved the tartar sauce. The salad items and side items were fantastic and I enjoyed every bite of my entire meal. The overall atmosphere was nice and the company was wonderful! The price of $13 for the fish fry was a steal for all of the items you got and the quality of the food.
Overall rating: I highly enjoyed and loved this fish fry. I am giving it a 9.5 out of 10. If it wasn't for the tight squeeze of getting through the dining room, and the bottleneck at the end of the buffet line, it would have gotten an immediate 10 out of 10. I would definitely like to come back here again for their fish fry and other dinners that they may have.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
FFC Week #4--Rhody's, Dubuque, IA
Week 4 Review: Rhody's, Dubuque, IA
This week's Fish Fry review I invited my Jaycee's group to join me in tasting and reviewing the fish fry. As many had not heard of Rhody's, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to take them there to try their fish fry.
As we had a large group going, I made a reservation ahead of time. When I arrived, I was happy to see they had our table for 15 all set up and ready for us.
As people started filtering in, our waitress stayed on top of everyone's drink order and got everyone situated while we discussed the fish fry special.
The Friday Fish Fry special included: cod or catfish (fried or baked), choice of potato, and full salad bar for $13.99. Almost all in our group chose the fish fry special, with each choosing a different choice of potato. I chose fried catfish & cod to start, with a baked potato, and extra tartar sauce.
We were able to go up to the salad bar right after we ordered our meal, so we all started gathering our items. The salad bar included: vegetable cheese soup, dinner roll, lettuce, dressings, macaroni salad, potato salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, beets, sauerkraut, pea salad, fruit medley, cheese spread & crackers.
I started out with lettuce, macaroni salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cheese spread, and soup. The lettuce salad (with french dressing) was really good, however, I would have liked to had added toppings such as cheese and croutons. My small tastings of the macaroni and potato salad were both really good. The potato salad was surprisingly very good. The coleslaw was a bit runny, and needed some pepper but was good. The cheese spread had good flavor and is always a great part of the salad bar. The vegetable cheese soup was OK, but I thought it was an odd choice of soup for a Friday night. I only had a few bites of the soup and decided to wait to fill myself up on the fish.
Our fish and potato entrees came out in the perfect amount of time after we had finished our salad bar items. At a glance, all plates that were ordered looked great. Some ordered baked potatoes, waffle fries, or mashed potatoes. We all dug in to our fish & potatoes.
I had gotten half cod and half catfish, with a baked potato to start with. I have always been a fan of their catfish here, so I decided to try the fried cod first. The cod had a light breading, which was not as crisp as I would like, and was more 'soggy' than it probably should have been. The catfish was lightly breaded as well, and was perfectly crisp and flaky. The tartar sauce was made exactly the way I like it (mayo & dill based) and paired very well with the catfish. I tried a bite of the baked potato and it was steamed perfectly. It should be no surprise that I set the potato aside and focused on my fish.
Our server came back around regularly to check on us and refill drinks. A few of us ordered another round of fish, and I ordered more catfish. The second round of catfish was just as good as the first.
To finish our dining experience, we decided to get pieces of pie. I shared a slice of the chocolate. It was OK, as I would have enjoyed more of a 'fluffy' chocolate pie instead. One of their best sellers there is called sour cream & raisin pie. I tried to get someone in my group to order it, but no one was brave enough!
Server/environment: our server did a very good job. She checked on us regularly and didn't forget anything. She wasn't really chatty, but focused on ensuring our large got what we needed. The environment of Rhody's is unique to their style, but overall is a good environment for even large groups to dine.
Overall comments: the fried catfish was done perfectly, and I really enjoyed my pieces of fish. The tartar sauce was spot on excellent. The salad bar was pretty good, and had a fairly good selection. I heard that the other potato options were very good as well. The overall atmosphere was nice and the company was entertaining! The price was reasonable for an AYCE fish fry with a salad bar.
This week's Fish Fry review I invited my Jaycee's group to join me in tasting and reviewing the fish fry. As many had not heard of Rhody's, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to take them there to try their fish fry.
As we had a large group going, I made a reservation ahead of time. When I arrived, I was happy to see they had our table for 15 all set up and ready for us.
As people started filtering in, our waitress stayed on top of everyone's drink order and got everyone situated while we discussed the fish fry special.
The Friday Fish Fry special included: cod or catfish (fried or baked), choice of potato, and full salad bar for $13.99. Almost all in our group chose the fish fry special, with each choosing a different choice of potato. I chose fried catfish & cod to start, with a baked potato, and extra tartar sauce.
We were able to go up to the salad bar right after we ordered our meal, so we all started gathering our items. The salad bar included: vegetable cheese soup, dinner roll, lettuce, dressings, macaroni salad, potato salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, beets, sauerkraut, pea salad, fruit medley, cheese spread & crackers.
I started out with lettuce, macaroni salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cheese spread, and soup. The lettuce salad (with french dressing) was really good, however, I would have liked to had added toppings such as cheese and croutons. My small tastings of the macaroni and potato salad were both really good. The potato salad was surprisingly very good. The coleslaw was a bit runny, and needed some pepper but was good. The cheese spread had good flavor and is always a great part of the salad bar. The vegetable cheese soup was OK, but I thought it was an odd choice of soup for a Friday night. I only had a few bites of the soup and decided to wait to fill myself up on the fish.
Our fish and potato entrees came out in the perfect amount of time after we had finished our salad bar items. At a glance, all plates that were ordered looked great. Some ordered baked potatoes, waffle fries, or mashed potatoes. We all dug in to our fish & potatoes.
I had gotten half cod and half catfish, with a baked potato to start with. I have always been a fan of their catfish here, so I decided to try the fried cod first. The cod had a light breading, which was not as crisp as I would like, and was more 'soggy' than it probably should have been. The catfish was lightly breaded as well, and was perfectly crisp and flaky. The tartar sauce was made exactly the way I like it (mayo & dill based) and paired very well with the catfish. I tried a bite of the baked potato and it was steamed perfectly. It should be no surprise that I set the potato aside and focused on my fish.
Our server came back around regularly to check on us and refill drinks. A few of us ordered another round of fish, and I ordered more catfish. The second round of catfish was just as good as the first.
To finish our dining experience, we decided to get pieces of pie. I shared a slice of the chocolate. It was OK, as I would have enjoyed more of a 'fluffy' chocolate pie instead. One of their best sellers there is called sour cream & raisin pie. I tried to get someone in my group to order it, but no one was brave enough!
Server/environment: our server did a very good job. She checked on us regularly and didn't forget anything. She wasn't really chatty, but focused on ensuring our large got what we needed. The environment of Rhody's is unique to their style, but overall is a good environment for even large groups to dine.
Overall comments: the fried catfish was done perfectly, and I really enjoyed my pieces of fish. The tartar sauce was spot on excellent. The salad bar was pretty good, and had a fairly good selection. I heard that the other potato options were very good as well. The overall atmosphere was nice and the company was entertaining! The price was reasonable for an AYCE fish fry with a salad bar.
Overall rating: For my own personal rating I am giving it a 8 out of 10. Catfish was very good, but the cod has a ways to go. As far as the group rating, after tallying all of their ratings, the average rating was 8 out of 10 for the group.
Most in the group stated they would come again, which is always good to hear!
Other comments from the group:
Most in the group stated they would come again, which is always good to hear!
Other comments from the group:
- it was very loud (due to the other large groups); would have liked more potatoes to go with the fish, but overall good.
- the ranch dressing tasted a bit sour; loved the waffle fries- they had good seasoning. Loved the options on the salad bar.
- Had a great time!
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
FFC Week #3-- Neumann's Bar & Grill, Holy Cross, IA
Week 3 Review: Neumann's Bar & Grill, Holy Cross, IA
Each time we had our Fish Fry Challenge our friends would say "you have to come to Holy Cross with us!" and finally we did.
For our week 3 fish fry, we traveled about 25 miles from Dubuque to the small town of Holy Cross, IA. Don't ask me where it is, because I really have no idea.
When we arrived to Neumann's we were happy to see that it wasn't as busy as it typically can be on a Friday night, and we were able to get a table right away. Our server came almost immediately to get our drink order. I really liked our server as she was nice and accommodating.
After perusing the menu for about 1 second I knew I was going to get their AYCE fish fry. The AYCE fish fry came with choice of fish, broiled or deep fried, full salad bar and choice of potato. All for $13.25. At this point my expectations were low since it seemed like a cheap price for everything you got with it. I ordered fried fish with a baked potato.
We started digging in to the salad bar right away. The salad bar was a full salad bar. It's items included: dinner rolls, crackers & cheese spread, lettuce, all the toppings, coleslaw, carrots, celery (& dip), macaroni salad, pasta salad, and few more random 'salads'.
The salad bar was outstanding! I enjoyed almost everything I took to try. The dinner rolls were soft, crackers & cheese were flavorful and the coleslaw had just the right amount of runny-ness I like. The only downside was some of the lettuce was a little wilted, so you had to dig through to ensure you got some good leafs. And yes, I went up for seconds of the salad bar. Don't judge me.
ACYE fish fry begins! We got our fish in record time, and our server was more than obliged to bring us extra tartar sauce. First bite of fish--amazing!!! This was the best fish I have tasted this season and its going to be a tough one to beat this Fish Fry season. It had just the right amount of crispiness and flavor. And when paired with the awesome tartar sauce, I was in heaven! I was able to get down only 3 pieces, but let me tell you, I really wish I could have fit more in because it was so good. I had a quick bite of my baked potato to try it, and it was cooked perfectly. I boxed that up to take home, because, hey, I needed more room for the fish!
We finished off our dinner by ordering a grasshopper for the table. It came in a huge heaping mound of deliciousness and really made a great end to our spectacular meal.
Each time we had our Fish Fry Challenge our friends would say "you have to come to Holy Cross with us!" and finally we did.
For our week 3 fish fry, we traveled about 25 miles from Dubuque to the small town of Holy Cross, IA. Don't ask me where it is, because I really have no idea.
When we arrived to Neumann's we were happy to see that it wasn't as busy as it typically can be on a Friday night, and we were able to get a table right away. Our server came almost immediately to get our drink order. I really liked our server as she was nice and accommodating.
After perusing the menu for about 1 second I knew I was going to get their AYCE fish fry. The AYCE fish fry came with choice of fish, broiled or deep fried, full salad bar and choice of potato. All for $13.25. At this point my expectations were low since it seemed like a cheap price for everything you got with it. I ordered fried fish with a baked potato.
We started digging in to the salad bar right away. The salad bar was a full salad bar. It's items included: dinner rolls, crackers & cheese spread, lettuce, all the toppings, coleslaw, carrots, celery (& dip), macaroni salad, pasta salad, and few more random 'salads'.
The salad bar was outstanding! I enjoyed almost everything I took to try. The dinner rolls were soft, crackers & cheese were flavorful and the coleslaw had just the right amount of runny-ness I like. The only downside was some of the lettuce was a little wilted, so you had to dig through to ensure you got some good leafs. And yes, I went up for seconds of the salad bar. Don't judge me.
ACYE fish fry begins! We got our fish in record time, and our server was more than obliged to bring us extra tartar sauce. First bite of fish--amazing!!! This was the best fish I have tasted this season and its going to be a tough one to beat this Fish Fry season. It had just the right amount of crispiness and flavor. And when paired with the awesome tartar sauce, I was in heaven! I was able to get down only 3 pieces, but let me tell you, I really wish I could have fit more in because it was so good. I had a quick bite of my baked potato to try it, and it was cooked perfectly. I boxed that up to take home, because, hey, I needed more room for the fish!
We finished off our dinner by ordering a grasshopper for the table. It came in a huge heaping mound of deliciousness and really made a great end to our spectacular meal.
Our server/environment: she did an excellent job of serving, and even joked with us. The overall environment was more like a bar with a restaurant attached which had a lot of space.
Overall comments: the fried fish was AMAZING! And the tartar sauce only made it even more amazing. The salad bar was also very, very good and even had our relish on it that we love. The trip to Holy Cross was definitely worth it and I would recommend this place to others.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10. Fish was very, very, good, tartar sauce was great, the price was spot on and reasonable. The only negative we experienced was the wilted lettuce, which was a bit of a bummer having to dig through, but not a deal breaker.
Would I go here again for AYCE fish? Most definitely. How about next week?
Thursday, March 16, 2017
FFC Week #2 Review- Red's Supper Club
Week 2 Review: Red's Supper Club, Cuba City, WI
We continued our FFC week 2 with a class supper club that I usually love going to and have great memories with my family. We also went to this supper club for last years FFC and if you remember, I had a few plates spilled on me, so we were sure this time would go much better! Last year it earned a 7 out of 10. Read on to find out this years rating!
We made reservations for 6:30pm, and were surprised when we arrived that there wasn't a lot of people eating. It being Friday and all, we thought for sure it would have a lot of early birds.
We were seated right away to our table and to my delight we had a large relish tray and rolls waiting to be devoured! The relish tray is one of my favorite things about supper clubs. And this relish tray was very good. Great flavors to the dips and cheese, and really liked the dinner rolls.
Our smiley server came soon and we ordered our drinks. The Friday special was their $14.99 buffet that included the following (if I can remember it all): baked cod, fried cod, catfish, crawfish, frog legs, fried shrimp, diced potatoes and peas & carrots, and your choice of salad. Needless to say they had A LOT of options.
I started out by ordering the coleslaw as my side. The coleslaw was pretty good, but I did have to add pepper to it. My fish plate consisted of fried cod, fried shrimp, frog legs and diced potatoes. The cod breading was not very crisp. This is probably due to it being produced in mass quantity and placed in a pan to sit and wait. The cod also had a lemon flavor to it that I did not like. The tartar sauce was outstanding and really helped mask the lemon flavor of the fish. The fried shrimp was good, and it came with shrimp sauce that was also very good. I did not care for the frog legs, as they tasted very tough to me. The diced potatoes had a very light seasoning that I again did not care for.
My next trip to the buffet consisted of more fried shrimp, as I had enjoyed it before, and I tired the catfish as I typically like catfish. The catfish was still on the bone so I had to peel of the catfish meat from the bone which was very hard to do. In any case it did not matter, I did not like the catfish. It really had no flavor and did not 'fall of the bone' like many others I've had do.
At this point I felt really bad for the amount of food I had wasted because I wanted to try a few things. Overall, I was not really happy with the quality or taste of the items they had. Our server came by often to check on us and did a good job of tending to needs, so I was happy with this aspect of our dinner.
Overall results:
We continued our FFC week 2 with a class supper club that I usually love going to and have great memories with my family. We also went to this supper club for last years FFC and if you remember, I had a few plates spilled on me, so we were sure this time would go much better! Last year it earned a 7 out of 10. Read on to find out this years rating!
We made reservations for 6:30pm, and were surprised when we arrived that there wasn't a lot of people eating. It being Friday and all, we thought for sure it would have a lot of early birds.
We were seated right away to our table and to my delight we had a large relish tray and rolls waiting to be devoured! The relish tray is one of my favorite things about supper clubs. And this relish tray was very good. Great flavors to the dips and cheese, and really liked the dinner rolls.
Our smiley server came soon and we ordered our drinks. The Friday special was their $14.99 buffet that included the following (if I can remember it all): baked cod, fried cod, catfish, crawfish, frog legs, fried shrimp, diced potatoes and peas & carrots, and your choice of salad. Needless to say they had A LOT of options.
I started out by ordering the coleslaw as my side. The coleslaw was pretty good, but I did have to add pepper to it. My fish plate consisted of fried cod, fried shrimp, frog legs and diced potatoes. The cod breading was not very crisp. This is probably due to it being produced in mass quantity and placed in a pan to sit and wait. The cod also had a lemon flavor to it that I did not like. The tartar sauce was outstanding and really helped mask the lemon flavor of the fish. The fried shrimp was good, and it came with shrimp sauce that was also very good. I did not care for the frog legs, as they tasted very tough to me. The diced potatoes had a very light seasoning that I again did not care for.
My next trip to the buffet consisted of more fried shrimp, as I had enjoyed it before, and I tired the catfish as I typically like catfish. The catfish was still on the bone so I had to peel of the catfish meat from the bone which was very hard to do. In any case it did not matter, I did not like the catfish. It really had no flavor and did not 'fall of the bone' like many others I've had do.
At this point I felt really bad for the amount of food I had wasted because I wanted to try a few things. Overall, I was not really happy with the quality or taste of the items they had. Our server came by often to check on us and did a good job of tending to needs, so I was happy with this aspect of our dinner.
Overall results:
The atmosphere was great as I love older supper clubs. Our company (my family) was great and many conversations were had. Our server did a good job and was very friendly. I really enjoyed the relish tray and dinner rolls on the table.
Overall comments/rating: the fried fish was not very good at all, in fact most of the seafood items were not very good, except the fried shrimp. The best thing was the tartar sauce, as it was outstanding. I didn't care much for the potatoes and any of the other items on the buffet. And I can't believe how much food I wasted because I didn't like what I picked. The best things were the relish tray, rolls, coleslaw and shrimp; otherwise, all the rest was a disappointment. Overall, it was quite disappointing, even compared to last year.
Overall rating: 3 out of 10. For all the items available for the buffet, the price was not bad; however, the quality of the main entree items in the buffet were not good. I would almost recommend them to go away from the buffet style and just do a plated fish dinner. But I'm guessing the buffet is easier for them to do.
Would I encourage you to go here? Go at your own risk. This was just my recent experience.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
FFC Week 1 Review--Timmerman's Supper Club
Week 1 Review: Timmerman's Supper Club, East Dubuque, IL
I was excited to start our 5th year FFC at a place I've never had their dinner. I've gone for their famous brunch many times, so I had high expectations for their All You Can Eat Fish Fry.
Timmerman's is what I would call a classic Supper Club. Dimly lit eating area, with a large circular bar, that's highly encouraged to sit at prior to your meal, or afterwards.
Due to it being a Friday night, I made reservations well in advance for 7:00pm. We arrived right at 7pm to a very full supper club, and busy staff. We were told they were a bit behind in schedule, but they would call us to our table as soon as possible. This wasn't a big deal to our small group as the bar had seats available. We sat at the bar and consumed our beverages while taking in the iconic supper club atmosphere. After about 15min I went back up to see how much longer our wait was going to be and they had about 4 tables to go before us, so we went back to enjoying another beverage. At about 30min after our reservation, with many hunger pangs, I went to ask when our table would be ready as we had been waiting 30min past our reservation time and they said we were next up.
After about another 5min we were escorted to our dinner table, and as luck would have it we were placed right by the window which overlooked the night life of the City of Dubuque and Mississippi River. It was a beautiful view, even if it was dark outside.
Shortly after we were seated our server greeted us and took our drink order while we looked through the menus. I knew what I was getting, and was eager to start my AYCE Fish Fry. After we received our drinks, but had not placed our dinner order, our server brought us fresh corn bread. This was the best corn bread I have ever had. It was sweet and melted in your mouth. A great to start off the evening dinner.
Our server was very polite and took our orders promptly, and didn't give me a look when I asked for extra tartar sauce. I ordered their Friday Night All You Can Eat (AYCE) Fish Fry special. It included AYCE fried Cod, soup or salad and a potato for $16.00. I went with the home-made clam chowder soup, and baked potato.
We received our soup & salad right away, along with fresh rolls. The home-made clam chowder was very delicious! I was very happy I had ordered it as some home-made soups have a twist on the original, but they kept to the original ingredients and I finished the cup of soup in record time. I must also comment on the rolls--they were warm and light and very tasty. I only wish they would have offered us more than just the four for the table. But I liked that they didn't give you a huge basket that you end up wasting.
I was excited to start our 5th year FFC at a place I've never had their dinner. I've gone for their famous brunch many times, so I had high expectations for their All You Can Eat Fish Fry.
Timmerman's is what I would call a classic Supper Club. Dimly lit eating area, with a large circular bar, that's highly encouraged to sit at prior to your meal, or afterwards.
Due to it being a Friday night, I made reservations well in advance for 7:00pm. We arrived right at 7pm to a very full supper club, and busy staff. We were told they were a bit behind in schedule, but they would call us to our table as soon as possible. This wasn't a big deal to our small group as the bar had seats available. We sat at the bar and consumed our beverages while taking in the iconic supper club atmosphere. After about 15min I went back up to see how much longer our wait was going to be and they had about 4 tables to go before us, so we went back to enjoying another beverage. At about 30min after our reservation, with many hunger pangs, I went to ask when our table would be ready as we had been waiting 30min past our reservation time and they said we were next up.
After about another 5min we were escorted to our dinner table, and as luck would have it we were placed right by the window which overlooked the night life of the City of Dubuque and Mississippi River. It was a beautiful view, even if it was dark outside.
Shortly after we were seated our server greeted us and took our drink order while we looked through the menus. I knew what I was getting, and was eager to start my AYCE Fish Fry. After we received our drinks, but had not placed our dinner order, our server brought us fresh corn bread. This was the best corn bread I have ever had. It was sweet and melted in your mouth. A great to start off the evening dinner.
Our server was very polite and took our orders promptly, and didn't give me a look when I asked for extra tartar sauce. I ordered their Friday Night All You Can Eat (AYCE) Fish Fry special. It included AYCE fried Cod, soup or salad and a potato for $16.00. I went with the home-made clam chowder soup, and baked potato.
We received our soup & salad right away, along with fresh rolls. The home-made clam chowder was very delicious! I was very happy I had ordered it as some home-made soups have a twist on the original, but they kept to the original ingredients and I finished the cup of soup in record time. I must also comment on the rolls--they were warm and light and very tasty. I only wish they would have offered us more than just the four for the table. But I liked that they didn't give you a huge basket that you end up wasting.
Dinner is served! Dinner came in a fair amount of time after our soup & salad, and they remembered my extra tartar sauce! The AYCE fried cod started off with 3 pieces of moderately-heavily breaded (fried) cod, and my baked potato on the side. I dug in to my fish right away. The breading (on most areas of the cod) was crisp and had a light seasoning. Paired with the outstanding tartar sauce, I was happy! The fried cod overall was quite good; however, I had a few parts of the breading/cod that were a little tough. Again, the tartar sauce was outstanding and just the way I like it. I had a few bites of my potato, which was cooked perfectly, but focused mainly on eating my fish. We did order one more piece of fish, that I didn't quite finish, which was still good quality considering it was the 'next round' of AYCE fish.
Our server: she did an excellent job of serving and taking good care of our table needs. She was very nice, though quiet. The overall environment was very supper club-ish which I really enjoyed and added to our experience. Having a table near the window was a great bonus!
Overall comments/rating: the fried fish was overall very good, even with some of the tougher pieces. I didn't mind the moderate to heavy breading as it was crispy. The tartar sauce was spot on for awesomeness, and the home-made clam chowder was a great start to the meal. The additional surprise of the sweet corn bread really made an impression on us as well.
Some of the downsides: for being a supper club, I was a little surprised they didn't have a relish tray on the table as that would have been a nice addition. The price of $16.00 for an AYCE fish fry is fairly comparable these days; however, the fact that they only had soup/salad and potato made it a slim meal for the price compared to other AYCE fish fry's in the area. You're definitely paying more here for the level of restaurant quality.
Some of the downsides: for being a supper club, I was a little surprised they didn't have a relish tray on the table as that would have been a nice addition. The price of $16.00 for an AYCE fish fry is fairly comparable these days; however, the fact that they only had soup/salad and potato made it a slim meal for the price compared to other AYCE fish fry's in the area. You're definitely paying more here for the level of restaurant quality.
Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10. Fish was very good, tartar sauce was great, but the overall price for what you get was a little steep (in my opinion).
Would I go here again for AYCE fish? Most definitely.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
5th Annual Fish Fry Challenge--2017!
5th Annual Fish Fry Challenge--2017! Starts Friday, March 3rd
This year marks our 5th year for our fish fry challenge, and second year of doing the challenge in the Dubuque, IA area. We are mixing things up this year and won't be doing the full 7 weeks of reviews. Stay tuned for fish fry review dates.
For those of you who are new to my Fish Fry Challenge, here are basic details:
For those of you who are new to my Fish Fry Challenge, here are basic details:
· during the Lent season (fish fry season) we will visit different Friday Fish Fry’s in area, and judge and rate (on a scale of 1-10) these fish fry’s based on the following criteria:
- 1. Fish—quality and taste2. Tartar sauce (because I LOVE tartar sauce)3. Side dishes-what is all available, quality and taste4. Service & environment5. Price of fish fry—is the price worth what you get
I will then write up my review, give my overall rating, and post in my blog. Please note that these reviews are strictly my observations and opinions. So what this means is I may not like your favorite fish fry.
Know of a great Fish Fry? Let me know, as I love suggestions!
Want to join us for a Fish Fry? Heck yes! Just let us know in advance (in case we need to make reservations) and we'll try to include you in our fun!
For our Fish Fry Week #1 – Timmerman's Supper Club in East Dubuque, IL. I have only gone to this restaurant for their Sunday brunch, so I'm excited to try their AYCE Fish Fry!
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