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!
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