The fries look a lil anemic TBH, but the fish looks great!
1 Like
Oh, and funny story: I was waiting in the “take out” line (separate from the “eat in” line) to buy the special cream of crab soup to take home after we ate. The volunteer cashiers were buzzing about the soup maybe being sold out, but they weren’t sure, and it seemed like the true knowledge of soup status might be unknowable. My purchase was on hold until the truth could be found.
They finally hailed a passing whirlwind of a volunteer who seemed to be the owner of Soup Reconnaissance, and she set out to the other side of the cafeteria to check on available quantities. It took her a long time to make her way back, because she seemed to know everyone and had a million little errands to do for diners along the way. She was clearly someone important, and extremely busy.
She finally gets back and reports that the soup was almost gone, but if I dashed over there right now I might snag the last of it. I was confused about if I should pay first, so she finally took me by the elbow and we weaved our way back across the room to the far side, land of the magic tureen and a soup lady in a hair net. The entire way, she was waving off other volunteers and diners who wished to stop her and gather soup intel; her mission was to get me to the soup before it ran out, and she would not be deterred.
She delivered me to the soup lady, and made sure I got my cream of crab even though I had not yet paid and didn’t have the magic soup ticket. I got the last two orders. When she was sure I was taken care of, she squared her shoulders and dove back into the room to continue her targeted problem-solving and question-answering.
I deposited the soup on my table and went back to pay for it. As I waited for my card to be charged, Soup Expert appeared again, performing a drive-by of the cashier table, then flitted off, and I made a comment of appreciation. The cashier leaned in and said, “That’s Nena. Of ‘Jim+Nena’s.’” I nodded in instant recognition.
Jim+Nena’s is a longstanding local pizza empire; they were around when I was growing up. Nena was the matriarch, an while her grandkids apparently run the biz these days, she clearly has a gift for customer service, and you can’t just turn that kind of thing off 
Later, as I was finishing my dinner, she came to my table to ask if I’d tasted the soup. I had, and said it was delicious, just as delicious as last week’s special offering, the lobster bisque. I asked what would be the special soup next week; she darted into the kitchen, full of old men in church aprons manning enormous fry baskets. They conferred, then she came back and said, “They want to know which you’d prefer- Maryland crab, or another batch of the bisque.” I blurted out, “Maryland crab for sure,” and she informed me that’s what they’d be making next Friday.
Guess I’ll be back for that
13 Likes
What a story!!
4 Likes
Time again for this annual thread…
4 Likes
A few United churches, Catholic churches, and Canadian Legions run fish fries in smaller Ontario towns during Lent.
I did a quick online search this morning, and I found one offered in Chatham (home of the Hawaiian pizza).
It’s nothing like what’s available in Ohio, upper New York State and western Pennsylvania. I sort of wish I had made some road trips to try the fish fries available around Akron and Buffalo.
I spent one Friday night during Lent en route to a wedding in Canton, Ohio, in 2016. We stopped near Toledo that night. We didn’t find a fish fry. We ended up having a nice Italian seafood dinner instead.
One of my DCs has stopped eating commercial fish and chips from our fish and chips shop, due to the salt content.
I’m getting a little better with the fish fry at home.
1 Like
Our local rag just published a list of fish fries in the area. I’ve never been to one, so it’s high time. Hope to make it to one after spring break 
Fun fact: a common side for fish fries in PA is stewed tomatoes. I’ll stick to the mac and cole slaw (if it’s not sweet).
1 Like
1 Like
Thank you @Phoenikia ! The solution to my problem is getting fish that’s shallow-fried, though I’d be hard-pressed to get that in a restaurant. I’m used to bulbous torpedo-shaped pieces of unappetizing deep-fried fish dripping with oil. I usually dump the coating and eat the fish.
1 Like
My dining companion also was scraping batter off his fish lately. More to avoid the sodium than the fat, both are hanging out in the batter.
I drained this fish I cooked on paper towels, which I changed 3 times.
If the oil is really hot, much less oil gets absorbed in the batter.
I’m always shocked when pubs or fancy restaurants in Toronto haven’t mastered frying, despite charging $29 for Fish and Chips or $45 for Fritto Misto, while a busy Greek or Chinese restaurant can get it right on a $20 order of fried calamari, $16 chicken balls, or a $3 spring roll.
Some of the gourmet $6 donuts being sold in Toronto also aren’t being fried in oil that’s hot enough.
I would think setting the temp of the oil in some resto kitchens could be very easy these days, with all the computerized gadgets.
2 Likes
