The Best Fish & Chips

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Originally posted by Mayhaw Man

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Originally posted by Poverty Pete

Mayhaw Man,
When I was in Ireland, what I remember most is the early morning Guinness delivery trucks. They deliver so many half-barrels, so fast, that they don't even use refrigerated vans, they just load them onto flatbeds. In the small towns, there are pubs that must go through 15...20...30 kegs a night. Unbelievable.

I lived in a place called "The Wells" in Infield, County Meath. It was a free house, but Guinness was the majority of the beer coming across the bar, and it is about an hour west of Dublin proper on the road to Galway. Those trucks would show up in the back of the Wells about 7 in the morning and as my room was above the parking lot in the rear (literally) I have a much less fond memory of Guinees 1/2's being clanged around. What a racket

The Wells also serves Caffery's. An Irish Bitter made in Belfast. I am of the opinion that it is maybe the finest draft beer available in the world (yeah yeah you can throw Anchor Steam and Guinness in there, but it is really an amazingly smooth piece of craftsmanship).
I actually prefer Beamish to Guinness, but it is less generally available the farther North and East you go in Ireland.

The whole thing was a great experience I wouldn't trade for anything. Lovely people, lovely country. If they would just get their act together as far as providing hot water I would move there. I lived in a town where you could get a T-1 connection at your house, but your chances of having hot water in the middle of the night in my place was zero. BRRRRRRRRRRR. Wet and Damp were the key words to all of my time there (summer or winter)

My (unofficially) adopted brother from Ireland told me that no one ever wanted to clean the tanks at the Guinness brewery. So management decreed that whoever would stay to clean the tanks could stay and drink all the Guinness they wanted. They apparantly have very clean tanks there.

He also grew up with one of the Bailey's kids and said they had no food whatsoever in the house...every cupboard was crammed with bottle after bottle of Irish Cream.

That would be quite an incentive. God only knows how much Guinness an Irishman could drink if it were free.

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Originally posted by Poverty Pete

That would be quite an incentive. God only knows how much Guinness an Irishman could drink if it were free.

I attended the retirement party of the local postman (his grandchild worked for me) Free guinness and Paddy's for the lot. Good Lord. You have NEVER seen kareoke until you have seen a well-in-his-cups 50 year old Irishman singing Steve Earle's Copperhead Road "with feeling". Wow that was fun and funny.

Incidentally, I was completely blown away by the breadth of knowledge the average rural Irishman has about American country music (real country music, none of that fake, best paid lap dancer in Nashville Shania Twaine stuff) they knew more about the singer songwriter scene then I did, and that's alot.

Brazenhead, Dublin, Ohio and Grandview, Ohio. If you want the best guiness battered fish this is the location.

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Originally posted by spweimerskirch

Brazenhead, Dublin, Ohio and Grandview, Ohio. If you want the best guiness battered fish this is the location.

I have not tried the Brazenhead for fish and chips. I like the other things I've had there, so I'll have to give it a try. Have you been to either Old Bag of Nails or the Rusty Bucket? They are both pretty good, though I've not had this in the UK so I don't know how authentic they are.

I know that the anti chain folks will flip out but Captain D's fried white fish is consistently good for me. I like the way they cook to order, their slaw is real good, fries are great and hushpuppies are always great. They also have a pretty wide variety of sides including fried Okra here in Knoxville,

Knoxville Tennessee ain't exactly coastal and we have no fresh fish restaurants. If you want fresh fish, you go out and catch a mess of crappie and fillet them puppies. Other than that, you do without. I know that coastal folks cannot comprehend that, but if you ain't close to the coast, you do not get.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Has anyone tried the Duke of Perth in Chicago? I've heard that the Fish & Chips are tasty but I've yet to try.

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Originally posted by Maynerd

I agree with Kristi S. on this. Best I've had was in London. Swing a dead cat, you'd hit a Fish and Chips place.

For a time Treacher's F&C (along with Nathan's hot dogs!) were available at a small chain ("Miami Subs") partly owned by former Dallas Cowboy coach Jimmy Johnson. But alas Miami Subs is no more, at least in Dallas.

Miami Subs is still going strong in Tallahassee. And they not only sell their Sub fare and burgers, but also Arthur Treacher's, Kenny Rogers chicken, and Nathan's Famous hot dogs.

I know this is a real shot in the dark, but has anyone tried that drive in in ABQ., New Mex that is near the Route 66 diner? I believe it's on the same road as Route 66 diner on the other side of the street. Don't remember the name. Something like "Dan's"

They advertise F&C on their sign along with burgers, etc. Never go a chance to try it out. It looks very much of a Roadfood kinda place.

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Originally posted by scbuzz

Does anyone remember the old Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips chain ??

We used to have them around here (SC) but I guess they went away many years ago ! I always thought they had excellent Fish and Chips. Then we got some Chappys Fish and Chips and they were good for awhile, but the quality went downhill and now they are all closed. About the only place now is Captain D's and they are awful there !!!

I do remember Arthur Treacher's (hope they kept the old bloke flush) - before that we had Lord Nelson's, which hooked me on the stuff.
After seeing the Simpsons' London adventure, I wish we had Judi Dench's Fish and Chips - 'Please order somethin', sir - Ms. Dench'll get mad - she'll beat us, she will!'

Reading this thread, I'll have to get myself to London - when the exchange rate is a bit more favorable. $4.50 for a pint is a bit steep anywhere.

If you ever find yourself here in Baltimore, check out John Stevens in Fells Point. Very good fish and chips and if you're lucky they'll have the cream of trout soup on the menu, too! I'd also recommend their steamed shrimp... very garlicky with tons of Old Bay!

Old Bag of Nails in Columbus and Worthington, Ohio is really good for Fish & Chips! I was just going to post that but someone else had already done it. I never order anything else when I go to Old Bag of Nails, except beer to go with my fish and chips. I've never had it at Brazenheads in Grandview either..... they might be supplied by Old Bag of Nails. I know the Pig Iron BBQ's fish and chips on High Street is supplied by them.



C

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Originally posted by foxyrhythm

Old Bag of Nails in Columbus and Worthington, Ohio is really good for Fish & Chips! I was just going to post that but someone else had already done it. I never order anything else when I go to Old Bag of Nails, except beer to go with my fish and chips. I've never had it at Brazenheads in Grandview either..... they might be supplied by Old Bag of Nails. I know the Pig Iron BBQ's fish and chips on High Street is supplied by them.



C
The Pig Iron BBQ is owned by the guy who owns the Old Bag of Nails chain, which has opened a location in Gahanna. I haven't been to the one in Gahanna because there are usually long lines of people waiting for tables.

Rob n Jay's Chippy in Indianapolis is outstanding. It's owned by a Mancunian, so it's the real deal. Very small, pretty basic restaurant plastered with posters of soccer teams, and some shelves in the corner selling cans of custard and mushy peas and Polos to hungry expats. They sell huge slabs of cod with hand-cut, thick chips. They also have shrimp, and authentic mushy peas, and you can get curry sauce or gravy to dip your chips in as well as vinegar. They also have a few types of beer available, and Ribena. Everything is fried to order and is very hot and fresh. The batter is unlike any other batter I've had on fish and chips--it's thick, almost doughy, but crisp. Absolutely heavenly--might have to stop by there for dinner on the way home. And the best part--it's cheap!

Best we ever had was years and years ago in Padstow, Cornwall, England. Truly memorable for freshness and lightness.

Unfortunately, constant attention to our diet has kept us from exploring some of the options closer to home (NJ). So, I can only mention in passing that there is a place called the Chippery on South Avenue (Route 28) in Fanwood, NJ. I've driven by it a zillion times but never stopped in. One day I will, but until then, maybe someone on this board has and can weigh in. I also really want to try Stewarts, or the Argyle, both in Kearney, but it's a bit of a drive so I haven't.

There was just a column in the Newark Star Ledger about how Stewart's has opened a branch in Point Pleasant Beach and that they offer all sorts of hard-to-find traditional Scottish and English foods, including, of course, fish and chips. Also, if anyone goes to the Irish fair that's held in the PNC Performing Arts Center in Holmdel in June, Argyle is set up there with huge fryers.

Charlie

Just returned home from Christchurch, New Zealand. Lots of fish and chip places there, as good as the shops in London. Most places charge around $1 for a piece of fish, and $1 (USA dollars) for chips. No wonder why I didn't lose any weight down there.

Surprising that lots of Asian mom and pop restaurants sell fish and chips, along with the food of their native country.

When Fish and Chips first became popular in the USofA. Many years ago. There was a little place in Sausalito, called H. Salt, man could he ever cook the fish. His place was right across the street from the marina where I kept my boat. I would stop there and get enough fish and chips for the crew. They sure were good! But he started to franchise and then he sold out to some big chain and the quality went away. I have always wondered what happened to Haddon Salt. Rex in cold expensive San Diego.

Aidan's Pub in Bristol R.I. may have the best anywhere-and the real Irish Pub atmosphere with a perfectly pores Guiness does not hurt one bit

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Originally posted by Rex Allen

When Fish and Chips first became popular in the USofA. Many years ago. There was a little place in Sausalito, called H. Salt, man could he ever cook the fish. His place was right across the street from the marina where I kept my boat. I would stop there and get enough fish and chips for the crew. They sure were good! But he started to franchise and then he sold out to some big chain and the quality went away. I have always wondered what happened to Haddon Salt. Rex in cold expensive San Diego.

There was an H. Salt Fish & Chips franchise in Birmingham, AL when I was in college--near UAB on the southside. Back in the mid-'70s.

I thought they were great, but I'm long gone from Bham. And I suppose H. Salt is too. Pity.

For a while they tried selling hamburgers by adding Mr. Pepper to the H. Salt character. They were square hamburgers--a precursor to Wendy's. But they didn't last long.

The H. salt chain still exists, but only in a couple dozen California locations:

http://www.hsalt.com/

But I had no idea there really was a Haddon Salt! I hope he's still around cooking fish and chips somwhere.

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Originally posted by tfrielin

quote:

Originally posted by Rex Allen

When Fish and Chips first became popular in the USofA. Many years ago. There was a little place in Sausalito, called H. Salt, man could he ever cook the fish. His place was right across the street from the marina where I kept my boat. I would stop there and get enough fish and chips for the crew. They sure were good! But he started to franchise and then he sold out to some big chain and the quality went away. I have always wondered what happened to Haddon Salt. Rex in cold expensive San Diego.

Wow, I stumbled upon this site by accident, but I wanted to say that I remember there were a bunch of "H. Salt Fish & Chips" places all over the Metro-Detroit area, and it seemed they were all connected to a Kentucky Fried Chicken! Then they all disappeared, though the "KFCs" are still here.
And for the original post, I used to work at Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips! It was my first job, at age 15, and worked there for 12 years, til the original owner of the Michigan Franchise decided to file for bankruptcy ! He actually changed the name from Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips to "Seafood Bay" after a disagreement with the company, back in 1985, but kept the same concept, menu, signage and everything (just changed the name and colours). Now I only know of 3 Treacher's locations left in Michigan, each independantly owned. John in Michigan

There was an H. Salt Fish & Chips franchise in Birmingham, AL when I was in college--near UAB on the southside. Back in the mid-'70s.

I thought they were great, but I'm long gone from Bham. And I suppose H. Salt is too. Pity.

For a while they tried selling hamburgers by adding Mr. Pepper to the H. Salt character. They were square hamburgers--a precursor to Wendy's. But they didn't last long.

The H. salt chain still exists, but only in a couple dozen California locations:

http://www.hsalt.com/

But I had no idea there really was a Haddon Salt! I hope he's still around cooking fish and chips somwhere.

In Jersey the best F&C arein Kearny per the previous poster. Was a few different restuarants there at one time, now I think it's down to The Argyle and The Thistle. I used to prefer Thompson's, but they closed down. I recall the batter had something like a nutmeg taste in the batter -- just excellent. Argyles is by far the most popular and the do a lot of catering in northern NJ for clubs, firehouses, etc.

Speaking of Kearny, if you like meat pies and sausage rolls, there's a good Scottish butcher in town, Stewarts of Kearny, pretty close by. I always get a dozen or so for the family around Christmas time & take them home & heat them up in the home - they are very good.

The thing I like best about F&C is the crunchy batter -- I tried duplicating the batter at home & as best I could tell the batter needed corn starch to give it that crunchiness. I was frying cod in my cheap Presto Fry-Daddy deep-fryer. Then I discovered McCormicks Fish and Chips batter mix, available in the supermarket for like $1.50 -- it gives excellents results. So when my wife and I get a hankering for fish and chips and don't feel like traveling, the homemade version is very good indeed. BTW McCormick has a "Fish Fry" mix which is excellent with catfish & "Beer Batter" mix that is also very good with white fish (but make sure you use beer in the recipe!)

Ri-Ra (Irish pub) in Charlotte, NC.
Sheer brilliance with a pint of Guiness!

They've expanded to other areas including Bethesda, MD (although the food wasn't as good there as in Charlotte) Portland, ME; Providence, RI; Raleigh, NC (the original); and Atlantic City.

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Originally posted by Scorereader

Ri-Ra (Irish pub) in Charlotte, NC.
Sheer brilliance with a pint of Guiness!

They've expanded to other areas including Bethesda, MD (although the food wasn't as good there as in Charlotte) Portland, ME; Providence, RI; Raleigh, NC (the original); and Atlantic City.

Whoops! That makes it a chain, and you know what that means to some folks here.

LOL

but it's not a franchise, so you may actually see the owner (Michael) from time to time. I cannot speak of the other Ri-Ra establishments, but the one is charlotte is GGGGGGGREAT!

The decor is all from Ireland. The wood in this particular restaurant is from destroyed churches, both Catholic and Protestant in Ireland
The upstairs has hand painted murals of Celtic gods.

One night, my wife and I sat at the end of the bar and ordered shepherd's pie and fish and chips and a couple of pints of Guiness. The Irish folk trio was playing on top of a large boulder (rock) in the pub's corner, and a girl comes in wearing the full Irish dancing garb and starts dancing on the wood floor. The crowd clapped to the rhythm, the upstairs diners were hanging over the rails looking down, some people waved their guiness glassing in celebration, her feet pounded the wood with intricate rhythms...and for a moment, we were transported to a different time and a different place. All of us, merrily enjoying the company of people with food, beer, music and dancing while time stopped still.

Stay away from the Princess Pub in San Diego's Little Italy. Their F&C are very lightly breaded and the breading tastes grainy. The chips are not very crispy, actually mushy. For a $13 tab, this isn't the place to go.

Shakespeare's on India just south of Washington has much better F&C. Crispy chips cooked just right, and the breading on the fish is good. They have a better selection of brews at Shakespeare's as well.

I read in the local paper yesterday that one of the last two Arthur Treacher's in the Columbus area has closed.

McDonough's in Galway! They were recommended by our B&B owner as "The Best in the West" (of Ireland, that is). The B&B was in Oranmore, a suburb to the east of Galway. We got in at dusk and needed a place for a light supper. That was all we ever ate in the evening, a light supper, because the Irish breakfast was so huge you didn't really need to eat much of anything else the rest of the day. Anyway, we headed into Galway proper on a quickly darkening, rainy, windy night. We navigated our first encounter with the dreaded traffic circles without enraging too many of the locals and wound up in the mall-like old part of town. We found Mcdonough's with little trouble in this bustling high foot traffic area. The joint was bursting with energy! One side of the restaurant is a sort of fast food operation where you order at a counter and eat at long communal picnic tables. The other side is a slightly more formal affair with an actual waitstaff and individual tables. We chose the picnic table side. Surrounded by throngs of hungry youth and a few guys who looked and sounded like they belonged to the Russian Mob(!), we enjoyed scaldingly hot chunks of battered fish and fresh cut chips. Being an ignorant American, I wanted tartar sauce for my chips, and ketchup for my chips. Since we were in an Irish restaurant, and malt vinegar is the norm, those condiments were charged for. Fine, I'll pay. Not wanting to be a complete eejit, I did try it with the malt vinegar, and it was rather tasty. But I still prefer the white gloppy stuff on my fish and the sweet red on my chips. "Food Lube" we call it round here.

We just had fish & chips at Sullivan's Gaslight Inn in Franklin, NJ (northern) Very very good if anyone is ever up this way. We've also had them at the Quiet Man in Wharton, NJ. Also recommended.

I am sad to say that I grew up in NJ AND my mom-in-law is actually FROM Kearny and I have not been there for fish & chips. I've heard so much about the Argyle and that area. Have to make a point of going..

Geale's in the Notting Hill Gate section of London. A surprisingly dainty sort of tearoom-type of place, compared to the usual rough & tumble F&C joints, but with fabulous fish, good London bitter and an elengant waitress who commutes 1.5 hrs each way.

I have to agree that McDonough's inn Galway is the best I have had. Washed down with a pint frm Quay's Bar across the street.
The Fish and Chips are pretty darn good at RiRa's here in Burlington.