Doug's Fish Fry

3638 West Rd., Cortland, NY - (607) 753-9184

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Posted By Michael Stern on 10/29/2006 2:19:00 PM

We doff our hat to tipster Joe Dunbar for directing us to one of New York's best fish sandwiches, at Doug's Fish Fry of Cortland. There are other Doug's in the region – the original in Skaneateles, in Dewitt and Clay and at the New York State Fair; and according to Mr. Dunbar, they all benefit from fish shipped fresh from Boston five times per week.

Fried fish sandwiches are common throughout much of upstate New York, appreciated by locals but little known by outsiders. A visit to Doug's is convincing evidence that this is regional food to take seriously. Your choice is either a sandwich, a fish dinner, or a fish onion dinner. The titles are misleading because the sandwich is in fact two or three large hunks of fried fish piled in and around a modest, no-account bun that in no way is large enough to hold even half its alleged ingredients. Like a tenderloin from the southern Midwest, the presentation pushes the envelope of what, exactly, a sandwich is. A fish dinner adds beautiful chunky French fries to the pseudo-sandwich. A fish onion dinner means onion rings.

The fish is moist, sweet, and gentle-flavored, encased in a sandy crust with just the right amount of crunch. It comes with pickly tartar sauce that is surprisingly unsweet. Sweetness comes in the form of Doug's superb cole slaw, which is finely chopped and fetchingly spicy.

Service is eat-in-the-rough style. Place your order at the stand-up counter (from which you have an appetizing view of fish and fries coming out of the hot oil), pay for the meal, and wait for your name to be called. Fetch your own utensils from a table in the center of the dining room that holds plastic forks and knives, ketchup and mustard, and malt vinegar for spritzing on fries.

Bonus: Doug's is a source for excellent soft-serve custard, dense and alabaster-pure. Throughout the warm weather months the custard is a foundation for warm fruit sundaes. The available compote, made right here from the fruit of the season, begins with strawberries and blueberries early in the summer, then moves to peaches and finally to apples in the fall. Glorious!

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Doug's dinner consists of an unwieldy sandwich, French fries (or onion rings) and cole slaw. In this picture, the O-rings and fish eclipse the slaw and tartar sauce."
Michael Stern

"A close-up view of Doug's fried fish gives some indication of just how crunchy-good it is."
Michael Stern

"Cole slaw at Doug's is no afterthought. It is delicious; and we recommend it even if you don't get the whole dinner that includes it."
Michael Stern

"The woman who made this sundae boasted to us that fresh peaches for the peach sundae are peeled and cooked right here. Served warm atop a good portion of superbly thick custard, they are a late-summer joy."
Michael Stern

"It was a rainy day when we visited Doug's so the picnic tables outside were not in use."
Michael Stern

"Steamed to order, the lobster demands patience for a 15-minute wait."
Michael Stern

"A Fish Onion Dinner adds slaw and great onion rings to the classic fish sandwich."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"The sesame-spangled bun makes this a sandwich, though not one you'd actually be able to pick up and eat like a sandwich."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Dark and cooked from fresh potatoes, these fries aren't crisp, but they are nonetheless an excellent "fish-and-chips" style accompaniment to the fried fish."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Whatever else you order, be certain to also get one of Doug's seasonal fruit sundaes."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

""Save Room for Dessert"? Sounds like good advice to me! This nice mural is just inside the front door."
Cliff Strutz

"As you can see from the menu above the ordering counter, Doug's fish sandwich takes center stage."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle