Doug's Fish Fry - Cortland, NY

Posted By Michael Stern on October 29, 2006 2:19 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!

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Posted By Richard Cuff on April 24, 2004 12:03 PM

With a college buddy hailing from Skaneateles, Doug's has been a regular pilgrimage. My wife is not a big seafood fan, but even she loves a visit to Doug's, especially when the weather is decent and you can stroll the town.

While I haven't tried Doug's other locations, the Mattydale location looks to be particularly helpful for through travelers -- it's just off Interstate 81 one exit north of its interchange with Interstate 90 -- the New York Thruway, making it more accessible than the Skaneateles or Cortland locations.

It's the combination of excellent quality that I love about Doug's -- not only the fish, mild with a batter that doesn't overpower, onion rings with a well-above-average batter, and the tart cole slaw. An unbeatable combination.

The bustle about the place makes it a great stop when traveling with kids -- they'll enjoy watching the activity at the counter and in the kitchen.

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Posted By Dick Tito on November 9, 2003 5:52 PM

I visited the Doug's in Skaneateles over the recent Halloween Weekend. The fried fish in Doug's was outstanding, as was the overall atmosphere of the place. Maybe because it was so warm relative to what you expect in Upstate NY on October 31, but the whole town seemed to be trick or treating. And many of the costumed folks found their way into Doug's for a little fried sustenance to help them make it through the evening. I would especially recommend the fried scallops with unbelievably tasty onion rings - not that the fish on my wife's plate didn't look (and taste!) good, but the scallops made you think you were visiting the seashore, not the prettiest town in the Finger Lakes. I assume the rest of the Doug's are just as good, but you'd have to go a long way to beat the satisfaction we experienced in Skaneateles. If anyone is traveling through Central NY State, find your way to Route 20 and the center of town - it'll be a taste treat you won't soon forget.

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