Queen Anne's Catering

Update 6/20/13: Queen Anne's Catering is closing.

In a word: Questionable service impedes fishy variety.

The specs: #0533  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Madison Fish Fry, collected at del.icio.us; official web site.

Chris ate the perch special with "roasties" and an Old Fashioned.
Greg ate the cod fish fry.
JM ate the boiled shrimp.
Marissa ate Her Majesty's Tilapia with "roasties" and a salad.
Nichole ate the smelt fry and an Old Fashioned.
Trish ate the grilled salmon with dill sauce and "roasties."
The bill was about $45, or $7.50/person, plus tip (thanks, Bucky Book!).
Greg gave Queen Anne's Catering an A-; Trish gave Queen Anne's Catering a B+; Chris and Marissa gave Queen Anne's Catering a B; JM and Nichole gave Queen Anne's Catering a B- (see our grading rubric).

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Queen Anne's Catering at the West Side Club just does fish fry, Sunday brunch, and catering. We chose a Good Friday night fish fry and discovered some of the best fish but least impressive trimmings in town.

We had some trouble catching the hosts' eye for a table. Our server was earnest but the pacing needed practice. The Old Fashioneds were watery, and we had to barter butter for bread with the table next to us. Our checks arrived a few minutes into the meal, so we ended up feeling rushed, but those are just the fringe issues. If you can get through that, or perhaps if you become a regular, the fish is worth it.

Chris' perch fish fry was just fine. Marissa was more happy with her broiled tilapia, especially the dill sour cream sauce. She, along with Greg and Trish, opted for the "roasties" (Swiss-style potatoes) but in the end were somewhat disappointed with the haphazard dash of mild cheese on top of otherwise run-of-the-mill hash browns.

The crowning gem of the table was the cod fish fry, Greg's choice. Six substantial, flaky squares of cod in a light, peppery breading rated right up there with his most memorable Madison fish fries.

Trish's grilled salmon was perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned, too. Nichole was really pleased with the smelt fry - not only was each little fish perfectly cooked to a delicious crunch, but there were easily more than a dozen of the critters, enough to take home (along with the customary, gigantic baked potato) for another day's noshing.

JM recalls there being six or seven medium shrimp on his plate, which was just enough to be satisfying with liberal padding by a side of onion rings and dips into the family-style side dishes. He's not generally a baked bean guy, but these were rich and sweet. The cole slaw benefitted from a dash of black pepper, and the bread basket was fine once it finally arrived. We're not quite sure, but we think that a dish of drawn margarine accompanied the shrimp, which counts as once of our most singularly odd experiences outside of ChinMi.

Many Friday Night o-fishy-inados lament that only cod is served at most fries in town. Queen Anne's deserves props for expanding their Friday night menu into a whole school of tasty piscine friends.  But there's still a lot that needs work in the service and side departments. A mixed bag, all the way around.

Comments

[Randy]

My girlfriend and I also recently tried Queen Anne's (May 21st, 2010), but had a vastly different opinion. We were excited to use out Bucky Book coupon too, and the service was fine. Baked beans was a bit of a strange side to a fish fry though. The cole slaw was very bland and too "cabbagey". The breads were a bit dry and not warm (it's the little things). The roasties were awesome, and the only highlight of the meal. Unfortunately we both found the cod fish fry to be even blander than the cole slaw. Just lacked any flavor. Four square chunks of tasteless deep fried cod (6 squares if you pay extra, glad I didn't!).
We went in excited and with an open mind. We just found Queen Anne's to be mediocre at best and gave an overall of a C-.

[Nick Beacon]

28 May 10, Friday night was my wife and I visited Queen Anne's Catering for the first time to use our Bucky Buck coupon. We were seated immediately and ordered quickly. I had the cod fish fry and I am glad I paid extra as it was outstanding. My wife had the salmon and was highly impressed. Side items were brought to the table quickly and we aslo ordered the onion ring appetizer for $4. The amount of onion rings brought to the table was overwhelming compared to other times we have ordered onion rings. Food was excellent, service was good, the only issue was the waiter forgot to bring my Diet Pepsi and I had to ask for refill (which is my pet peeve when servers see your drink empty and do not ask if you need refill). Overall experience was A-.