Fish Fry

[TonyO]

Are there any other areas outside of Albany, NY that have fishfry restaurants ? To be sepcific, an Albany area fishfry is a 4 - 5 oz piece of haddock/cod/cusk that is breaded and deep fried and served on a hotdog roll with tartar/chili/cocktail sauce. They are a local institution at places such as Bob And Ron's and Ted's. It amazes me that outside of that area they are virtually impossible to find.

[Erds]

I agree with Bet's Fish Fry.

[Waquoit]

Mickey's in East Hartford, CT has a great Fish Sandwich. Too bad they are closed weekends.

[RC51Mike]

How about Bet's Fish Fry in Boothbay? Puts all others to shame.

[Harp00n]

Bet's makes a wondrous I lb.+, mile-high Haddock sandwich, maybe the best I've ever had. But,most assuredly, it isn't in the Up-State N.Y. style that the OP (TonyO) was looking for.

[TonyO]

Yeah, like these "muscle cars" of today: Neons, Civics, etc. with there loud exhaust pipes. Imagine them pulling up to an A&W in 1970 !

[october271986]

Well, Bennington is only about 45 min or so from Albany, right? In fact, there is Ted's Fish Fry on the way out of Troy on Rt. 7.

Photo's attached - I prefer a "cocktail sauce" (which at Ted's was more of a mild red chili sauce) to the tarter sauce shown here.

Man, i could go for one of those!

[TonyO]

Nice FF ! I think Ted's has all three sauces, Chili, Cocktail, and Tartar. I personally like tartar and chili together. Ted's does a good job (used to visit the one in Latham while at Siena) but have been to Troy and Watervliet locations as well. I actually used to work at Fish Peddler's in Schenectady, home of a great FF, clam roll, and other treats. Sadly, it is now a used car lot (just what the world needs, another place to buy a 1981 Plymouth Horizon).

[Harp00n]

Ya but the really sad thing is for someone it maybe their equivalent of a
' 68 Camaro.

[october271986]

TONY! I moved away from Albany about 15 years ago. I've lived in New Hampshire (College) and San Francisco and now Chicago. There is only 1 thing I miss about Albany and its Ted's fish fry! I've never found any place like it. I could so go for a fish fry and onion rings tonight.

[beaner2]

I was raised in the Troy/Bennington area and moved to NH 25 years ago, and I can totally relate to October's comment. I also love NH, but miss Ted's Fish Fry. I happened to be passing through a few weeks ago and stopped for a fish fry, onion rings and a coffee milkshake. It took me right back to my childhood! I asked what they use for fish, and they said it's pollock. In Maine/NH, a good fish sandwich is usually haddock. Very tasty, but not quite the same. When I was a kid, there was an A&W in Bennington with car hop service, but McDonalds didn't exist. Paul's Fish Fry on Route 9 at the light between downtown and Old Bennington was another favorite treat. I noticed that it appeared permanently closed when I passed through last month. Is that now Vern's Fish Fry?

[Harp00n]

Yes it was beaner2 but now Vern's has closed, last fall, as dukegirl related above :-(

[cpalladino]

My family used to run Paul's Fish Fry. We closed about ten years ago and people still tells us how they miss it. They have also told us that verns was never as good as Paul's.verns was where Paul's was. If you want to know more let me know.

[Harp00n]

In the same general area is Vern's Fish Fry 100 Depot St,. just off Rte. 9W., in downtown Bennington, Vt. Here's the link; http://www.vernsfishfry.com/

[TonyO]

Nothing quite like a fresh fish fry ! One of the many foods I miss in the Burlington area. Kind of like a great clam roll that is done right Like the Bar Lunch I hear ).

[Harp00n]

"Kind of like a great clam roll that is done right"

Thanks for the nudge, Tony! I just went to their website and the greatest Clamatorium of them all, THE CLAM BOX in Ipswich, Ma, re-opens February 15th!!!

http://www.ipswichma.com/clambox/inde...

[othervoice]

There really are quite a few places where you can get a fish sandwich with "real" fish. Patriot Pizza in Townsend, Main Street Pizza in Pepperell, both in MA, and in NH the Milford Fish Market was recommended by several CH's, I haven't tried it yet.

[Harp00n]

Served in the style & manner of the OP?

[TonyO]

Is it served on a hot dog roll ?

[dukegirl]

Sorry to break it to you, but Vern's closed. I read an article in the Banner in the fall citing some sort of landlord/tenant dispute and long and short of it is that Vern's is gone--the sign is gone and it's empty. The owner had hoped to find another spot, but so far I haven't heard anything. Such a shame--it was one of our favorite local spots.

[Harp00n]

That is terrible news, dukegirl,. Although I did go there religiously, it was nice just knowing it was there. I certainly enjoyed the fish sandwiches whenever I did. Let's hope this local fav resurfaces. We certainly need the diversity. God knows we have enough chains already, even in Vt.

[RC51Mike]

That is bad news. On my way through New England, I always stop in Bennington and Vern's. Hope they find a new place.

[Harp00n]

Hi dukegirl, any update on Vern's that you know of?

[dukegirl]

Hi! I heard that the owner is working as a chef at, wait for it....the Reluctant Panther! No other gossip on whether Vern's will resurface. We really miss it. We've been to Ted's a couple of times and it's just as good, but not nearly as convenient.

[Harp00n]

NFW! .....err, I mean, really???
That's too funny!

BTW, I curious as whether you run into this problem. Occasionally, and this is one of them, I don't get this added into My Chow/My Recent Posts. I had to check it off as a favorite to keep track of it.

[dukegirl]

I don't keep track of threads/posts and hardly ever look at MyChow, so I can't help with your problem. Too many forums...so little time!

Anyway, we went to Madison's Brewery in Bennington Friday night and I ordered the fish and chips, expecting and hoping for that puffy beer battered fish common to brewpubs, but got a thin batter crust. Nevertheless, it was still very tasty and the fish was flaky and fresh tasting, It was no Vern's, though!

[Harp00n]

You know, it never occurs to me to stop there. I guess I can almost taste the lovely HADDOCK fish & chips at my beloved Man of Kent as I'm motoring by Madison's, LOL! ....but one of these days I'll have to stop in.

BTW, and not to be ageist, 'cause I'm gettin' there, have you ever had the fried fish at The Cozy Corner in Williamstown? When we drive by there on any given weekend the joint is packed! Lots of blue hairs, it seems, and everything in between.

[dukegirl]

Haa! Everytime we drive by the Cozy Corner, we comment on how packed the place is and how we need to go there sometime. It seems like just the kind of throwback place we'd love. I bet they have relish trays there--the kind that spin around. And amber glass-enclosed oil lamps. Must. Go. There.

[Harp00n]

LOL, I'm damn near rollin' on the floor.
'Cause you just KNOW they do girlfriend, you just know they do!

[dukegirl]

I was wrong. The Vern's owner is not a chef at the R.P., but is a waiter!

[Harp00n]

dukegirl, it ain't easy being in the resto business that's for sure.

[dukegirl]

That's why I went to law school. Nothing cures the desire to be a chef more than working in a restaurant!

[Harp00n]

And it's probably why I'm too easy on wait staff. Meaning, I over-tip for mediocre service 'cause I think I know how tough that job can be. And I definitely know how bad I'd be at it! :-))

[TonyO]

I just checked out Verns Website. Yes, that is a fish fry ! (in the "gallery" section). A treat for sure !

[Neely_Ohara]

Tony -- I lived in Rochester for awhile, and while I don't specifically recall fish fry restaurants (I moved away 18 years ago), I do remember that Friday night fish fries were ubiquitious. BIG deal at local restaurants.

I always assumed the Friday night fish fry had its roots in Catholic tradition (no meat on Friday -- mostly adhered to among people who are fairly conservative in their practices).

However....I've lived in Los Angeles since 1989 (when I left Roch.), and the Friday night fish fry is pretty much nonexistent. And there's no shortage of Catholics in Southern California. I attribute the lack of fish fries here to the preponderance of Latin Catholics, as opposed to Italian Catholics, as you tend to find in upstate NY.

Bear in mind -- this is just my personal speculation....Maybe I'm totally off base :)

But yeah -- I've also wondered whether fish fries were popular anywhere other than upstate NY.

[TonyO]

Very similar,but the difference between the two is a fish fry is a long piece of fish that hangs off the hot roll an inch or two on each end as opposed to a round or square piece of fish filet on a bulky or hamburger roll. The difference is in the texture of the finished product. The New England clam rolls (strips or whole belly) can't be beat but an Albany fish fry is the same unique experience.

[LStaff]

Sounds like a fish sandwich to me. In New England, there are many, many restaurants and bars that make fish and chips and fish sandwiches -just not exclusively. Also in New England are many fry shacks (usually closer to the ocean) - but just not fish - clams, scallops, shrimps also. You could also look for roast beef / house of beef / of house of pizza type places which usually also fry up seafood.