F O O D
fish choice:
1 2 3 4 5
There is only one fish: cod. (Granted, that's the best fish. For a fish fry, anyway. But still. There's just one.)
fish to batter ratio:
1 2 3 4 5
more batter than fish
crispiness of batter:
1 2 3 4 5
The outside was crispy, and it was beer batter. But there was this strange thing going on with it. It was as if the oil in the fryer was too hot or something. The outside was crispy, but there was a layer of mushiness between the outside batter and the fish.
freshness/fishiness:
1 2 3 4 5
we suspect frozen; no traces of fishiness, though
It was good, but a bit too greasy/oily.
texture of fish:
1 2 3 4 5
good, if oily: decent
condiments:
1 2 3 4 5
lemon, tartar sauce, ketchup
The lemon was freshly cut and juicy. The ketchup, however, was a bit vinegary.
coleslaw:
1 2 3 4 5
fabulous
Crispy, tangy, firm, creamy, sweet, had some seasoning in it. Superb. The best coleslaw we've had thus far.
fries:
1 2 3 4 5
This is a toss-up. Nate likes thick fries while Tea likes thin fries. These were thin, and, for Tea, delicious. For Nate, disappointing. Both agreed, however, that they were way too salty. Almost like McDonald's without the fatty grossness coating.
bread:
1 2 3 4 5
There wasn't any.
beer:
1 2 3 4 5
excellent
This is one of Café Hollander's specialties. We got a beer flight with four beers: Kwak, Triple Carmellet, Linneman's Framboise, Hennepin Farmhouse Ale. The Kwak was dark and nutty. Triple Carmellet smelled like a meadow with freshly bloomed flowers, including clover. It tasted like jasmin. The Linneman's Framboise smelled like raspberry Kool-Aid. It was tart, tangy, and entirely fruity. The Hennepin Farmhouse Ale would have been amazing if it weren't for the other three overshadowing it. Nate calls it a session beer—you can sit with it and drink it all night. It is reminiscent of Hoegaarden.
A M B I E N C E
smokiness
1 2 3 4 5
There is smoking allowed, but we did not smell it, thankfully.
'sconni-ness
1 2 3 4 5
not 'sconni at all
It is, however, owned by these hipsters famous for making atmosphere bars around town. So in one sense, it's very Milwaukee, but new Milwaukee. Laverne and Shirley never would have gone there. Also, our pal Jon was working and he had a tattoo of the state outline on his forearm and a Brett Favre on his bicep with a football with wings. His girlfriend had "Milwaukee" in the Milwaukee font. So there was some 'sconni pride going on, but nothing we'd call an inherent part of the permanent picture.
service
1 2 3 4 5
but only because we knew the servers
We've heard woeful tales (and also experienced moments) of horrendous service there.
speediness
1 2 3 4 5
faster than a flash
We barely sat down and our food was on the table. Also, we were told it might be a 1/2 hour to 45 minute wait and we were already eating within what seemed to be 15 minutes of arriving.
kid friendliness
1 2 3 4 5
Folks bring their kids there (especially hipster folks), but we didn't really notice too many. So it's another one of those places where it's fine to bring them, but no one mistakes it for Chuck E Cheese.
