Gone Fishin’

Curious how the fish fry tour turned out? Well, keep reading and follow the white dog!



Such an adorable dog… makes me wish I had brought Emma.

Before I get started, here’s some background on the fish fry. Keep in my mind this is a quick synopsis of what I saw on Wikipedia – the fish fry is typically found in the Northeast and Midwest.  Anywhere you have a large Catholic population, there is a good chance they sell a lot of fish fry… especially during Lent. Depending on where you are, the type of fish used will change, as well as how it’s prepared. Fries  can be either battered or breaded, served with fries or without, on a bun or not. Haddock or cod fish is primarily used here in upstate New York for our fish fry, served on a hot dog bun, and accompanied with tartar sauce, chili sauce, or cocktail sauce.

I’m used to fish being fried naked. It’s what I grew up on. The stuff sold in the grocery store or offered at restaurants seemed so foreign, so I stayed away from it for as long as possible. Then I tried the fried fish from Off the Hook and look at me now… going on fish fry tours to evaluate how local fish fries stack up against each other. 





First up was Gene’s Fish Fry. A seasonal spot, it opened in late April and will be closing at the end of September (I think). I’ve driven past it numerous times, but never went in. It’s right on Route 2, but you have to wait for the road to clear up to turn in, making entering and exiting the parking lot a pain. But it always looked busy, so I figured it had to be good.





Gene’s was the most expensive fry, at $5.19. Albany Jane, Albany John and I decided beforehand were going to split the fish fry, and take turns buying them. It made sense – how else could we possibly get through all that food? To those of you who ate five whole fish fries, I am in awe.

Batter/Breading – Breading, light coating. Tempura or panko like?
Fish – Haddock. Not dry. Flaky.
Bun – Eh.
Sauces – There was some confusion on which was which. Cocktail was spicy, but I tasted more ketchup than anything. Or was it the chili sauce that tasted more ketchup-y? The tartar sauce was non-eventful.




No joke, it’s right across the street. Most people drove over, the brave few (myself included) walked. I’ve been to Off Shore before, and that was during lent. I liked what I had there before, so I had high expectations for the fry.




Batter/Breading – Cornmeal mixture for the breading.
Fish – Haddock. Moist, very hot as it came right out of the fryer.
Bun – Soft, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Sauces – Both the tartar and chili sauce were okay, but I probably wouldn’t get it again. Really liked the cocktail sauce. I think because they used horseradish.




You really can’t miss this place. It’s right there on Central Avenue, and that sign! People revere this place. Swear by it. Trash talk anything that isn’t it. How did it do? Haters, be hatin’. Don’t drink the kool-aid, don’t believe the hype. In my opinion, the absolute worst of the bunch. I made the comment to both Albany Jane and Dan B. that I would rather get fish from Long John Silvers than eat anymore of this disappointment.




Batter/Breading – Possibly battered, but way too thick. It looked like it was one of those prepared fish sticks. Bland
Fish – Cusk. Way too moist. Tasted waterlogged.
Bun -  On the verge of stale. Similar to Wonder bread. 
Sauces – They were all bland, and the mayo tasted too much of mayo.




A local chain, with locations in Colonie, North Troy, Latham, and Watervliet. I’ve tried Ted’s here in Troy and it wasn’t bad. But I don’t think I bought fish. When I see fish fry, I think of everything else BUT fried fish. 




Perhaps one of the smallest fish sticks/sliced filet. It reminded me of churros, but instead of a cinnamon sugar coating, this had a coating similar to bob & ron’s but not as thick. This was the first of the fish that seasoning really stood out – this I thought was salty.

Batter/Breading -  Battered. Salty.
Fish -  Cod. Not bad. Moist.
Bun – Soft, Wonderbread-like.
Sauces – Cocktail was okay, chili and tartar had way too much relish/diced pickles.




Our last stop. Whew. Don’t confuse them with the one in Clifton Park. And like Off Shore, they have a market attached to the restaurant. I got there late, but AJ saved me some fish. I quickly ate this one, so my thoughts about it are limited. 




Batter/Breading – Breading. Either cornmeal, or from one of those batter kits they sell in the market.
Fish – Haddock. Flaky. Moist.
Bun – Okay
Sauces – No real opinions on this, as I didn’t really try the fish with them.

For me, the overall winner was Off Shore. So far I haven’t had a bad experience there. And being that I live on the same side of the river, it would make more sense for me to go there for food, than Bob & Ron’s, which I think was the overall loser.