[Fay Jai]

Statement on the Best Bar Food thread prompted the question, and I apologize if this question has been covered on a previous thread, (if so, please feel free to merge it with this one.) I have to rise to the defense of Pacific Inn's Fish and Chips. Yeah, it's grotty, smoky and the service makes me want to just forget the place sometimes, but IMHO their Fish and Chips is some of the better stuff that I have had here in the city. I know that some of you will wonder just what planet I am from when I say I think that Spud's Fish and Chips is overrated. Alki and Greenlake have both been very, very average IMO, (and I REALLY wanted to like it.) The Lockspot is ok, but not my first choice.

SO...where are the Good Fish and Chips?

[col klink]

Ugh, I hope your thread takes off better than mine -- Why don't they deep fry the plate too?

As for the PI, I liked that they don't batter the fish, but they overly spiced it and thus overpowered the fish. The chips have alwasy been damn good. I have a long and great history with the PI (please don't ask) and I'd order the fried shrimp/prawns there before the fish and chips. Please tell me they changed Woodchuck Pear Cider back to Woodchuck Granny Smith!?!


Please.

[LEdlund]

Fay Jai, on Apr 9 2004, 09:51 PM, said:

I know that some of you will wonder just what planet I am from when I say I think that Spud's Fish and Chips is overrated.

I totally agree. It's been years since I've had them so maybe they've changed. But they used to be heavy and the batter laden with cornmeal.

My favorite fish and chips are at Zesto's in Ballard. I love the tempura-like batter.

[girl chow]

It's all about Sunfish for me, although you have given me someplace to add to my list.

[MGLloyd]

Chinook's in Ballard and the various Seattle-area McMenamin's do a decent fish and chips, as does the little tugboat-shaped stand at south Lake Union.

[tighe]

I like the halibut & chips at Pyramid, more the the halibut than the chips, but that's my prejudice against steak fries.

[nightscotsman]

I do like Spud's, but I will second the vote for Chinook's as best in Seattle. I like that they use cod and the batter is very light and crispy like a tempura. I'm not a fan of halibut fish'n'chips.

[malarkey]

Chinook's cod & chips. oooodeeee.

[Fay Jai]

Zestos....Never woulda thunkit!
Looks like I will HAVE to try it and Chinooks...Mmmmmm....Fried Fish......(Homer Simpson slobbering sounds......)

[bbqer]

Fay Jai, on Apr 14 2004, 03:41 PM, said:

Zestos....Never woulda thunkit!
Looks like I will HAVE to try it and Chinooks...Mmmmmm....Fried Fish......(Homer Simpson slobbering sounds......)

Almost as good as donuts, eh?

I too will have to try Chinook's. Sounds like a plan for soon.

[LEdlund]

Chinooks has all you can eat fish and chips once a week. I think it's Mondays but give them a call. My Dad loves that place so I go there more than I care to. He always orders the fish and chips (but I still like Zestos better).

[lala]

Spuds was bought by Ivars, and now it sucks. On Alki, I like Sunfish. It's great fun to have fish/anything and chips at the counter at Jack's in the Market - there's about 6 stools, but is sooo fresh.

I dine at Chinooks regularly, but mostly for the pan fried oysters, which are perfectly cooked every time. And the chocolate fudge cake. I'll have to try the fish & Chips.

However, the best fish and chips in the area is in the summer in Port Townsend. On the old ferry dock, there's a little hut, run by one of the restaurants in town. They do fish in an ethereal dill batter - heaven on a paper plate. It's only open in the summer, all the better to don your shades and gaze at the mountains while eating that perfect fish.

[Fay Jai]

Not fish and chips, but...I gotta give out props for Sunfish as well...That Fish Shiskabob rocks...

[malarkey]

lala, on Apr 14 2004, 05:51 PM, said:

Spuds was bought by Ivars, and now it sucks.

I was wondering what the hell happened. I ate at Spuds a few weeks ago and it sucked. don't remember that from 10 years ago-->it was good back then! at least I thought so. dill in the tartar sauce, this was the first thing I noticed had changed...

[nightscotsman]

malarkey, on Apr 15 2004, 12:34 AM, said:

lala, on Apr 14 2004, 05:51 PM, said:

Spuds was bought by Ivars, and now it sucks.

I was wondering what the hell happened. I ate at Spuds a few weeks ago and it sucked. don't remember that from 10 years ago-->it was good back then! at least I thought so. dill in the tartar sauce, this was the first thing I noticed had changed...

Jeez - I'm gone for less than a year and Seattle just goes to hell. What's next, Starbucks buys Vivace?

[Blue Heron]

malarkey, on Apr 14 2004, 10:34 PM, said:

lala, on Apr 14 2004, 05:51 PM, said:

Spuds was bought by Ivars, and now it sucks.

I was wondering what the hell happened. I ate at Spuds a few weeks ago and it sucked. don't remember that from 10 years ago-->it was good back then! at least I thought so...

I will say Spuds officially sucks now.

We went to the Alki beach location today as I had a 2 for 1 coupon that I couldn't resist, and got an order of fish n chips and fried prawns n chips. The breading on both the fish and prawns (a kind of cornmeal breading) was bland and tasteless as in it tasted kind of stale, and the breading was undercooked in spots (yucky). The fish wasn't very flavorful either. The prawns I ended up picking half of the breading off, which made them redeemable. They were large in size, which was nice. I thought the tarter sauce was ok (I didn't detect any dill), but the tub of ketchup had separated and needed stirring to blend.

The fries were adequate, but some were slightly underdone.

I usually go to Sunfish on Alki out of habit & convenience, but the 1 time I had fish n chips at Chinooks I liked it.

When my step sister and I had fish n chips at Jack's at the Pike Place Market 1 1/2 years or so ago, we both thought they were too greasy.

[malarkey]

nightscotsman, on Apr 15 2004, 03:19 AM, said:

malarkey, on Apr 15 2004, 12:34 AM, said:

lala, on Apr 14 2004, 05:51 PM, said:

Spuds was bought by Ivars, and now it sucks.

I was wondering what the hell happened. I ate at Spuds a few weeks ago and it sucked. don't remember that from 10 years ago-->it was good back then! at least I thought so. dill in the tartar sauce, this was the first thing I noticed had changed...

Jeez - I'm gone for less than a year and Seattle just goes to hell. What's next, Starbucks buys Vivace?

oh god, can somebody please shoot me if that happens.

[malarkey]

Blue Heron, on Apr 15 2004, 04:51 PM, said:

I will say Spuds officially sucks now.

I thought the tarter sauce was ok (I didn't detect any dill),

oh sorry, guess I wasn't clear about that. They used to have a great tartar that had dill in it. yummy. The tartar I had a couple weeks ago was fairly crappy, IMO... hmmmm I'm thinking next warm sunny weekend day Chinooks will be calling my name...

[kiliki]

I had completely given up on fish and chips-frying seems like a not very nice thing to do to seafood in general-but this weekend my boyfriend and I beer battered and fried the walleye we caught in eastern Wa. over the weekend. It was hands down the best I've ever had.

[bbqer]

kiliki, on Apr 16 2004, 10:31 AM, said:

I had completely given up on fish and chips-frying seems like a not very nice thing to do to seafood in general-but this weekend my boyfriend and I beer battered and fried the walleye we caught in eastern Wa. over the weekend. It was hands down the best I've ever had.

Many moons ago, back when I was a wee lad in Wisconsin, the best fish for Friday night tavern fish and chips was either perch from Lake Michigan or walleyed pike. I was back in Milwaukee last year and had some walleye as part of a fish and chips meal in a somewhat more upscale establishment than I was used to from my youth. The times and surroundings upped the cost of that "fish fry" from about $2 to $12 or so, but the fish reminded me of what I used to eat when I was younger -- it was delicious! As were the accompanying fries and cole slaw. It's nice to know not all childhood memories are corroded by the sands of time.

[lala]

Walleye rocks! We always had this in Minnesota when visiting relatives, usually pan-fried. It was on the menu in Michigan when I was back there last year, and I had it as Fish & Chips at a pub. Yum....

[kiliki]

Walleye lends itself quite nicely to a "a la meuniere" preparation as well.