I Like to Eat Fried Things on Friday

I don't have a standing appointment with my father on Fridays but frequently one of us will call the other for a Friday fish fry date. When we're feeling lazy, we head to Boomerang's on Niagara, just around the corner, for a perfectly acceptable fish fry. Other times, the feeling of adventure strikes and we try a new place. Last night was just one of those adventurous nights so we headed to the wilds of Riverside to try out Viking Lobster Company. From what I can tell, this establishment was open in the 70s, closed down and has seen several other restaurants in its place, as well as many years of plain vacancy. The corner of Tonawanda and Austin streets is not where I expect to find any restaurant, much less one that flies in lobster fresh each day.

We entered the unassuming building and found ourelves in a quaint foyer, complete with lobster lamp and chalkboard featuring daily specials. There seems to be a series of small rooms and we were ushered into the front, a warm area with lots of cozy dining nooks. Our waitress (whose mother was working in the kitchen, I loved this) was very pleasant and rattled off a number of very affordable lobster specials, inclduing the lobster bake with a lobster, mussels, clams and corn for $29.95. They also have what's called the Viking Seafood meal, which inlcudes a lobster, crab legs, shrimp, mussels and clams or the Ultimate which adds a chicken breast and a rack of ribs to that mess. Whoa. I'd have to starve all day to be able to eat that.

The specials were appealing, but I was there to check out the fish fry. Their version comes with a choice of soup, I went for the clam chowder over the french onion. It was very tasty, but more like clam soup than chowder. It didn't seem to have any milk or cream but instead was thickened simply by the potatoes. The fish fry itself was fantastic: no beer batter here but was coated with a batter lightly seasoned with cornmeal. The fish was tender and fresh and cooked perfectly. Their coleslaw, while homemade, was just okay. Some coleslaws are much too wet, even mushy. This coleslaw suffered from the opposite problem; the thick wedges of cabbage did not have enough moisture to break down a bit and so it was too dry and very crunchy. I prefer thick-cut french fries, these were of the shoestring variety but pretty good anyway. We ended with coffee (included in our $9.95) and that was surprisingly good too. It was strong and even lightly scented of almonds.

This would be a great place to get a group of hungry friends together, slide into the roomy, wrap-around booth and feast on mountains of seafood. I'm surprised that I haven't heard much about this place by word of mouth but I'm doing my best to get the word out!

Spicy Swordfish with Spinach

I love a good piece of fish, simply sauteed in olive oil and butter, which is usually how I prepare swordfish. I don't think the firm, juicy fish needs much adornment. But I did something a little different last night and it was fantastic. It's a great way to prepare spinach as well, even if you prefer something more plain for the fish.

Spicy Swordfish and Spinach

1 6oz. piece of swordfish
1/4 medium onion, minced fine
1 clove garlic, minced fine
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T. olive oil
1/8 t. smoked Spanish paprika
1/8 t. cumin
1/8 t. cajun seasoning
salt and pepper
spinach

Marinate the fish for 30 minutes in the spices, oil and lemon juice. Remove from the marinade and brush off any errant pieces of onion and garlic. Heat a small amount of olive oil and/or butter in a nonstick skillet and cook the fish in high for 3 minutes. Turn over and turn off the pan. Walk away for ten minutes and come back, remove the fish. Add the marinade to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, then add the spinach, tossing to mix evenly. Place the spinach on the plate, perch the fish on top and garnish with lemon slices and extra pan juices.

Notes: I made this for myself but I don't see why this can't be modified for a larger meal. I use Penzey's spices, available online. I like to order from them becasue their spices are much higher quality and much fresher than those factory-floor sweepings available in the grocery store. The cajun seasoning I used contains sweet paprika, salt, celery, sugar, garlic, black pepper, onion, oregano, cayenne, caraway, dill, turmeric, cumin, basil, bay leaf, mace, cardamom, marjoram, rosemary and thyme. The sear-on-one-side-and-walk-away method works well for me when cooking fish because I have a tendency to overcook it. You can, of course, cook it however you like, as long as you get a beautiful, spicy crust on the outside. Although I favor my cast iron skillet, I like nonstick for fish because it is easier to turn over without ripping the delicate flesh.

New Haven vs Buffalo: A Fish Fry Showdown

When in New England, one must eat New England clam chowder, right? N. got a tip that good place to go would be one Captain's Galley in West Haven. It was located on a meandering road that overlooked the water, good sign. As we walked in, we saw a staff member pouring out some murky-looking liquid into the trash, bad sign. We walked past an old bar filled with crusty regulars hugging the waitresses and I bet if I walked up and ordered a Tom and Jerry, the bartender wouldn't have batted an eyelash.

We both ordered the fish and chips. First, I had to see how a New England fish fry compares to a Buffalo one. Second, it came with a choice of soup! One point for New England! I chose the Rhode Island clam chowder. Rhode Island is in New England, correct? The basic difference is that the soup is not dairy-based so it was a clear broth with chunks of potatoes, celery, carrots and CLAMS-complete with shell and grit so I knew they were not from a can.

The fish fry was goddamn ridiculous. I think the Buffalo-style, fish fillet falling off the plate is silly but this trumped it. Four enormous pieces of fish towered over a mound of french fries. It must have been two pounds of fish. It came with an extra-large vat of tartar sauce, one more point for New England. There was no coleslaw or macaroni salad or German potato salad, score one for Buffalo. The fish was good-flaky and tender-and it had a bit of a cornmeal dusting in its fried outer sheath. I like that but I prefer Buffalo beer-battered. I think that makes the two even. For the first time ever, I ate more than N., although to be fair, he was sick. We carried two, very full to-go containers home that contained enough fish to feed at least three more hungry adults. I had plans for a fish sandwich the next day.

If you ever wonder if leftover fish fry is worth bringing home, please wonder no more. I'll eat it, but that's because I hate waste. I'll eat it cold and pick off the fried bits. Is that disgusting? Oh well. N. mentioned how he loved a good fish sandwich so the next day we put the fish in the oven to reheat and retain the crisp crust. I sliced some really great ciabatta with olive oil and kosher salt, lightly toasted it and slathered each piece with tartar sauce, very thinly sliced red onions and lettuce. We added some scotch bonnet hot sauce and that was one messily perfect sandwich. I liked it better than the actual fish fry. It brought to mind the Junkyard Dog sandwich, made famous by the Taste of Buffalo Festival. It's a fish fry all wrapped up in some flatbread, fish, fries, coleslaw and all. Mmmm. My eyes just went all misty.

Final verdict: I like the two styles of fish fry; they both have their merits. As long as I have some leftover to make sandwiches the next day, I don't really care!

Weekend Roundup

I've been eating some mighty fine food this weekend, although cooked mostly by other people. Friday brought me to Rochester for work. My co-worker, who joined me, used to live in Rochester and she was dying to go to her favorite Thai place, The King and I. No sooner had we ordered than two cups of steaming, chicken soup, redolent with lemongrass and fish sauce, were brought to the table. The only thing I didn't love, weirdly, were the small pieces of chicken in the soup; it kinda got in my way of the real deal. Then I had a chicken dish in a red curry-coconut sauce that disappeared quickly.

You'd think since I had a late, and very filling lunch that I wouldn't have been keen on going out for a fish fry-that hallowed, Friday evening tradition. But pops had a hankering and I happily agreed to join him. I'm still trying to figure out where my favorite fish fry in Buffalo is. As a default, we go to the neighborhood joint, which is pretty good but this time the fish was a bit tough. But it's fast and cheap and they now serve REAL french fries, not those awful crinkle-cut ones.


(This is not my picture, nor my fish fry and sadly, not my martini)


And finally, I was invited over to a friend's house for banana-cream pie and coffee. Interestingly, my hosts are lactose-intolerant, so the filling was made with soy milk (delicious still) and instead of whipped cream, we had unbaked meringue on top. I have never had meringue that wasn't baked on top of a luscious lemon pie and I was surprised by how much I liked it, not too sweet.

Saturday night, I went to a party that featured green chili and roast pork on an outdoor spit. Yes ma'am! We could hardly believe we were having an outdoor party in Buffalo in November! With a fire, some mulled cider and that steaming chili, full of tender chunks of beef and pork, tomatoes and fresh, plump corn kernels, we were perfectly content.

This afternoon, I have a date with D. to make Vietnamese pho. I do love that rich broth of beef shank, lemongrass and star anise but I've never made it before so I'll report back later on that. Cilantro, bean sprouts, lime and recao, mmmmm. I'm ready for lunch and I haven't even had breakfast!