Friday night in Wisconsin means one thing to a lot of folks: a plate of fried fish, a basket of rolls, and a table full of people who are in no hurry. So when Maverick Hayes and his wife, Kelly, sat down for a fish fry at Quindt’s Town Lounge and Eating House in Baraboo, Wisconsin, they expected a good treat. What they got was a slow start, a missing menu, a missing set of silverware, and a piece of cod that made the whole table do a double take.
The visit was part of Maverick’s Friday Night Fish Fry series, and he made a point of saying this was not their first time through the door. They had been to Quindt’s a couple of times before, just not with the channel. “I don’t think we thought it was bad,” he said, “so we should be in for a good treat.”
It did not start the way a good treat usually does.
A Rocky Start At The Table
Getting seated took a while, though Maverick was fair about it. It was Friday and the place was busy. The first table they were offered was just too close to the others, so they were moved to a different room. That sounds like a fix, until you notice what happened next. Once they were settled, there were no menus. The staff realized they had seated the couple without them.
A little later came another small problem. The silverware had not shown up either. “I guess tonight maybe the service is just a little bit off,” Maverick said, and he left it at that. No shouting, no scene, just a couple sitting patiently at a table with nothing to eat with.
The Good Parts
Credit where it is due, because Maverick gave plenty. The homemade clam chowder came out nice and warm, with lots of potatoes and carrots, and he called it really flavorful. There was a lot of pepper in it, and he said it was definitely homemade. The homemade rolls were warm too. His review of them was short and happy: “So good.”
They also spotted an ad for prime rib night while they waited, which gave them something to look at. And they did wait. At one point he noted that it was still Friday, and he was working his way through saltines with butter to hold himself over.
The Fish Shows Up
When the food finally arrived, the plates were hot, which Maverick said he likes. He had ordered the beer battered cod. Kelly had the baked cod. Then he looked at the fish and said what a lot of people would be thinking: “I thought it was going to be bigger than that.” He had a name for it, too. “You got a minnow.”
The baked cod, it came up at the table, comes as one or two pieces, and an order of one had been placed. “I just thought it was going to be a little bigger,” Maverick said. Anyone who has ordered a single piece of fish and then seen it land on a big plate knows that feeling.
The baked potato did not get a warm review either. In his closing he described it as a penny tasting baked potato. He also said something went back to the kitchen, wondering aloud whether it had been rinsed well enough, and he went with fries instead.
A Fair Verdict
Here is what stands out. Maverick did not trash the place. He said Quindt’s seemed pretty reasonable, as the receipt showed. He pointed out that there were only a couple of waitresses working, and he did not want the video to come across as bashing slow service because of them. In his words, they were working their tails off.
His bottom line was average service, a little off, with a couple of hiccups when they walked in the door. But if you have never tried a Friday night fish fry at Quindt’s, he said, he would say do it, and share your thoughts afterward.
How To Get A Better Fish Fry Night
You do not need to be a video creator to learn something from this one. A few simple habits can keep a busy Friday from going sideways.
- Ask about portions before you order. If a dish comes as one or two pieces, ask what one piece looks like. With a single piece ordered, Maverick wished it had been a little bigger.
- Speak up early about missing basics. Menus and silverware are easy fixes, and a polite word to the first person who walks by can save you a long wait.
- Be kind to a short staff. On a packed Friday with only a couple of servers on the floor, patience goes a long way, and so does a good tip.
- Bring a snack mindset. Saltines and butter are not a bad plan when the kitchen is behind. Just do not fill up before the fish arrives.
- Keep your own taste in charge. If something is not right on the plate, say so while the server is still nearby, rather than stewing about it later.
Worth Another Try?
The mix of warm chowder, warm rolls and hot plates against a shaky start makes this a very ordinary Friday story, and that is part of its charm. Everyone has had the night where the food is good but the pacing is off. Maverick and Kelly walked away calling it average, a touch off, and still worth a visit for first timers. If you are a fish fry fan in Wisconsin, that may be reason enough to see for yourself, and to ask for the menu as soon as you sit down.
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