Tim's Tavern
 Canton, Ohio          Date of Visit  04/20/12            http://timstavern.com/

I consider myself fortunate to be married to the crazy woman I am married to…but like any relationship it comes with certain quirks. In my house, that means if you go out to enjoy something and it turns out to be less than enjoyable, you have to rectify or face a nearly obsessive mission to make the world a better place. Last week we thought we might have found a local fish joint that would make for a perfect Friday fish fry destination at the Lighthouse Café in Lodi…we were wrong. Now it is my task to find a place worthy of the designation so we can move on to other issues. With luck, it will only take a week.
 

Standard At Best Chowder
 

We head back to Canton which remains an untapped resource of unreviewed restaurants, one of which claims to be “Famous for Fish”. That would be Tim’s Tavern. A third generation joint in its third location Tim’s comes with a good deal of local fanfare. So did the Lighthouse Café. Evidence will be required. Cheap furniture and a seaside motif remind me of any number of seaside places, but we are nowhere near the sea, could the fish be any good? Our foursome ordered clam chowder; crab bisque; a fish sandwich; a two piece fried dinner with curly fries, cole slaw and a roll; a three piece dinner with cottage cheese, mac and cheese and a roll; and a broiled scrod dinner with slaw, hush puppies and potato wedges.

Our server started out like a house of fire but as the place filled up she became impatient and brusque, likely missing out on additional items and a bigger tip. Too bad. All I heard said to arrive early or be prepared to wait. We arrived early and the place quickly filled up behind us. Thanks to those in the know.
 

The soups arrived first. The chowder by report was unexciting and average at best. The menu says the best in the area…I suppose the fact that I have never seen it on another menu in Canton makes the claim less impressive. The crab bisque heralds an addition of spice which nearly overpowers the crabbiness. Not bad; not particularly memorable.

The rolls seem okay. The hush puppies arrive with a honey butter. Sweet fattiness and oniony fried batter? Yes, yes, yes. A really nice combo. The sides on the dinners are adequate at best. The mac and cheese works but is woefully lacking in cheese and the saltiness that defines many cheeses. The coleslaw is a mix of vinegar and mayo with the peppery veg is representative of the standard issue. Good but lacking a signature. The fries and wedges are standard fare as well, a nice accompaniment but no one is  driving to Canton for the taters. The word is they are coming for the fish. The sandwich has two large filets. The two and three piece dinners apparently come with three pieces. Whatever. The beer batter is thin, crispy and exactly what I needed to ameliorate Steph’s latest obsession. Thank God! It may need a shake of salt, a squeeze of lemon and a couple of tines of tartar sauce but the nuances are left to you. The canvass is perfectly prepared for you to add the personal flourishes. Wonderfully delicious.
 

Trying to be a little more health conscious and looking for a different option I ordered the broiled scrod. The fried fish is cod the broiled fish is a smaller younger version of any white fish and was, to me, the best thing on the table. Moist and perfectly flaky, the fish was accompanied by a lemon butter mix that made the idea of healthiness both questionable and scrumptious. It’s supposed to come with blackened onions but I guess you have to ask for those? If you are looking for a Friday night fish fix, you could do a lot worse than Tim’s.