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. |
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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. |
Bisque Had Nice Kick But Lacked Depth |
The Honey Butter With The Quiet Puppies Was A Nice Surprise |
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Standard But Tasty Slaw |
Thick Tater Wedges |
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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. |
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Mac Was Disappointing |
Lotsa Tasty Fish Even On The Sandwich |
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Can You Tell The Difference |
Two and Three Piece Dinners Both Had Three Pieces |
The Fish Is Killer At Tim's |
Even Better Broiled If You Can Believe It! |
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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. |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B | C- | C | A | C- | B | ||
Fish Fish Fish Fish Fish | Lackluster Sides |