Caleb Westphal hasn’t missed a Friday fish fry since 2013. Follow his never-ending adventures—sponsored by Miller High Life—HERE. This week: fish fry #591, at Henry Flach’s in West Allis, Wisconsin.
From organizing a baby room to attending newborn parenting classes, there was a lot to prepare as we awaited the birth of our daughter. One actionable item was a bit selfish and solely mine to bear: Where would I pick up a fish fry from if we were in the hospital on a Friday? Or, God forbid, how and from where would I get a fish fry if my wife was in labor from, say, 2 p.m. on Friday until midnight?
I had checked with the hospital kitchen staff ahead of time. While they said fish was usually on the menu on Fridays, there was no guarantee it would be a fish fry. But once I realized that Henry Flach’s was just over a block away from the hospital (9140 W. National Ave., West Allis; 833-998-7673), I felt a bit more at ease. If I needed a fish fry, I’d simply walk there to pick one up. Or worst-case scenario, I’d have someone pick it up for me and bring it to the hospital. None of this came to fruition because our daughter ended up being born on a Wednesday and we got her home just in time for a Friday fish fry.
That was in January, but in truth, Henry Flach’s had been towards the top of my get-to list since September, when an acquaintance from my days in Fond du Lac reached out and encouraged me to try the fish fry there. He just so happened to be Henry Flach’s head chef, Cy Simon, who took the helm there last July. Now, I generally like to be incognito when having a fish fry I’m going to write about, and I never want any sort of special treatment, but I told Cy I’d be interested in getting the fish fry at some point.
Henry Flach’s, sometimes referred to as Henry Flach Steakhouse or simply Henry Flach, is owned by Bryan Wolf and John Roots. Henry Flach—pronounced “Flock”—is not a real person, but Henry and Flach are the maiden names of Bryan and John’s wives, Breanna and Sara. Roots also owns Natty Oaks Pub & Eatery—a place I got a fish fry and wrote about in 2018—where Wolf is the general manager and Simon is the events coordinator. Henry Flach’s opened in 2022. Previously the space was home to Butch’s Pub and Eatery, and before that, Steven’s Steakhouse, as well as a number of other establishments, since being built in 1920. I got a fish fry at Butch’s Pub in 2016, but that excursion predates this column. I got a fish fry and wrote about another of Butch Schettle’s establishments, Butch’s Red Mill, in 2018. (That space is now home to The Red Mill Inn.)
I finally made it to Henry Flach’s this past Friday. Being that it is located so close to where my daughter was born, it was only fitting that it was the first restaurant she came with my wife and I to for a fish fry. When we arrived, the man at the host stand, Jason, said there might be a small wait, but upon looking at our baby, let us know he’d make it work. After looking in the dining room, he promptly gave us one of the best spots in it, at a corner table looking over the whole room. That’s right, no preferential treatment was given because I had eaten hundreds of fish frys in a row and was going to write about their fish fry. They didn’t even know who I was. Preferential treatment was given because my cute baby was along.
Shortly after we were seated, our server, Ana, greeted us warmly, and also commented on how lovely our baby was. Once again, nothing about eating 591 Friday fish frys in a row came up. I was a nobody and the baby was the star. Thankfully, I reaped the benefits of the baby love, or, more likely, the staff was inherently good, and this is why we were served well by everyone throughout our meal. Still, I had let Cy know earlier in the month that I might come in on this date. I hadn’t confirmed later that I would be coming, but after we had ordered, I noticed him on the other end of the dining room, and then he noticed me and gave a wave and a thumbs up.
The regular menu had nothing about fish frys on it, but the A-frame specials menu listed a three-piece breaded or baked cod ($17.95) and fried bluegill ($15.95). The fish frys come with french fries, but other sides can be substituted for an upcharge: cream spinach, bacon and balsamic brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, Lyonnaise potatoes, truffle steak fries, potato pancakes, steamed broccoli, garlic mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and parmesan butter noodles. Loaded variations of these sides are also available. Henry Flach’s has sometimes offered other kinds of fish besides cod and bluegill, and may again in the future, but they’ve had the most success with the bluegill, so it isn’t likely to come off the menu any time soon. That’s what I went with, along with potato pancakes.
The food came out in less than 15 minutes and I promptly tore into the rye bread. A light rye peppered with caraway seeds on the edges, halved and lightly buttered, it set the stage. The coleslaw to its right raised the bar, catching my eye with its vibrant red cabbage. From the first bite it was evident this was no store-bought, afterthought slaw, but something whipped up in the kitchen. Cy told me he makes the dressing in-house, and that “the cabbage is massaged with sugar, salt, and pepper to help break down the fibers in the cabbage.”
While most people eat their potato pancakes with syrup or applesauce, I’m the odd duck who prefers ketchup (or sour cream if it’s available). I forgot to request ketchup when the plate landed, and was going to request it when Ana returned, but in the meantime I tried the pancakes. For the first time in recent memory, I made an about face and decided I didn’t need the ketchup. This was not just because of how good the pancakes were, but the way in which they were good. Stated differently, they had a unique flavor outside of the usual potato and onion combination. I detected cumin with a hint of cinnamon. There still was a subtle taste of onion, and some strands were visible amongst the potato shreds, and it all came together to create a perfect mouthfeel.
Cy revealed that indeed he uses cumin and cinnamon in his potato pancakes, as well as syrup, and said the sugars in the syrup help with the caramelization process during cooking. He also soaks the shredded potatoes in a mix of hot water and apple cider vinegar before cooking, to add flavor and draw out the starches. The end result is a potato pancake that requires no condiment and that could pass for an entree, not just a side.
With both the slaw and pancakes having the mark of originality, the six bluegill fillets were left to prove themselves. First and foremost it was the breading that caught my palate. It was captivatingly crunchy, and textured like the bark on an old oak. It was lightly seasoned, and savory and salty. All told, the breading was original just like the slaw and pancakes, and was the right setup for the bluegill below. Some of the distinct bluegill flavor was there, yet it was mild at times. The fillets varied in size, and were faultless in terms of freshness and composition. The tartar was somewhere between thick and thin, with its pickle or pickle-like contents giving a memorable crunch.
Henry Flach’s is reminiscent of a supper club, but is more accessible and on a smaller scale. Cy told me he likes working for a smaller business, in part because it allows him to have a more immediate and felt impact. This rings true for the fish fry, where unique twists signal the handiwork of a chef, albeit one still keeping the fundamentals of the fish fry tradition intact. My time at Henry Flach’s was pleasant all around, from the food to the environment to the service. Was it so pleasant because I was given special treatment? No, I had told Cy I wanted as authentic an experience as possible, and as far as I could tell, no one else there knew who I was. But everyone loved the baby, so we might have gotten special treatment anyway. Not bad for a baby’s first Friday fish fry.
Takeaways: Cozy environment similar to a small supper club; vibrant handcrafted red cabbage slaw; excellent and unique potato pancakes that have no need for condiments; captivatingly crunchy breading on quality bluegill; special treatment because we had a baby, not because I review fish frys.
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