Fried perch in Chicago

Thomas C. wrote:

>Can anyone recommend a restaurant for fried perch, preferably in
>Evanston or Chicago. My wife always eats it in Michigan, but perch
>does not seem to be very popular here.

Last time I was there, Leona's on Sheridan and Morse served a fried perch dinner.

In article , watson
Someone wrote:

>I missed a few days, but did anybody mention Phil Schmidt's?
>Perch (or frog legs)at Phil's is pan fried in BUTTER.

And you can't mention Phil Schmidt's (or is it Smidt's ?) without mentioning it's tremendous environment. Truly, it's one of the most unique restaurants I've ever been to. It's perfectly absurd: a seafood restaurant.....in Hammond, Indiana. It's there right next to the abandoned breweries and factories, just beyond the US Steel mill and next to the Dove soap plant. Most days, the air outside is just permeated with the smell of soap. It's like you're standing inside your dishwasher. Somehow they keep the smell out of the restaurant, though.

I guess in the old days when you could fish perch out of Lake Michigan it was a sort of midwestern-style dockside seafood restaurant. Frog legs and fish right off the boat and sort of thing. But nowadays you wouldn't want to eat much of anything they pulled out of the lake near Hammond. So they truck the fish in from a farm in Ohio. It's still really good. And there's an all you can eat option.

Anyway, the restaurant atmosphere is pure Midwest: watiresses in black aprons and pink blouses and orthapedic shoes. Old people eating the early-bird special at 4:30. Huge long tables (party of 14? Right this way...which table would you like sir?) with entire extended families chowing down. And picinic-style appetizers: they bring out these dishes of kidney bean salad, german cole slaw, sweet pickles, etc. etc. when you sit down. And they keep bringing 'em. All you can eat.

The menu is short: perch, frog legs, a couple other kinds of fish is all I remember. It's all fried and fat-filled and delicious. All-you-can-eat is an option. Prices are a touch higher than you might expect: $14 for the standard all-you-can-eat perch-in-butter-boned.

It's one the my favorite restaurants anywhere.

--Jeff