Exceptional Community Fish Fries?

All the talk about cod has not only made me hungry but curious about where amateurs execute the "fish fry" exceptionally well-- whether in church social halls, American Legion Posts, community clubs, etc.

Are there 'underground' celebrity fry cooks in these places or just good ol' folk that know how to do it right?

And is there any difference between the batter-dipped or lightly dredged versions in the meals you've liked?

I think there is a thread on this already. Might want to run a search.

--Yeah, a search just goes back to the Cod thread, which is fine and actually started me wondering.

Do forum folk know special fish fries they would recommend--not restaurants but community groups like the Odd Fellows, Legion Posts or Holy Name Societies.

It must be archived in the old forum because I know we had one. I think the consensus is that the best one is at the VFW on 3rd street south of churchill downs.

[Robin Garr]

It must be archived in the old forum because I know we had one. I think the consensus is that the best one is at the VFW on 3rd street south of churchill downs.

Are you talking about:
Suburban Social Club
3901 South 3rd Street
368-3161

It's a Masonic Lodge, with its fish fry open to the public - March through November, Saturdays only. Very, very popular, but I'm not sure its fish really qualifies as a thrill ride for "foodies."

As a more general reply to Greg's question, except for Catholic parishes during Lent (many of them), I'm not particularly aware of lodge or club fish fries around town, although that certainly doesn't mean they don't exist. They may not be open to the public, though.

I know the American Legion post over on Grant Line Road near New Albanian Brewing Co. has kitchen and bar facilities (I've judged an annual chili contest over there several years), but dunno bout no fish fries.


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That's the one. I knew it wasn't a VFW, but I couldn't remember what it actually was.

I am not sure why it would be any less appealing to "foodies" than any other fish fry in town. I was under the impression Greg was asking about places that served the classic "fish fry" type of fish. If he is, then that place serves it.

St Paul's Episcopal Church on Market St. in Jeffersonville has a really good (and cheap) Fish Fry every first Friday of the month.

Most of the time, it seems a requirement for any Clark County politician or elected official to be there.

[Robin Garr]

I am not sure why it would be any less appealing to "foodies" than any other fish fry in town. I was under the impression Greg was asking about places that served the classic "fish fry" type of fish. If he is, then that place serves it.

That's true, but even classic fish fries vary in quality and service. I don't think Suburban's is bad, but I tend to be skeptical about food service that operates only sporadically and is run by volunteers. I'm not sure that it's reasonable to expect a Masonic lodge making fish one night a week for half of the year to have the experience of say, Stan's or The Fish House or The Fishery; and I might wonder whether they source their fish at the same quality level as Stan's.

But sure, if you want a hot fried-fish sandwich, then you don't have to be a "foodie" to like all of them.

I am not sure why it would be any less appealing to "foodies" than any other fish fry in town. I was under the impression Greg was asking about places that served the classic "fish fry" type of fish. If he is, then that place serves it.

That's true, but even classic fish fries vary in quality and service. I don't think Suburban's is bad, but I tend to be skeptical about food service that operates only sporadically and is run by volunteers. I'm not sure that it's reasonable to expect a Masonic lodge making fish one night a week for half of the year to have the experience of say, Stan's or The Fish House or The Fishery; and I might wonder whether they source their fish at the same quality level as Stan's.

exactly. I got the impression he was looking for the fish fry experience as opposed to the professional fish restaurant experience. I might've misread his post, but that's how it came across to me.

Yeah, Ron got the gist of my query. Having looked through the old forum on the topic, warm regards were expressed for the VFW Post 1170 in Middletown, Guardian Angels on Preston Hwy., St. Bernard's on Fegenbush and the Masonic Suburban Social Club on S. Third.
Other places mentioned, but without any supporting details were the North Oldham Lion Club, St. James, St. Francis, St. Jeromes and a recent, positive mention of St. Patrick's.
Robin, there was a mention of "an earlier thread" in the Old Forum, but I wasn't able to find it. Nor could I find at the C-J site a link to Marty's review of local fish fries which I believe he did last February (They seem to archive stories by name of restaurant and no churches were listed). Your piece on fish sandwiches, around the same period, was easily accessible.
But, yeah, I was looking for any exceptional amateur iterations on this Louisville mainstay. So far, the old forum thread engendered mostly warm memories of family traditions ("with grandfather", for example) and simple meals that hit the spot, (which is good too).

Oops! I hadn't pushed the search far enough on the Old Forum- if you do a generic topic search for just "fish", along with a lot of other goodies up comes Marty looking for suggested "best Lenten places" last March (seems like one of his last posts) and the earlier "favorite Friday fish fries" which ran in 2003.