Gene McCarthy's

Gene McCarthy's is located on Hamburg St in Buffalo's Old First Ward.  The fry is a 14oz skinless haddock and is served with potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and French fries for Market Price (today MP was $15.75).  The fry is available beer battered, breaded, or broiled (lemon pepper, garlic parm, cajun, or sheffield).  A 7oz half fish fry is also available.  A haddock sandwich served with one side is also offered, todays price was $11.75.  Fish frys are served all day every Wednesday and Friday and reservations are not accepted.

Fish:  This was a huge 14oz portion of fresh skinless haddock.  The fish was clearly fresh, cooked beautifully, and seasoned well.  The batter was crispy and greaseless while tasting great as well.  The batter did separate a bit from the fish at times, but this simply cant be prevented when you're battering fish this fresh.  Unfortunately this well cooked piece of fish is served on top of a bed of fries.  We know the drill by now, crunchy top, steamed undercarriage.  

Tartar:  This tartar really let its compatriot down.  A fry that tasty deserves a better accompaniment.  The tartar was overly salty with a strong mayo taste.  Had all the components of a good tartar; dill pickles, lemon, and mayo, but its proportions were off.

Sides:

• Potato Salad:  Very good classic version.  Mayo based with a tinge of yellow mustard.  Potatoes were cooked well and the onions and celery balanced it perfectly.  Nicely did.
• Macaroni Salad:  Perfectly cooked elbow noodles were again dressed with a classic, well seasoned dressing.  A quick dash of parsley on top and this salad was satisfying.
• Coleslaw:  Very good.  The cabbage was extra crunchy and the dressing had just the right tang.  A few shreds of carrots and no signs of onions, it was really tasty.  This should replace the tartar on the haddock sandwich.
• French Fries:  Over promise, under deliver.  You read "fresh cut fries" on the menu and a man gets a certain expectation.  They were skin on, and certainly fresh cut, but they weren't crispy and they certainly weren't seasoned well.  With fresh cut fries most places utilize the double fry technique.  I'm sure that's what Gene's does but their second fry simply wasn't long enough to crisp the potato properly.

Clam Chowder:  Again, a huge portion.  The flavor was tremendous.  If basing the score on flavor alone, this was the best version I've had.  However, the broth was too thin and this soup lacked the chunks needed to call it a chowder.

Overall:  Highly hyped by locals, this downtown fish fry mostly delivered.  At this point in the game, a Top 20 rating is nothing to scoff at, but I expected, and hoped, for more.  Unfortunately, the tartar and fries hurt their score.  It was however very nice to see the Holy Trinity of salads (especially being homemade) served with this fry, as too many places aren't doing the same these days.  Overall, Gene McCarthy's serves a classic Western New York beer battered fish fry, and they're incredibly popular (and busy) for a reason.   

Overall Score: 8.24