February 13th, 2017.

Sensing that a friend was having some personal issues, and remembering that a trip out to a fish fry in 2016 helped them to get in a good state of mind through the powers of reminiscence of what the event has meant to them in the past, I sent an open invite.

“I am going to be picking up what is said to be THE BEST FISH FRY ITEM (TM) IN CINCINNATI on March 3rd”

The goal was simple. Take off work early, head on over to Bridgetown Finer Meats on the west side of town, and grab their self-proclaimed Fabulous Fish Sandwich. Then swing back over towards Red Bank and meet up with aforementioned friend to commiserate over our lives and eat fried fish.

Then, trouble happened — in the form of my complete underestimation of the traffic jam that becomes Bridgetown Finer Meats’ area around 4PM. The parking lot was full, police started directing traffic, but I finally got into the venue, a deli. The smell of fried fish was in the air.

My order.

Two sandwiches, no cheese, no sides.

I watched as workers assembled sandwiches in the back, laying down one slice of lengthwise-cut Servatii (a local bakery) rye, then the gigantic filet of haddock, then onion, tomato, and lettuce. A production line that they weren’t likely to see an end of for another couple hours. One of the workers wiped his brow with his forearm, and went right back to work.

My order was up. I took the two takeout containers, the filets poking out of their boxes, and left as traffic was getting notably worse — a testament to how well-loved the Bridgetown Finer Meats’ fish fry was. It was too late to get back to Red Bank in time, though. So I messaged said friend, and we ate our sandwiches and commiserated in my kitchen.

We planned a follow-up the next week, and eventually decided to rate the fish fries on the basis of fish quality and vibe/ambiance.

Fish Quality: 5

Vibe: N/A

Comments: An impressive fish sandwich for scale, quality, and consistency. Even by itself, the fish would have been top-tier, but the addition of quality rye and fresh-cut vegetables takes this one over the top.