It's fish and FRIES, dammit!

(Mister Takeout can be found on Twitter @mistertakeout and on FB as John Q Takeout)

Full disclosure: this is a review of a lunch actually eaten in a restaurant rather than taken back to my desk. I had fully intended to order takeout, but I ran into a former colleague on the way from my office to Boston Blackie's and we decided to spend a couple of hours talking shop and catching up. Why I decided to order at the restaurant rather than call it in I can't say, but I can say I'm glad I did. Spending time face-to-face with real people is healthy and invigorating. I don't do it often enough during the work week.

On the flip side of this shiny little penny of serendipity was this: Boston Blackie's was practically empty at noon on a Wednesday. Blackie's is never empty at noon. Traditionally, if you want to eat lunch there you need to show up around 11:30 or maybe 11:45 to make sure you can get a table. As my colleague and I were being led to our booth I had this thought: if business is this bad, I wonder if they've started cutting corners, buying crappy ingredients, metaphorically setting traps for cats and rats in the back alley. I took my seat with more than a little trepidation.


Today's Lunch Establishment

Boston Blackie's
164 E Grand Ave
Chicago, IL
312-938-8700


The Order

Fish and FRIES, dammit! (listed as Fish and Chips With Icelandic Cod on the menu)
$10.89 with tax


The Service

One of the nice things about the restaurant being so empty is that service was lightning quick. We had drinks within seconds and our entrees within 10 minutes. Our waiter was attentive without being annoying and the bus boy managed to keep our table clear and neat without hovering. The check came a couple of minutes after the last plates were cleared, and everyone left us alone as we continued talking long after we had finished eating.
RATING: 10


The Presentation

It isn't easy to cram a bunch of beige food (deep fried fish, fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce) onto a single plate without making it look like a pile something out of a children's cartoon, but the chefs at Blackie's managed to keep everything cleanly organized and visually appealing. On the other hand, it wouldn't have killed them to add a dash of color somewhere, maybe a bit of parsley, to provide a little contrast. But between the competent visuals, warm plate and pleasing aroma my appetite was well stoked the minute my order arrived.
RATING: 6


The Food Itself

Most restaurants I've been to serve fish and FRIES (otherwise known as fish and chips) that tastes like it has been boiled first before being deep-fried. Flavorless, greasy and hard on the stomach. Boston Blackie's reputation for doing lunch food right was not sullied, however, as the meal came out just right. The fish batter was crisp on the outside and moist on the inside, and the fish itself was firm and flavorful. The FRIES (otherwise known as chips) were a little on the salty side, but otherwise on par with the fish - crisp on the outside and soft enough on the inside that the vinegar soaked right in. On a side note, I'd recommend water over iced tea or a soft drink with this dish in general. Sweet drinks tend to detract from the salty, greasy goodness.
RATING: 9


Though I ate in this time, I can't imagine a meal like fish and... sigh... CHIPS would've suffered too much from the five minute walk back to my office. And I'm glad that the struggling economy doesn't appear to have forced Boston Blackie's to cut corners on their ingredients (whether or not that was really Icelandic Cod is another issue, but that's a city-wide problem and a discussion for another time). I'll be ordering a proper Mister Takeout meal from Blackie's very soon.

OVERALL RATING: 8