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Ask George: Do you have a favorite Lenten fish fry in St. Louis? Barry E., St. Louis
By my count, there are 150-175 fish fries in the metro area this year, most of them held in the gymnasiums of Catholic parish churches on Friday nights during Lent, although many skip Good Friday (more on that later).
While fish fries are a major source of revenue for some parishes, others take a more pious approach, looking at them as an opportunity for families simply to get together and break bread—in this case, breaded cod.
Each fry has its own personality. All have their devotees. Out of the 20 or so I’ve attended over the years, here are five favorites and why each stands out:
Most Organized – Our Lady of the Pillar
Attendees are first greeted by a parish priest, selling inexpensive glasses of wine. Queue up in one of two identical food lines that are run so efficiently you’ll only have time for a couple of sips: when a staffer runs out of an item, their hand goes up and within moments a runner with a hot, fresh, hotel pan full of replacement goodies appears. There’s even a person commissioned to supply beverages—adult and otherwise—to the other volunteers, keeping spirits high. Our spirits are buoyed because OLP’s fry is also held on Good Friday, a rarity. 401 S. Lindbergh, 314-993-2280, 4:30-7:30 PM, olpillar.com
Best Weekly Specials – Holy Spirit
Fr. Rich Bockskopf could have been a chef. This is the only fry I know of that features “Father’s Weekly Special,” dishes so popular and so tasty that advance reservations are now required. Past specials have included lobster-and-cheese ravioli; pasta tutto mare with clams, crab, and seafood; and a $3 bowl of crab soup that at the time I half-jokingly quipped "appeared to contain about $5 worth of lump crab." There’s also grilled salmon, an excellent fried catfish, and complimentary, from-scratch potato/sage dinner rolls. If I had to pick an all-around favorite fry, this is the one, hands down. 3130 Parkwood, 314-739-0230, 4:30-7:00 PM, holyspiritstl.org
The remaining weekly specials are as follows, available by advance purchase only at $10 each: March 21: Tortellini Shrimp Alfredo March 28: Crab Mac & Cheese April 4: Parmesan-Encrusted Tilapia April 11: Linguini Tutto Mare
Best Chef-Influenced Fry – Our Lady of Lourdes
Local chefs have dabbled in hamburger-themed restaurants, BBQ joints, and chicken shacks, why not fish fries? At least one has. Marc Del Pietro (The Block, in Webster Groves and the CWE) became involved with the school lunch program at Our Lady of Lourdes school in an effort to provide higher-quality, healthier meal options, so when asked to lend a hand with the annual fish fry—Lourdes has but one a year--the veteran chef agreed. The results are what you’d expect: Del Pietro prefers using a a thinner-cut Alaskan pollack over cod, dredged by hand in either a spicy or traditional custom breading. Family recipes for cream- and tomato-based pasta come into play, as does homemade cole slaw and a killer mac and cheese. It’s the kids’ meals at Lourdes that are good and healthy; this one is just good. April 11 only at 7148 Forsyth, 5:30- 8:00 PM, reservations preferred at 314-726-6200 or at ucitylourdes.org
Best Show – St. Cecilia
When the young dancers appear in their colorful dresses, the rest of the crowd dons smiles. Specialties like tostadas and chile rellenos and Mexican beers are popular, but it’s the church itself that’s not to be missed. Take a post-prandial tour, guided by a uniformed grade schooler who's well-versed in the history of the parish and church. The dancing girls and the rellenos are fine, sure, but the most oohs and ahhs emanate from the 106-year-old church. You may even return for a Sunday mass—the ones spoken in Spanish, of course. 5414 Alaska, 314-351-1318, 4:30-8:00 PM, stceciliaparishstl.org
Best Fish Options - St. Pius V
Notice I didn’t say “most fish options”—more does not mean better. With a choice of baked or hand-battered fried cod loin or fried catfish, Pius V reigns supreme. Add in homemade sides and desserts, plus live music from Clan Jameson, and it’s easy to see why volunteers served 800 people last week, a big crowd, even by St. Pius’ standards. Don't miss the beer counter, tended by the Precious Bar Maids, who also happen to be the parish nuns--each beer, say the Maids, "comes with an indulgence." 3130 S. Grand, 314-772-1525, 4:00-7:30 PM, stpiusv.org
Photo credits above: left, David E Kennedy; right, John Langholz
