FoodQuest: Stan's Fish Sandwich
OPEN: JANUS FILE #0386
I was running out of time on this FoodQuest, in more ways than one. Obviously, I was running out of month, but I wanted to go by Stan's Fish Sandwich at least once before they closed for the last time. They've been in St. Matthews for 24 years, and I read when they lost their current lease, the owners decided that it was time to retire and close the restaurant.
I read about the closing several weeks ago, but as is almost always the case, it was a matter of timing that kept me from visiting until now. I was in the neighborhood Tuesday, I was thinking about it, and I decided that I needed to visit while it was still on my mind.
When I took a look at the menu board, I definitely wished I had stopped by when I first heard of the closing, because I spotted at least two or three things that I wanted to order. After a minute or two, I decided on the Shrimp Burger, one of their po boy-style sandwiches. It comes with your choice of either slaw or lettuce and tomato. Not being a big fan of slaw, I chose the latter. I also ordered a side order of French fries. I found a table, and a few minutes later, they brought my food out.
The Shrimp Burger is served on a multigrain hoagie roll. The lettuce and tomato were layered on the bottom half of the roll, and a massive pile of fried shrimp was placed on top of that. Over to one side of the plate was a respectable heap of golden French fries.
Before tackling the sandwich, I sampled a couple of the shrimp by themselves. Prior to frying, they had been coating in a breading that was quite peppery. The shrimp themselves were sweet and succulent.
At the table were several condiment bottles, including what I think was an in-house made seafood cocktail sauce. I tried it, and it wasn't bad. I prefer my cocktail sauce to have a little more horseradish in it, but it had enough of a spicy kick to it, and I used it on both the sandwich and the French fries. (Much better than mere ketchup!)
The sandwich was wonderful. The lettuce and tomato were fresh, and the hoagie roll held together through the entire meal. As I think I've said before, this is an important point to me. I have had bread fall apart on me on sandwiches, always making at least a bit of a mess, and usually more than just a bit. And as I mentioned, the breading or batter coating the shrimp (not completely certain which one it was) had a bit of a peppery kick to it -- black pepper, to be specific about it.
The French Fries were fried to a golden crisp. There was nothing special that had been done to them; no special coatings or seasonings. Just a nice pile of potatoes cooked to the right degree of crispness. And sometimes, simple is the best way to go. And as I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, I used some of the cocktail sauce instead of the usual ketchup for dipping.
After my meal, I found myself wishing that I had visited Stan's Fish Sandwich earlier. Not just earlier in the sense of "when I first read that they were closing." I mean earlier as in even before that. I think it might have been someplace that I might have visited on a semi-regular basis. I'm certain that it will be missed; I looked around the place, and saw at least six Best Of Louisville Awards from Louisville Magazine on the walls, so it has certainly been popular. As it is, I might be able to squeeze in one or two more visits before they close for the final time on May 28.
Stan's Fish Sandwich
3729 Lexington Road
Louisville, KY
CLOSE: JANUS FILE #0386
I was running out of time on this FoodQuest, in more ways than one. Obviously, I was running out of month, but I wanted to go by Stan's Fish Sandwich at least once before they closed for the last time. They've been in St. Matthews for 24 years, and I read when they lost their current lease, the owners decided that it was time to retire and close the restaurant.
I read about the closing several weeks ago, but as is almost always the case, it was a matter of timing that kept me from visiting until now. I was in the neighborhood Tuesday, I was thinking about it, and I decided that I needed to visit while it was still on my mind.
When I took a look at the menu board, I definitely wished I had stopped by when I first heard of the closing, because I spotted at least two or three things that I wanted to order. After a minute or two, I decided on the Shrimp Burger, one of their po boy-style sandwiches. It comes with your choice of either slaw or lettuce and tomato. Not being a big fan of slaw, I chose the latter. I also ordered a side order of French fries. I found a table, and a few minutes later, they brought my food out.
The Shrimp Burger is served on a multigrain hoagie roll. The lettuce and tomato were layered on the bottom half of the roll, and a massive pile of fried shrimp was placed on top of that. Over to one side of the plate was a respectable heap of golden French fries.
Before tackling the sandwich, I sampled a couple of the shrimp by themselves. Prior to frying, they had been coating in a breading that was quite peppery. The shrimp themselves were sweet and succulent.
At the table were several condiment bottles, including what I think was an in-house made seafood cocktail sauce. I tried it, and it wasn't bad. I prefer my cocktail sauce to have a little more horseradish in it, but it had enough of a spicy kick to it, and I used it on both the sandwich and the French fries. (Much better than mere ketchup!)
The sandwich was wonderful. The lettuce and tomato were fresh, and the hoagie roll held together through the entire meal. As I think I've said before, this is an important point to me. I have had bread fall apart on me on sandwiches, always making at least a bit of a mess, and usually more than just a bit. And as I mentioned, the breading or batter coating the shrimp (not completely certain which one it was) had a bit of a peppery kick to it -- black pepper, to be specific about it.
The French Fries were fried to a golden crisp. There was nothing special that had been done to them; no special coatings or seasonings. Just a nice pile of potatoes cooked to the right degree of crispness. And sometimes, simple is the best way to go. And as I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, I used some of the cocktail sauce instead of the usual ketchup for dipping.
After my meal, I found myself wishing that I had visited Stan's Fish Sandwich earlier. Not just earlier in the sense of "when I first read that they were closing." I mean earlier as in even before that. I think it might have been someplace that I might have visited on a semi-regular basis. I'm certain that it will be missed; I looked around the place, and saw at least six Best Of Louisville Awards from Louisville Magazine on the walls, so it has certainly been popular. As it is, I might be able to squeeze in one or two more visits before they close for the final time on May 28.
Stan's Fish Sandwich
3729 Lexington Road
Louisville, KY
CLOSE: JANUS FILE #0386