With the high wind warning lasting the entire day today, I decided to stick close to home. I have been hearing wonderful things about Yours Truly’s fish fry for a while now and I already love the tuna melt, so I headed there for an early lunch today. I ordered a coffee and the fish fry and was asked if I wanted one, two or three pieces of fish. Since I knew I would be going to another fish fry tonight, I opted for the one-piece (small fish fry for $14), but I soon regretted it because it was a phenomenal piece of fried fish. The fish was flaky and moist and just perfect. It may look burnt in the photo, but I can assure you that it was not and didn’t taste like it. If anything, there was a small pool of oil underneath, but that just proved its freshness. I had opted for the red skin potatoes when offered the choice of fries, red skin potatoes, hash browns or sweet potato fries (another option for my friend with the potato allergy!), and they were really tasty as well. The homemade tartar sauce was also next level, with clear chunks of what is probably some kind of pickle relish. I didn’t even touch the lemon, which I probably could have added to water if I had asked for one. It was probably one of the best pieces of fish I’ve had in a while. Yours Truly offers their fish fry year round on Fridays, so even if you don’t make it during Lent you should keep it on your radar.
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I had planned to go to the Donauschwaben’s fish fry, but decided to attend the fish fry at Communion of Saints Parish – St. Ann’s (2 or 3 minutes by car from my home) at the corner of Coventry and Cedar instead. Usually the parking lot is the bane of my existence, since the Cleveland Heights police sit there with their radar and have popped me twice for speeding (once for 5 miles over the speed limit and one I successfully fought in court because I was going the exact speed limit).
First of all, they get points for the signage. As regular readers know signs directing you where to go are very important in my humble opinion. Not everyone is a parishioner and knows where to go. I got there shortly after they opened at 4:30 (it runs from 4:30 to 7), and the parking lot was about half full. I got a fairly close spot to the door though. After climbing down the stairs (I think there is a entrance for the disabled, because someone in a wheelchair was leaving as I was and came out another entrance), I was greeted by a young man and directed to the order tables. There was a table for credit cards (and Venmo!) as well as one for cash. I had brought cash but not enough for my meal, so credit card it was. I did have enough cash to buy a Sam Adams, which was a welcome addition to my meal. After I paid my order form was handed to a runner, who seated me and took my order to the kitchen.
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I asked to be sat near the beverages and was seated near the free beverages as well as the Beer Garden. I bought my beer from the Beer Garden and mixed up an Arnold Palmer from the table with free lemonade, tea and water.
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I had the most enjoyable evening. The fish fry was good, but the company there was the best. I met a fellow fish fry enthusiast who had announced his presence on Facebook and came to meet me when I commented with my table number. I met a nice couple and his mother and a group of three women (one of whom had never been to a fish fry or had walleye before despite being a native Clevelander). She had seen the News 5 feature on St. Ann’s fish fry a few weeks ago and decided to check the fish fry out. All three were from Cleveland Heights. After the couple and his mother left a gentleman was seated with us whose wife is in the Clinic for a double lung transplant. He’s from Rochester and said he might know my friend from college when I asked him. And then I ran into another friend, who is a German who lives here and was in my German Meetup group. She was there with her children, and her youngest (who was in a stroller when I met him) is now a tall young man who attends Benedictine. And apparently I just missed my friend Emil, who was there getting takeout when he saw my Facebook post. I love Cleveland Heights. The photo below is of the priest who said a prayer mid-meal.
Another nice addition was the accordian player. How Cleveland can you get? I love Cleveland Heights.
Anyway, you are here for the food, so… I ordered the fried walleye, and it came with fries or pierogi. I obviously went for the pierogi because the pierogi are just as important as the fish if you ask me. I also ordered a side of mac and cheese, which was the highlight of the meal for me. It was a nice baked mac and cheese. The walleye was great and nicely fried. The pierogi were good. I missed a side of sour cream, but the cole slaw worked with it. And the free cookie was a nice surprise – and so moist it fell apart easily.
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The runners brought our food to the table written on the order form, which was apparently a new system they were implementing. By the time I left it was packed and they were running about a half hour to an hour behind. They apparently hold their fish fry every other week, so only three times during Lent. I think that is definitely a way to ensure the volunteers don’t get burnt out. It was a nice fish fry that was run by the Knights of Columbus (and some student volunteers). I missed the raffle, and apparently they had another prayer after I left, according to Emil.
Before taking half of my dinner home with me I stuck around to see what one of the women thought of the walleye (and told them not to order it at Sts. Constantine and Helen when they go in a couple of weeks since it has been too salty to the point of being inedible in the past). We also gave the gentleman from Rochester some restaurant suggestions in the neighborhood too (Zhug, Vero, Stone Oven, Anatolia, etc.). By the time I left at around 6 it had gotten pretty crowded. I headed home and stopped to pick up my neighbor’s bins from the middle of the street and my next-door neighbor’s shingles that had blown off into our back yard. I’m looking forward to reheating the leftovers tomorrow evening. I’m meeting friends for dim sum at Spice Spring tomorrow, so the small amount of leftovers will be perfect. This is what fish fry season is all about – community and good fish. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with good food and good community.
Fun fact: Humphrey Bogart and Paul Newman got married at St. Ann’s. How cool is that?
Contact info:
Yours Truly
Go to the website and use the location feature to find one closest to you
Available year round
Communion of Saints – St. Ann Church
2175 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights
(216) 321-0024
February 27, March 13, March 27
4:30PM until 7:00PM
Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats 