Spirit of Christ Catholic Community

March 2, 2007

Knights of Columbus Fish Fry
Spirit of Christ Catholic Community Spirit Center
7400 W. 80th Ave. Arvada, CO
Cost: $5.00
March 2 & 23, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
http://www.spiritofchrist.org/

One thing this fry has going for it is the price. At only five dollars a person, this is one of the least expensive fish fries. The enthusiastic man who took my money was trying to explain to me that this is a "community" and not a parish, so they don't try to make money from fish fries or things like bake sales (unfortunately...) but I didn't really understand and frankly I was hungry and it was nearing the end of the dinner. I decided to eat instead of discussing things like how exactly they can afford to pay their bills.

On the menu at this community was fried fish, baked fish, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw. I had heard a mention of rice, but they must have run out by the time I got to the service line. Once again, there was no vegetarian or "kid's" option like grilled cheese. Also, there was no dessert. The beverages available were water, lemonade, and iced tea. I made myself an Arnold Palmer.

The fried fish was clearly frozen - evident by the familiar not-quite-triangle shape and also because one of the servers later in the evening mentioned defrosting too much fish. It wasn't horrible, but you can get better by buying Van de Kamps at the grocery store. The baked fish was almost flavorless. I assume there was some salt on it, but not much else. I could see pepper but could not taste it. Unlike other places, they don't bother with anything special to top their baked fish like capers or herbs. The result was disappointing. Lemon wedges were handed out liberally but, unlike Jesus, they cannot work miracles. The potatoes were slightly mashed red potatoes. I'm not a potato fan, but that being said, these could have used more flavor I think. The cole slaw was average.

The Spirit Center was buzzing with activity even though we arrived late, presumably with people who wanted to eat quickly before Stations of the Cross started at seven o'clock. We ate our dinners and were offered seconds on fried or baked fish, since they had defrosted too much. Despite the bargain, this fish fry left me wanting a better dinner... and dessert.

I give this Lenten fish fry one out of five Ichthus.