For cod's sake...

Generally speaking, I'm not a "fish" person.  Growing up, the closest thing we had to an ocean nearby was a dirty lake and a river that was most famous for catching fire.  So, as you can imagine, fish never appealed to me very much.  Since moving to DC, I'm come out of my shell a little, so to speak, and have started to enjoy the delicate and wonderful flavor that fresh seafood can offer.   But before all this, there was one fish that spoke to me.  One fish I would be willing to look past even a nice hunk of beef for; battered and fried cod.

Oh yes, mild and flaky cod fillets, battered and fried to a golden brown and smothered in tangy tartar sauce and malted vinegar.  And chips on the side?  Why not!?

Now, I've had this deep fried delight everywhere from San Diego to Dublin, Ireland.  I've had some very very good fish and some not so great fish as well.  And in my experience, no one does it better than our very own Eamon's (a Dublin Chipper) in Old Town Alexandria.  The propreiter of this establishment, Cathal Armstrong (who also owns Restaurant Eve and the Majestic) is no stranger to fish and chips.  After all, he is a native Dubliner and therefore probably has a pretty good understanding of what makes this particular dish so special.

I've been visiting Eamon's for years since it first opened and I've been sure to tell all my friends/co-workers/ perfect strangers know that if you want the best fish and chips you'll ever have, head into Old Town and look for the giant E on King Street.  Though a little pricier than most of your typical fried fish establishments (you can get a nice friend fish plate across the street at Murphy's), I always felt that the quality of the food justified the slightly higher price tag  (the paper bag you eat out of doesn't help either).

Well, this weekend girlfriend and I just happened to be in Old Town running a few errands and trying to avoid getting soaked by the seemingly endless rain.  Now matter how we positioned the umbrella or zipped up our jackets, we couldn't escape that damp chill that an early spring storm seems to bring.  We both knew there was one food that pretty much made for this kind of weather; fish and chips.

So we headed over to Eamon's, ordered a large fish (me), a small (her) and a large order of chips with curry sauce.  We sat down at one of the big tables and watched out the window as the drenched masses walked up and down the sidewalks outside.

When our food arrived, we were a little taken back by what we saw.  Though it had been a while since we had both been there, it looked as though they had decided to cut back on the portions significantly!  It looked as though we had gotten about HALF THE FISH we used to get.  And the curry sauce?  We barely got a few little drops in the bottom of the plastic dipping cup.  When did this happen!?

Listen, I'm all about paying a little extra for higher quality food.  But it seriously looked like we ended up with about 8oz of fish for $13.   Did someone replace the cod with Chilean sea bass?

Eamon's, I love you.  Really, I do.  If I didn't, I wouldn't even have bothered with writing this post.  Maybe we just got the shaft on the portions this one time. Maybe our order got messed up.  Perhaps the guy at the register didn't like the look on my face.  Who knows?

But fish and chips is supposed to be a filling, satisfiying meal.  Not a light snack that makes you running for the fridge as soon as you get home.  So please, don't skimp on the portions anymore.  I don't want to have to start going to Murphy's and eating a lesser piece of fish just to get full.

Thank you.