Wayfinding / Greening:
(1 out of 4 Fishes)
Not really any signs directing you to the fish fry, nor menus. Although you didn't really need a menu, your choices are shrimp, fried cod, or baked - no choices for sides. Church was fairly easy to find, just look for the only church surrounded by office buildings in downtown Clayton.
No recycling and styrofoam plates and cups.
Food:
If you like green beans and pasta for your sides, your in luck, because they are the only side choices available. A nice touch was a generous portion of side salad (also in its own styrofoam container). The sides were very good. I usually don't like red pasta, but this version was very zesty. Cod was very good. Nice flakiness and moist. Not much kick to the breading, but it was fried very well. Good selection of desserts. A lot of store bought desserts, but a good selection of homemade including a reeses peanut butter cookie that was made by the people we shared a table with.
Value:
Maybe slightly on the higher side (of course this is downtown Clayton), but still a good value. $35 for our family of five. $12 shrimp plate, $10 baked or fried fish plate. $5 kids plate. Includes drinks (tea, lemonade) and dessert. No beer or wine available. No separate kids menu.
Atmosphere:
Fairly small space for the fish fry - cozy would be the best word. At 5:30 almost full, we had to share a table. Nice round tables and real chairs. Super friendly volunteers and attendees. The couple we sat with was very welcoming and made sure we enjoyed our visit. Teenage volunteers did a great job clearing plates and cleaning tables.
Overall:
3 out 4.
A nice little fish fry. Nothing fancy, but they don't try to be anything different. They only have one fish fry a year on Ash Wednesday, so if you are in the Clayton area and need a place to go for Ash Wednesday, St. Joseph's would be good choice. Even though the space is small and fairly crowded, the line was quick. We only waited 5-10 minutes. There was a slight rush as Mass let out around 5:45. The head of the fish fry, like a good head chef, made the rounds of tables making sure everyone was enjoying themselves.
Reviewed 3/5/2014
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