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Fishing for Friday fries
Chuck and Diane Hostetler drove 20 miles from their home in Ravenna to the American Legion Post 737 in Lake Milton for its fish fry on a recent Friday afternoon.
SDLqThis is the best fish fry around,” Chuck said of the food at 16465 Milton Ave. in Lake Milton, adding that they venture to a couple of fish fries during Lent, which goes from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday.
“The Easter season is most important,” Diane said, adding that they are nondenominational Christians and appreciate the meaning behind the observance, which includes meatless Fridays.
Post 737 serves all-you-can-eat fish dinners for $9.50 from 3 to 7 p.m. Fridays through April 3. Meals include french fries, coleslaw, a roll and drink. Although customers can order as much fish as they like, they can order only four pieces of chicken or 10 pieces of shrimp, which are available for $8.50, said Janet Batta, coordinator of the fish-fry dinners. Fish sandwiches also are available for $6.50.
“Wonderful,” Diane said, after diving in to her lightly breaded Alaskan pollock.
The post has served its popular Lenten dinners for 25 years, Batta said.
“This is one of our biggest money makers,” she said. About 25 people volunteer at the fish fry, serving about 300 to 400 people every week from the first week of February to Good Friday, she said.
Batta said this year’s fish-fry dinners will raise about $30,000, which goes to all the programs that Post 737 supports.
“It goes right back into the community,” she said.
The Valley has its share of fish fries in churches, and many are hosted by community organizations.
Such events create a familylike atmosphere, said George Mirich of Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, 53 Laird Ave., which serves fish dinners for $10 year-round from 3:30 to 7 p.m. in its church hall.
“We’ve been doing it for 30 years,” he said.
The menu consists of baked or fried Icelandic cod or fried haddock; two sides of either Spanish rice, haluski, macaroni and cheese, french fries or string beans; coleslaw or applesauce; bread and butter; and coffee or tea. Dessert also is available.
“Nobody goes away hungry,” he said, adding that everything is homemade.
The church has 15 to 18 people who serve about 200 people a week on average, Mirich said.
Local businesses also have participated with their Lenten specials.
One such place is Chad Anthony’s, 1315 Boardman-Canfield Road, Boardman. The restaurant offers a variety of fish dinners on Wednesdays and Fridays until Good Friday, said Tom Howlett, the restaurant’s general manager. With prices ranging from $9 to $17, the specials make up 80 percent of the business on those two days, he added.
“We’re absolutely packed on Friday nights,” Howlett said.
The menu includes fried or broiled haddock dinners, stuffed flounder with crabmeat, and pirogi dinners. With the dinner, customers can have a side and a choice of salad or coleslaw. This year the restaurant added the lobster mac and cheese as its new item for the specials.